Canadian Travel Planning Spreadsheet

I've updated my travel planning spreadsheet to account for Canadian Currency (CAD) to USD. If anyone has any problems or success using this sheet please let me know via comments or by email. Remember to check the CAD to USD conversion rates often if planning a trip to our northern neighbor. 

A Taste of France

This weekend my wife and I decided to head out for a nice evening meal at a local French restaurant we've been meaning to try, Chez Vincent. They advertise at one of the local outdoor markets we frequent by parking their unique red Citroen convertible on the street. Seeing this quintessential French automobile peaked my interest in their establishment.

Our evening started with the typical back and forth, "what do you feel like?," "I don't know, what do you want?" Eventually, I remembered the drivable billboard of Chez Vincent and decided to see if they had an online reservations, which they do through OpenTable. We made our reservations, dressed, and departed for our 7:30PM reservation. On our way there a torrential downpour brought traffic on the freeway to a crawl (30 MPH with hazards flashing). After 30-plus minutes of driving through screaming wind and hyper-wiper inducing rain, we pulled into Winter Park. Now the daunting task of locating suitable parking. Being the gracious husband that I am, I volunteered to drop my wife off at the door and park the car myself so only one of us would get soaked.

5 minutes later and significantly less dry, I walked in the front door to be greeted by my wife sitting in a cozy window seat with a bottle of water and the menus placed on the table. The waitstaff, several of whom were French, were prompt in taking our drink order and explaining the evening's specials. After reviewing the menu I settled on a starter of cream of mushroom soup, a glass of house red wine, and a meal of venison in cherry sauce, vegetables, and mashed potatoes. My wife decided to try the soup de jour, a cream of tomatoe and basil, a glass of Chardonnay, with a meal of salmon aux framboises (with rasberries), vegetables, and rice Provencal. Everthing from the service to the food, was tres bien.

Following the meal we decided to each try a dessert, I went with the Bavarois, a combination of rasberry and chocolate mouse in mango sauce. My wife went with the French classic of Creme Brulee, like Amelie Poulaine she loves the crack, crack, crack of the spoon on the hard sugary surface. I am happy to report that neither option dissapointed. We both coupled our dessert with a cup of coffee, mine traditionally black, while my wife asked for creme. I've explained that in Europe the locales do not drink milk in their coffee after breakfast. Her response, well I do... 

Outdoor Markets

Outdoor markets are a great way to connect with a local population and buy fresh or regionally unique food. I've been to several in the UK, Paris, and domestically in the US and my opinion is that the majority are worth spending time exploring and sampling goods. A year ago I stumbled onto one of the most interesting outdoor markets I've ever been too, the Rue de Grenelle Market.

Having only come to Paris for a two-night weekend, I was excited to find this vibrant local market on my final day, just outside the doors of my hotel at Motte Picquet-Grenelle (15e, near 7e). The market was bustling, but not packed shoulder to shoulder like some of the popular tourist sites in the city. This was a spot for locals, but anyone was welcome to peruse the aisle. The vendor offerings included jewelry (I bought my daughter a pair of earrings), clothing (I bought my wife a scarf), food (I bought myself breakfast), and other assorted produce and knick-knacks. It was a pleasent respite from some of the more souvenier type offerings of the shops around the Eiffel Tower/Champ de Mars.

Flash-forward nine months to June 2011 and I found myself at a local Sunday outdoor market in Orlando, that while smaller, did evoke similar feelings as that Parisian market. I strolled through the booths with my wife, checking out the quality of the locally grown organic produce, sampled and purchased artisan bread (french bread), and people-watched while we explored. Six weeks from now, we will be visiting the city of light together and I cannot wait to share the intimate taste of local Parisian life  that I experienced with her. In the meanwhile, we have our local markets to look forward to.

Iamsterdam Card

City tourist cards can be a great deal, if used correctly. Likewise, purchasing one blindly before knowing what you want to do or what the card provides can be an expensive waste of money. While performing research for my own two day stay in Amsterdam, I determined specific sites I want to see, the best (easiest) way to get around, and what it will costs me to do so. While looking for information for Amsterdam I came across the Iamsterdam City Card, which provides all-inclusive transportation options for 24, 48, and 72 hours.

For my time in Amsterdam I plan on seeing a multitude of popular sites, including the following:

• The Van Gogh Musuem: €14 per person or included with Iamsterdam Card (also provides fast lane entrance)
• The Rijksmuseum: €12.50 pp or included with Iamsterdam Card
• The Amsterdam Tulip Musuem: €4 pp or included with Iamsterdam Card
• Amsterdam Historisch Museum: €10 or included with Iamsterdam Card
• Heineken Experience: €15 or €11.50 with Iamsterdam Card (25% discount on admission)
• 48 hour Metro/Tram/Bus pass: €11.50 or included with Iamsterdam Card

The only major item not included in the card is the Anne Frank House, which has its own entrance fee of €8.50. Regardless, by tallying the individual costs for admission we end up with €75.50 compared to the €69 cost associated with the Iamsterdam Card, the 25% reduced fee for the Heineken Experience, and the full charge for the Anne Frank House. So for my trip, it should be worthwhile to buy the Iamsterdam Card as opposed to waiting in line and buying each admission seperately. If I had more time, I would have like to use the included canal cruise tour (from either Blue Boat or Holland International), but I had already pre-paid for a canal dinner cruise on Holland International. Maybe next time.

Iamsterdam is currently runnning a promotion for June, where the cost of the 72 hour card is reduced by 10%. You can either buy online or at the following locations:

• Schiphol Airport (Arrival Hall 2 : Holland Tourist Information)
• Central Station (Stationsplein 10 (opposite Centraal Station))
• Amsterdam Zuid (GVB Tickets & Info)
• Leidseplein (AUB Ticketshop or Canal Bus kiosk on the bridge between Leidseplein & Stadhouderskade)
• Museumplein/Museumsquare (Keytours at Paulus Potterstraat 8)
• Waterlooplein (Box-office Muziektheater, Amstel 3)

Searching for Restaurants

You've spent hours, days, months, maybe even years reviewing information for your upcoming trip and now you want to nail down that quintessential dining experience. What is your next step? Well that depends on what kind of traveler you are. If your a seat of the pants, take it as it may come, free as a bird wanderer, then don't worry about it and disregard the rest of this post. However, if you are an obsessive planner or have an important event you want to celebrate, then these steps are for you.

1) Find a location

I like to use a combination search and verify strategy to determine, which restaurant would be perfect for the night or event I am planning. I first create my itinerary for the day and then try to figure out where exactly I will be around meal time. Will I be out and about near a specific museum, just coming into a city, or relaxing at my hotel? These all factor into where I may be looking to eat. Will I be celebrating an important event or just looking for a quick bite? If I'm celebrating, then the location might not be as important as the experience or quality of the food (sometimes it might be even more important, i.e., Eiffel Tower). These are all considerations you will have to make before you begin locating dining options.

Once I determine where I will be (or if I even care about location), I start with TripAdvisor. I enter in the location/city and bring up the listing for all dining (restaurants in the area). I then use their data entry controls to further specify what type of experience I would like (French cuisine, romantic, etc...). Once the defining information has been entered, I use the map (on the right of the screen) to zoom in on a specific area. The recommendations on the left will automatically update to correlate with the area in view. I read reviews and try to find my top choices.

2) Look for the website or online materials

Once I have identified a restaurant of interest, I check if they have a website available to determine their location, what is on their menu, and their level of presentation. If they do not have a website, I try to locate other reviews or online materials that may identify costs and quality of the establishment. At this point if nothing is available, I make the decision as to whether to chance it without further material or to pass onto another option.

3) Reserve online

If you were able to find a website online for a restaurant you really want to try, check if they take electronic reservations. If they do not have an electronic reservation system, try to locate a contact email and send a written request for a reservation. The worst that can happen is that they will rebuff you and say no. Make sure that if you are dealing with a restaurant in a country where English is not the majority language you make the request in the native tongue and then put your request in English beneath it. This will show them a level of courtesy, while letting them know their language is not your native tongue. I like to use Yahoo's Babelfish to convert my requests.

Another option is to use online tools to make or request a reservation. I have used TopTable, Book A Table, and The Fork (for France), for my own reservations. In some cases, these tools even provide a coupon or discount for the establishment, saving you some money. Keep in mind that a little bit of research can go a long way. Before going directly to the online tools and making a reservation, read the full reviews available on TripAdvisor, Yelp, Zagat, Urban Spoon, or Dine.

European Travel Budget Template (in Excel)

After so much delay, I finally have developed a MS Excel document that can be used for European travel budget planning. This file is definitely a work in progress, but should be sufficient to get your own budgeting started. The European Travel Budget template file can be downloaded HERE... (updated 27 June 2011 to fix bug with meal cost reporting).

Before we can get started with the travel budget, you will need to do a few things first:

1) First, contact the bank you will be using to withdraw cash from an ATM in Europe. Ask them (a) what their Foreign Transaction Fee is (%) and (b) what your maximum withdrawal per day is.

2) Contact your Credit Card company and ask them what their Foreign Transaction Fee and your credit card limit is. As a side note, Capital One, with 0% Foreign Transaction Fee, is preferable.

3) Determine an approximate maximum cost you are willing to spend for your trip.

4) Determine an approximate number of days your trip will last (sorry, but the spreadsheet only accommodates trip durations between 1 and 21).

Once you have all of these items, or rough approximation of costs, you can begin filling in information in the spreadsheet. First, download, save, and open the form. To setup the sheet perform the following activities:

1) Determine the latest conversion rate of the EUR to USD by clicking HERE... or by using the hyperlink found on line 2 of the spreadsheet. Once you have the conversion rate value, enter it into cell C2. Take note, you will need to update this value from time to time as it is not automated.

2) Enter your Foreign Transaction Fee for your credit card into cell B3 (% format).

3) Enter your Foreign Transaction Fee for your ATM bank into cell B5 (% format).

4) Enter the approximate duration of your trip into cell B7 (1 to 21).

5) Enter your approximate maximum trip cost into cell D8 ($USD format).

6) Enter your credit card limit into cell D9 ($USD format).

7) Enter your maximum ATM withdrawal (per day) amount into cell D10.

You are now ready to start researching major costs for your trip. Keep in mind, all the items you have just entered can be adjusted as you plan. Start by performing the following activities:

1) Determine your entry and exit cities for your trip. For example, flying out of Orlando (MCO) to Amsterdam (AMS) and returning from Paris (CDG) to Orlando (MCO). Use these cities and some airfare search engine sites such as Travelocity, Expedia, or Kayak to obtain an estimated airfare cost for your trip. Enter this information into cells D478 and D479.

If you have more than two airfare costs you can add additional lines by highlighting cell A479, select the Insert...option, then select the Insert->Shift cells down option. Copy cells B478 to D478 (currency cells from line above) into the newly created row. Highlight cell C478, and then type "=C4". Repeat this process as necessary for each new item. This process will be the same for adding any additional lines in the spreadsheet. It is critical that all new lines be added between the existing lines, otherwise the subtotals will not take the new lines into account.

2) Get an estimate for any travel insurance, pet boarding, and parking costs and enter this information into cells D497-D499.

3) Start identifying potential lodgings/hotels for each stop/city on your trip. I have designed the system so that you can identify a primary choice and an alternative in case the primary falls through or is unavailable. Locate the website of the primary choice and enter it into cell E412 (first line under Hotel Costs (Paid in Europe)). Enter any information, such as cost and description of the room into cell G412 (under Comments column). Find the rates and determine the total cost for your stay in this location. If a deposit is required enter the cost (in EUROs) to cell B408. Enter the total cost of your stay to cell B412, minus the cost of the deposit. Identify an alternative lodging and enter this information (minus the cost) to cells E413/G413. Repeat this process as necessary for all lodgings/stops for your itinerary. If necessary, add additional lines as previously described.

4) Determine if you will need additional pre-purchased transportation, such as train, bus, or ferry tickets. Enter this information starting with the first line under Pre-purchased Transportation Costs (starting with cell B400).

5) Start to research tours and attractions (i.e., museums, castles, etc...) you are interested in. Determine if you will pre-purchase or if you will buy in Europe. If you will be pre-purchasing, enter the information starting with cell B404 (first line under Pre-purchased Attraction/Tour/Misc Item Costs). Otherwise, if planning on buying in Europe (on credit card), enter the information starting with cell B423 (first line under Attractions/Tours/Misc Costs (Paid in Europe)-on Credit Card). If necessary, add additional lines as previously described.

6)  Continue your research and determine approximate costs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for each day. Note, B&Bs include breakfast so do not enter a value for any days you may stay in this type of lodging. Enter your approximate costs into each respective Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner cell for each day. I have broken these up so you can plan on paying with cash or credit. Just be mindful, which is which when entering. I find, I get a better costs when I use a credit card since my Foreign transaction fee is lower than with cash.

7) Determine what the typical tipping/gratuity and tax rate is for the area you will be in and enter this information in the Tip/Tax Rate (% format) cell for each day.

8) If you know you need to pay cash for items, enter this information under the Attractions/Tours/Misc Costs (Paid in Europe)-in Cash heading. Anything you enter under column A, will be repeated in the daily log area above.

Once you have entered all the major items, look at the Misc line for each day in the Daily Spending Log area (i.e., Day 1, 2, 3, N, etc...). This amount is calculated based on the amount of cash you have remaining to give you a slush fund that can be used to pay for incidentals or even out your budget. I prefer to keep this number between €25 to €50 per day, if possible. This is the value that will adjust to account for changes in currency conversion to keep your tally within the identified budget limit.

The Daily Spending Log contains totals for the Total Cash of the Day, the amount to withdraw from an ATM, the remaining cash at the End of Day (EOD), and text that identifies when to withdraw cash (No Withdrawal, Withdraw Before Breakfast, Withdraw After Breakfast, Withdraw After Lunch, or Withdraw After Dinner)
This instruction should be sufficient to get your started, if you have any questions drop me an email or post in the comments section.

Taste of Europe, at Home

My next trip to Europe is only two months away and I can't wait, but in the meantime I've been trying to find pockets of European culinary influence here in Orlando. The most obvious choice is restaurants, but unfortunately, that really only leaves French food. It's not easy to find Dutch or Belgian focused eateries. The best options I have found for these two countries can be found in my local grocery store and beer/wine shops. Here in Florida, Publix is the predominant grocer, and luckily for me they offer a vast selection. The Publix in my neighborhood has an ethnic food aisle that contains food from all over the world. In addition, the beer and wine selection is excellent as well, oftentimes including many smaller European brands.

However, to find those rare treats like Kriek, Lambic, Doubles, and Triples I turn to Total Wine. One of my favorite options though, is a national chain called World Market, which carries food, alcolol, furnishings, and other household goods from all over the globe. Locally, I'm quite fortunate to also have Hollerbach's Willow Tree Cafe, whose owners have recently opened the Magnolia Square Market a German deli and market. For those times I reminisce about the UK, we also have The British Shoppe.

Electronics, What I Bring on Travel

I love electronics, but I hate their size and all the peripheral equipment that goes with their use. So when I travel I try to minimize my gadgets, when I can, to save on space and weight. The following is a list of items that I bring  in order to watch movies (great for long plane/train rides), catch up on email, check in with the office (I know, I know), balance my travel budget, surf the internet, listen to music, take pictures/video, and recharge my batteries (literally).

HTC EVO 4G Android Phone (Sprint)
While this may not be the ideal phone for foreign travel since Sprint uses CDMA (as opposed to GSM), it does still have WiFi and digital still/video camera capabilities. I like the idea of a combined device because it results in a smaller packing footprint and less items to worry about or carry along. In addition, Android devices have some great applications. I can use the Kindle app to read books (fiction and travel guides), the internet browser for surfing the web, GoogleMaps to look up routes, PocketCloud to connect to my home PC, and the camera application to snap pictures and record video. For those on the Verizon or AT&T networks, you can substitute an iPhone for this device, but please read the following article first, how to take an iPhone overseas. Otherwise, you could run into some expensive overages.

Apple iPad 2 MC769LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi, Black) NEWEST MODEL
This item is definitely optional, but I love traveling with mine. While the EVO/iPhone is great for reading and surfing the net, the iPad was tailored for it. I tend to bring mine and only use it when I'm on a plane/train or relaxing in my room, but I prefer the larger screen size when I am trying to get something done. The major limiting factor of traveling with an iPad over a PC or netbook is the lack of input for files, which are typically added by syncing with a PC or over a WiFi network connection. My way around that is to use the next device that I bring, the zoomIt.

PNY zoomIt SDHC Flash Memory Card Reader for iPhone 4 & iPad
The zoomIt plugs into the bottom of an iPad or iPod/iPhone connection port and allows you to upload files into a repository on the device that can be accessed by other programs. I find this device is good for loading photos into Facebook albums, which are much easier to manipulate on an iPad instead of a phone or iPod. The zoomIt also supports audio and video files, so if you want to store movies on SD cards you will save some room on your Apple device. In addition, if you're traveling with any other Apple device users you can share between your devices using the zoomIt and an SD card. The device does need to be recharged from time to time (over USB), so keep that in mind.

Belkin F8Z359tt06INCHP Y Adapter; Mini Stereo Plug
Speaking of sharing, sometimes you may want to share music or video with one of your travel companions. I tend to travel with my wife, so I have invested in a y-cable adapter that allows us to both hear the audio from my iPad or EVO phone. This is great for watching a movie and saves us both from fighting over earbuds, especially when one of us turns our head quickly.

New Trent ifuel IMP500 5000mAh External Battery pack and Charger for Apple iPhone 4 4G 3Gs 3G (AT&T and verizon), iPod Touch (1G 2G 3G 4G), Motorola Droid, HTC Android EVO, Blackberry, Kindle DX, Samsung EPIC, Samsung Galaxy Tablet, Samsung Galaxy S and much more.
One thing I dread is losing an opportunity to capture a great picture because I wasted my phone battery watching videos or surfing the web. To mitigate this potential issue, I carry a portable USB battery that is able to recharge my device after a long day of use. The iFuel battery pack can be used to recharge most USB charged devices and is itself charged using a USB wall adapter, such as the following 4 port USB wall charger.

Lenmar ACUSB4 AC Travel Adapter for up to 4 USB Powered Devices (Black)
The Lenmar 4 port adapter is a great product. It provides the capability to charge up to four USB devices simultaneously, using one of four provided power plug adapters. I've used this device in the US, the UK, and France without any issues to charge all of my recommended devices (yes, it is iPad compatible). I will not travel anywhere without this device. In fact, I use it at home instead of the stock OEM wall chargers provided with the devices.

Hopefully, this suggested list has identified some items that will be useful for your own travels. This blog entry is my first attempt at using Amazon Associates to recommend products that I have used. If you decide to purchase any of them, please use my links so I will get credit. Brent A. Terwilliger is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Guided Tours and Walks

One activity I stress for vacations in historical settings is guided/walking tours. The right guide can bring the locale to life, but the wrong one can leave a sour taste in your mouth. So what can you do to increase the likelihood of experience a great tour? Spend some time doing some research and read available reviews before you reserve. You should also be aware of the differences in tour types.

Guided tour versus self guided
Some historical sights include a complimentary guided tour in the price of admission (Edinburgh Castle, Tower of London, Castillo De San Marcos, Ernest Hemingway Home), while others require a separate charge (Louvre). If your planning on visiting a site and have your heart set on a guided tour, make sure you check first to see if one is included. Most historical sites also include a self guided option or the ability to rent an audio guide, connected to location sensors that will relay information as you approach items/paintings. Audio guides tend to also require an additional charge, but not always. Make sure to check the website or brochure to find out what is included with admission.

Ghost walk versus Historical/haunted/macabre walk

There is a vast distinction between "Ghost" walks and the more historical haunting/macabre story walks. The ghost walks tend to focus on the existence of ghosts and other spiritual phenomena and encourage the capture of entities using your cameras. The historical haunting/macabre tours trend more towards relaying the gruesome history of a locale, leaving the possibility of haunting or existence of ghosts up to the observer. Often times, the tour guide may dress in garb and speak in a manner reflective of the time period they are trying to portray.

It can often be difficult to distinguish between the two types of tours from promotional/websites alone, instead the content of the tour can be determined by reading reviews of the tour. I've taken both types and definitely enjoy learning more about the historical side than listening to an argument regarding the presence of ghosts or seeing "staged" ghosts.  On one such ghost tour, more than 50% of the time was spent taking pictures of haunted sites and analyzing if our pictures contained any energy balls. This was not fun to me, but it may be to you so choose accordingly.

Free versus paid/pre-paid tours

When looking for tours, keep in mind the old addage "there is no such thing as a free lunch..." The same holds true for tours, while they may be advertised as a free, you will be pressured into tipping. In some cases, the guide may need to actually "pay" for you out of their tips, because their sponsering group will charge them a fee based on how many people signed up. That being said, free does not mean bad either. Some of the best tours I have taken were free tours, where the guide gave us a shpeel at the end with recommended tip amounts and the sale of a brochure or book. Also keep in mind, just because you pre-paid for a tour does not me you will not be hit up for a tip at the end. My recommendation is the same as all other tours, do your research first and you will end up with a more enjoyable experience.

So how do you go about finding tours for the cities/areas you will be visiting? As with most my recommendations, online. If you enter "guided tour," "ghost walk," or "history walk," plus the name of the city into a search engine, you should end up with quite a few options. Another strategy is to check on Viator, which also includes some reviews.  Since Viator is a bulk tour consolidator I also like to try to cost compare, so I use a search engine to find companies directly and see what their rates are and if they offer any discounts (students, youth, senior, etc...). Many cities/areas of interest also have tourism sites that will link you to tours and activities. These websites can provide a plethora of information, when it comes to lodgings/accommodations, food, and sites.

The final option I can recommend for finding tours it to search for the city/area on TripAdvisor and click on the "Things to Do" option, under the name of the location. This will show you a ranked list (based on reviews) of activities, including guided/walking tours for the area. You will also be able to read reviews and see pictures of other's experiences. Please remember, if you use the reviews to make your own selection, take the time after you've taken a tour to write your own. In many cases, the reviews are an operator's life blood and they may also ask you if you enjoyed the tour to write your own review.