How Much Our Spain and France Trip Is Costing So Far
No planes, lots of trains, a little stress
I got a little stressed out yesterday.
Just ask Melisse.
More on that in a minute.
But first …
At the end of yesterday’s installment, you’ll find links to the two previous posts about planning the trip me and my partner are taking to Spain and France in February 2024.
If all goes as planned, it will be the last large scale trip—certainly the last international trip—we take before moving to Spain once and for all and for good in roughly a year.
Once we get back from the February trip, time ought to fly leading into the visa process and the actual move. Time is already flying up to our February departure for Barcelona!
So—
If you’re a paid subscriber, thank you. We hit 300 total paid subs the other day. I appreciate the support.
I do my best to keep the content coming and fresh everyday. But I’m extra excited about February.
A quick update on what to expect:
7 posts from each of the seven cities we’re visiting with urban and food photography, cost of living comparisons and general observations as they relate to Living The Semi-Retired Life.
These posts will include receipts from actual grocery shopping trips I recently took in the US, which I will compare against hypothetical trips to buy equivalent items in Spain and France to highlight differences in cost of living.
10 posts that take a traditional personal finance or investing topic (think 401(k)s, financial planners, money market funds or accounts) and relate them to the non-traditional path you might be following or want to follow.
So, the mini-stress event …
Turns out it wasn’t that big of a deal (or, at least, I don’t think it was!), but as it happened, it felt real.
What happened is an illustration of how booking international travel can get confusing, even when you (think) you know what you’re doing. I can only assume U.S. apps and websites baffle the French?
Here’s the damage so far straight outta my Wise account—
One Spanish train ticket. Three French.
Now—
the blow-by-blow of what went wrong
—and—
the step-by-step on what I think I did right to make our travel within Spanish and French cities run as smoothly and seamlessly as possible while catering to the way me and my partner like to see cities.
With lots of illustrations via Google Maps and clunky train travel apps and websites.