Remind me. What is travel?

After more than two years of enforced stay-at-homeitis, I admit there have been unexpected challenges in getting ready for an overseas trip. Will everything I want fit in the panniers, and will the panniers fit on the borrowed bike? What bike is Arlene going to ride, and how will we get it to France from Toronto? Am I really going to weigh every bike shirt to be sure I’m taking the lightest possible options? Why is the temperature on the Atlantic Coast stubbornly lingering above 30C? And where is my passport anyway? Has it grown rust from lack of use? Is it even still valid?

With days to go to departure, I’m happy to say that the issues seem to have been resolved, and my passport only expires next year. Even the weather may be cooperating, with forecast highs in the mid 20s and a pleasant cool-down at night. Yes there’s rain in the forecast, but I bought a swish new rain jacket after discovering that the waterproofing on the old one has decided to delaminate itself from the material it’s supposed to be bonded to. So bring that rain on. Not.

The plan.

Fly from Toronto to Paris on Sunday and take a pre-booked three-train trip on to Royan, where we will be introduced to our bicycles and figure out where to go next. I’ll take a pannier as carry-on and a handlebar bag as a purse, and check a bag with the other pannier and most of the on-bike stuff. C+C are supplying saddles (risky, perhaps) and pedals, and we are supplying Quebec maple syrup and all the stuff we think we need. We will tap French bakeries for endless supplies of croissants and pains au chocolat.

What could possibly go wrong?

The probable pack. I may cull some things and add others. Travel clothes, orange bag and heavy can of maple syrup stay in Royan. Cat stays in Toronto.

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Scott AndersonI’ll look forward to following this. We’re thinking we’ll be biking through here next year and will be looking for ideas.

If your passport is expiring next year, you should consider applying for your next one as soon as you get back because it’s a very slow process now. Also in case you didn’t know it, many countries require you to have six months left on it when you enter, regardless of the length you plan to stay. I don’t know about France, but Spain does.
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8 months ago

Janet GeeTo Scott AndersonGood thinking. I'll still be outside the 6 month window when I get back, but it will be high up on the must do list for October.
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8 months ago

Brent IrvineTo Scott AndersonSpain is 3 months and I believe so is France.
My wife sent in her renewal two weeks ago and last week (a week later) she saw the charge go through for the renewal. I hope this is good news as I sent in my renewal last week as soon as I returned home from Portugal.
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8 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Brent IrvineFrom the Spanish consulate’s website: Valid passport or travel document: The document must be valid until three months after the planned date of departure from the Schengen territory, and must have been issued during the ten years immediately before the date of entry.

So it’s three months after the date you plan to leave the Schengen Zone, not to enter it. When we started planning this trip we expected it to be 90 days, so we’d have needed to have six months remaining on the passport in order to enter.
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8 months ago

Bob KoreisI dunno. Looks like kitteh wants to go. Would it ride on your shoulder like Nala/One Bike One World?
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7 months ago