Preparations

We're all fluttering around preparing for the big trip. Both the mom's have called for advice on what to pack and are pre-packing to make sure they can fit everything into one bag.

Chris and I bought a new hiking style backpack for the occasion and we're quite excited about it.

We're planning on renting a car on Naxos and possibly on the mainland too. Dad, being the ever faithful researcher learned that an International Driving Permit is recommended. Chris and I went to AAA yesterday and obtained one. We learned that it is rarely required but it's highly recommended. The reason being that if you get pulled over the authorities will ask to see your license and if you give them your US license they could keep it and then you wouldn't be able to get back into the US. The benefit of the IDP is that you can give that to the authorities instead and then if they're slimy and steal it you can still get home later.

We aren't AAA members so we hadn't visited their offices before. While waiting for them to prepare the IDP I was looking around and found a Visa Traveler's card. You load it up with up to $10K in cash and then can use in anywhere in the world as a Visa. I want to look into it further before our next trip to see how the exchange fees work and if you can use it as a debit etc. It might be a convenient option for our next trip.

I have been drilling Chris on Greek using the flashcards I made. He's done really well. He's close to mastering the basics and I've got about 3/4 of the entire deck down. By the time we arrive we should be able to blend right in! ^_-

So we have only four days left before we all meet in New York and then it's off to Greece!