I’d love to get another dog but the responsibility and travel limitations are holding me back. I’ve sen mid-sized (not tiny) dogs on planes tho. So maybe sometime in the future…! 
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I leave for Paris and the Olympics Wednesday. I think I have done everything possible to prepare. As Visa is a sponsor, you can’t use other credit cards to make Olympics related purchases, so I got a Visa. I got a Pass Jeux to access our hotel. I booked transport from CDG to the hotel and back. I have euros and a Navigo card. We have a few meal reservations. I’m crossing my fingers there are no travel issues.
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That’s part of my H’s reluctance to travel (other than to see his mom) - not dogs, but cats. He loves those cats and feels bad when we leave them alone (we do have a cat sitter come in to feed them & play with them daily). I, on the other hand, was the one responsible for kids & cats before H retired. I have no interest in being responsible for any life but my own anymore. (That’s why grandkids are great - as a grandparent, you’re not responsible. You get to enjoy them & then send ‘em home.)
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If it makes you happy, that’s all that’s important.
We had a cat that was diabetic for about 3 years before she died. We had to give her shots every 12 hours, so couldn’t travel much.
Now we are down to one cat, and are waiting until at least next spring to get a second, because we have multiple trips planned between now and then.
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From Berlin to Paris on the Night Train: A Retro-Romantic Journey
Comfort was at times questionable and the food so-so, but for everyone on board, the trip was an experience unto itself.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/22/travel/night-trains-berlin-paris.html
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Has anyone had any experience with Zurich travel insurance? We’re planning on a Royal Carribean Cruise trip to Europe for next year, our first-ever cruise trip, and we’re not familiar with any travel insurance for international travel coverage.
We have used Allianz travel insurance for a half dozen overseas trips. When we made a claim they paid off very quickly.
On one occasion we took out a policy 6 months before the trip began. At the T-minus 2 month point the trip was cancelled. I requested a 1/3 refund from Allianz, since 1/3 of the term was still remaining. The refunded the entire 100% we had paid! That won me over as a loyal customer.
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Call or look at tripinsurancestore.com.
Steve is VERY knowledgeable, and several on this site are familiar with him/the site.
I think we used Allianz once also, before finding out about Steve.
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Finally, a Way Around Exorbitant Rental Car Surcharges for Tolls
Temporary toll passes, now free for those who rent cars at the Orlando airport in Florida, allow drivers to avoid charges for toll payment devices. Could this be a model for other destinations?
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/23/travel/highway-tolls-orlando-airport.html
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I never got the toll pass in florida with a rental car as I could just pay the $1 or $2 at a booth. One time we landed and they said Trump’s plane was landing and not to take the Bee Line (airport to ocean/I95), so I went around the airport. Oops. That toll booth was unmanned and I needed $1.24 (not a mistake, 24 cents). My mother and I were digging through our purses and pockets and just didn’t have it. Luckily, some other drivers had missed the basket when tossing in their coins and I was able to scrounge for some change. No other cars came up while we were looking for money.
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E-ZPass is a multi-state electronic toll pass that works in states from North Carolina to Maine and west to Illinois, and now in the entire state of Florida . If your transponder is part of the E-ZPass Group (I-PASS, RiverLink Portable, NC Quick Pass Portable), your toll pass is accepted on CFX roadways.
Can I use my E-ZPass in a rental car in Florida? Yes you can , it will work on Central Florida Expressway Authority roads (shown on the above map) where you will incur Central Florida Expressway Authority’s local toll rates that will be automatically deducted from your E-ZPass account.
So if you have a transponder take it with you for rental car.
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This is good to know–it was not the case the last time I was in FL but that was a while ago.
As I have mentioned elsewhere, I don’t have a car and rent when I need one. I purchased tape-and-velcro pairs (Amazon) to attach my personal EZPass to the windshield of whatever car I rent. Easy and much more convenient than having the transponder slide around on the dashboard.
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Ours are made with suction cups to stick on the window.
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I like that! Maybe I can swap mine for one that has suction cups!
If you’re taking your EZ Pass transponder on vacation, should it be wrapped in aluminum foil, so you don’t pick up unintended tolls before you get your car?
When mailing it back as a result of dead batteries, our state tells us to do this, or use the original package the transponder came in (as if any of us still have that packaging!)
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We were recently driving in Northern Italy. Our rental car company ran out of transponders so we were on our own to pay tolls. Generally was not an issue because the booths had tap-and-pay by credit card. One though was not staffed, no gates, just had a sign saying pay online at ???.com. Went by it too fast to see what it said. Figured it out by a google search that night. Luckily the app had an English option.
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They were kidding right?
And…I think maybe you should wrap in foil or whatever. Website says don’t have two transponders or you could get charged twice so if a cab or uber has one it’s possible I suppose you could be charged too.
Wish that worked in CA, but there are no transponders. The system scans the cars’ license plate, and the rental car company hits us with a big surcharge!
Not used Zurich. Have used ING, Seven corners and will be using travelex on the next trip. Lots of variables to look at when buying travel insurance. Some people like Allianz’s annual plan,as it’s much less expensive if you plan to travel a lot.But if/when you use it, it deducts it from whats left on the plan. FWIW, if you insure a flight on Delta, the company they use is allianz.
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