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Relocating to Paris- please advise.
I've been taking inventory of everything in our house and determing what would be cheaper to buy when we get there and what we should have shipped over for our stay. It's hard to justify shipping over much given the expense, hassle, short duration of our stay and the amount of time we'd go without our stuff while waiting for it to arrive (8-12 weeks minimum).
The biggest conundrums right now have to do with electronics, specifically kitchen stuff (immersion blender, slow cooker, other specialized gadgets since I love to cook) and my work "stuff"- laptop, printer. I'm not sure if it would be appropriate to ask DH's company to help me repurchase a computer & printer in France since I'll be working-at-home and this is a huge factor in making us a portable family.
Any thoughts on what I should absolutely take and what would be appropriate to ask for the company's assistance with? (They are, for example, helping us find a school for DD, so they're definitely tuned in to trying to make the move easy on us.)
Re: Relocating to Paris- please advise.
I'd be afraid that asking your husband's company to buy you a new computer for your house would seem like you are taking the piss. Sorry.
I'd also be concerned that your kitchen appliances won't work in France. When we moved from Canada to China and then to the UK we just took all of our stuff with us in suitcases and extra baggage on the plane - we've never had things shipped and I don't think it would be worth shipping things for only a year's move.
It's very common in Europe (and Asia) to rent furnished apartments, but you need to keep your expectations rather low and remember that your year abroad is about an experience for your family and not necessarily one in which you need your typical american comforts.
I think for myself, the things that we stock up on from N. America are meds (over the counter stuff for headaches, colds, rumbly tummies, culturally induced explosive diharhea, etc. ) and food stuff ( spices we like, seasonings, etc. ) and clothes ( styles, sizes, etc. ).
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For the computer, you can usually buy an adapter or converter to make it work here. The kitchen appliances would be more of a hassle than its worth ,IMO. You can still cook without those electrical appliances, I would just take some of the pans necessary to make the things and mix stuff by hand. Like Tofu mentioned, usually there is a lot less space in the apartments, so don't pack all your stuff! For clothes,it tends to be cool most of the year (I have worn shorts maybe for a total of 2 weeks all year) so most of your summer clothes/flip flops could probably stay in the US. Mostly, you can do without a lot of stuff for a year and you will be surprised at what you don't miss.
Bring any meds you take in the US, if your DD has any specific snacks or comfort objects, etc. make sure we have them here or bring them over.
Don't really worry, Paris is lovely and you will enjoy it!
If you are only going for a year, I wouldnt ship anything. I would bring maybe a few suitcases more on the plane with me and just pay the fee.
I wouldnt bring any appliances with you. I would just bring your computer. I would also bring clothes (but I wouldnt bring a lot since you might want to buy some clothes when you get here if you like the style), over the counter medicine, makeup, and maybe some food products. But you should ask first here because I am sure you can get a lot of stuff there in France and they probably have American stores that sell American products.
I think you will be surprised by how little you need when you actually get here. The flats tend to be small in Europe so you might not have a lot space for things. I would bring a few toys for your DD but I am sure you will spend a lot of time exploring the city.
Argh, I wrote a long post and it is gone!
Yeah don't bother with your appliances. If you really need some, buy them in France and sell them before you leave.
As for pharmacies, we have really good ones in France. Keep in mind that they do not belong to supermarkets. They are independently owned. You'll find them everywhere. Look for the blinking green cross. They have all the OTC drugs you want. You just need to ask the pharmacists as they are behind the counter. Describe your symptoms and they'll give you something. Homeopathy is also common in France so keep that in mind.
This is a typical pharmacie. You'll find a lot of necessities like baby formula and higher end baby products (Mustela for example that you can find in the US at Sephora) as well as beauty brands like Vichy, La Roche Posay, Caudalie, Nux, Roge Cavailles soaps.... Really, it shouldn't be a problem to fix a cold or diarrhea.
I wouldn't bring much clothes. If you are really into fashion, you will want to buy a lot of clothes anyway.
As for school, I don't know how old your daughter is but here is how it works. French kids start public school around 2.5 - 3 years old. It starts at 8:30am and then it's a 2-hour lunch break at 11:30am. If you are a stay at home mom, you usally come and pick up your kid and then bring her back at 1:30pm and get her again at 4:30pm. If you want her to eat at school, you can. School lunches are excellent in France. Kids sit at a table and eat with a fork and knife. Food is brought to the table. For smaller kids, they ask you to provide a fabric napkin and they'll have a little cubicle with their name on it to store it. You'll have the menu for the week so you know what you kid eats and you can plan your own meals accordingly. Usually, it's raw vegetables with vinaigrette, protein and veggie, yogurt and fruit. And tap water. They'll never serve milk.
It's the same thing from 1st to 5th grade. In 6th grade, it can be a cafeteria type thing but the menu is the same.
I work from home as well, and I brought my laptop and purchased UK and US Vonange lines. The US number is programmed to forward to the UK, so clients can call me "in the States" and not pay international long distance.
As for a copier/printer/fax, I have an awesome one at home but left it there and purchased one here. I didn't ask my husband's company to purchase it for me - honestly, I think that's asking too much and your husband could come across as needy or high maintenance for making such request. Focus on the big stuff, like your general relo package and tickets home, etc.
I'd also like to chime in that you really need much less here. Our home in Mexico (where we actually permanently live - DH is Mexican), is around 4,000 sq. feet with a nice yard, etc. We're in 800 sq. feet here and really don't feel cramped at all. We have everything we need, and London is at our doorstep, so it's completely worth it
The way we moved was we each brought two carry-ons, two large suitcases, and a big box packed with household stuff (high quality pots and pans that would be very expensive to replace here - I like to cook). So that was a total of 10 pieces that we flew with us from Mexico to London. I believe that American Airlines charged us an additional $300. Cheapest international move ever...
We don't have children, but we do have a dog who's like a child. So we brought his stuff too. I won't go into the ridiculous blood work, waiting period, and what it cost to transport a 17-pound dog since you're going to France and their entry requirements are much more lenient than the UK's... It was a very expensive pain in the rear, but he's worth it, of course.
Once we found our flat here, we made a mega trip to IKEA and spend around 1,000 pounds. The only reason we had to spend so much was because our flat was partially furnished and we had to buy a bed and a futon for the guest room... Otherwise we would have only spent around 200-300. DH insisted on a large flat screen, so that was another 500 pounds. (And we brought it home on the tube because I was too cheap to get a taxi!) Still far cheaper than shipping things to Europe and back.
Good luck!
Great info. Thanks, everyone! I think I will go the pay-extra-for-luggage route and not ship anything at all.
How does this work???
Ditto on computers and adaptors.
I'd only add-- another alternative to Voynage and Skype-- magic jack. We've got it and have had a US number in IT. Believe it was about $75 for 3yrs. I like it better than the subscriptions b/c you pay once and that's it... no monthly bill/payment.
Anyway, good luck!
Get Vonage in the States now. This will give you a US number. Get the package that includes free long distance to Europe. You'll have to continue to pay for this to keep the number. Then...
Option 1, assuming Vonage is available in France: Get Vonage in France. You'll get a new modem, etc. This will give you a local number. Program your US Vonage to forward to France. You will not need the US modem to be hooked up - or even plugged in - for this to work. If someone calls your French number OR your US number, it will ring your house. If you call out, you'll be calling from France (but free long distance). You will only need one phone.
Option 2, assuming Vonage is NOT available in France: Take the US modem with you. (You can plug it in with an adapter.) Hook it up to internet and a phone there. If someone calls your US number, it will ring your house. If you call out, you'll be calling from the US number (again, free long distance). If you want a French number, however, you'll need two separate phones and a French landline.
Option 1 is what I do in the UK and the US number costs $45 (because I also pay for "Vonage Companion" which means my laptop can serve as a phone - but you need really strong internet for this to work well: wired, not wireless). And the UK piece costs 15 pounds. This gives us two numbers, voicemail, etc.
Option 2 is what I did when we lived in Mexico as Vonage isn't available there. In both scenarios, the internet fees are additional.
You should invest in the best, strongest internet for good reception...
Good luck!
I'm curious about this because the price is so enticing... Is the reception good enough to use for business? Does it always work and is there customer service if you have problems? Does it include voicemail? Do you get a regular US number that people can call from phones?
Thanks!
I wanted to quicly add what I know about Magic Jack.
We live in the US and we have set one up for my parents in Europe. I paid I think $65 for 5 years (they had some special offer at the time I think), this way they are able call our US numbers, cell phone or land line free. All they need is internet. So basicly if they shut their computer the phone doesn`t work. It does have a voice mail and it`s been working fine for us. The quality is good too, I don`t think we had any problems with it so far and we have been using it for about 2 years now.
It`s great, I recomend it
Ditto bogarka-- wrt customer service (I've never used though), and vmail. You can actually choose your US number (well, area code anyway, so you don't even have to peg it to where you were living).
Our internet srv can be crappy here and when it goes, no joy at all (I mean the vmail will take messages, but you can't use the service). Occasionally there's an echo, but again, I think that's more the poor quality of our internet than MJ.
Bottomline, if you've got reliable internet, recommend 100%. If you've got so-so internet, it's still a good value, but I'd say (particularly for business) have a plan b on hand (calling card or something).
Overall though, even with poor internet, it's saved us and our F&F tons in international calling. I was hesitant b/c of the price, but it's truly been as advertised. Oh and I should add we bought it in Dec '08 right before we moved to Italy.
Hi and welcome to the board!
I definitely agree with everyone, don't bring any kitchen appliances, they are bulky and probably won't work anyway. Definitey bring your laptop. For your printer, it depends on what you need and how much it would cost to just get one in Europe. If you do bring it, just make sure you check that you can get ink in Paris (or bring enough for a year). Can't imagine asking DH's work to pay for work supplies for me but that depends on if your working was a condition of his move.
For just a year's move, you shouldn't need to bring much. We came here with just 7 suitcases and we've lived here for 5 years so far. By the time you get your stuff, you'd be almost 1/4 the way through your year anyway so you'd just unpack it an then start thinking about repacking.
I would bring a year's supply of any toiletries you're commited to (although it can be fun to experiment!) plus any specialty medicines (it would be much easier to just bring a year's supply of birth control if relevent and we always grab a bunch of Advil Cold & Sinus when we're in the states) Personally, I found finding clothes here kind of difficult at the beginning so I'd bring enough to get by.
I'm super jealous, I'd love to live in Paris for a year, it's such an amazing city!
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No idea, since we haven't rented one yet. But my experience with shorter-term furnished rentals in Madrid and Buenos Aires was that there was no blender, food processor or any of the other gadgets I use regularly. I think I had a toaster in Madrid, but definitely didn't have one in BA.
Thanks for all of this!
I am getting a lot of pressure from my French friends to enroll DD in public school, but that just seems like such a long day compared to her pre-school here. I'm much more comfortable with the idea of the schedules at the bilingual Montessori schools and have to admit that the costs seem absurdly low compared to Montessori schools in NYC...