My Lovely Life Abroad

Navigating the "ins" and "outs" of overseas travel can be daunting, even for the seasoned traveler.  After hosting over 50 visitors since we arrived here in London a year ago, I have a good handle on most of the questions that visitors will ask. Q uestions like: "What do I do about phone service?", "How do I get to my hotel from the airport?", and "Should I pack a blow dryer?" are legitimate. More tricky are the questions like "How do I get an American prescription filled?" So let's start with probably the most confusing,  yet most often asked question:  1. "What do I do about phone service in the UK?" This is a question best thought through a few weeks before departure. Generally,  as a visitor, you have a few choices--sign up for an international plan, communicate only when on Wi-Fi, purchase a UK sim card, or rent/buy a mobile hotspot. The easiest method and the one I most often recommen...

A milestone birthday deserves a milestone event...  So, when my husband offered to take me on a little excursion to the South of France to celebrate, there was nothing to say but, "MAIS, OUI, OUI !!" There was no way in 4 days that we could do everything in Provence that I wanted to do, (especially with a broken foot!), but  because I had studied abroad in Avignon when I was in college, I'd been to a lot of these places before, and I was excited to see if any had changed. (short answer: very much!) What do you think of our itinerary? 1.  Carrières   de   Lumières  Les Baux  2. Les Baux de Provence  3. Avignon 4. Chateau Neuf du Pape wine tasting 5. Fountaine de Vaucluse 6. Gourdes village 7. Roussillon village 8. Loumarin village 9. Aix en Provence  After a just a short 1 1/2 hour direct flight from London's Gatwick airport, we land in Marseille, rent...