I very much recommend staying at a place where you can cook. Aside from the suite hotels, many time-share resorts also rent out units. When it comes to restaurants, don't expect much from chains, even the fancier ones, unless your restrictions match up to their corporate menus. But most smaller places, even the non-fancy ones, can be very cooperative. However, it's best to call ahead and discuss your needs. While chefs seem to relish the challenge of making something wonderful despite restrictions, it's good to give them a little time to plan and get ready. And go at a less-busy time. Also,it's important to bring or make enough treats to counteract the temptations of eating in restaurants and other people's homes. Knowing you can have something truly special later can do a lot to give a person the strength to pick his or her way around the menu.

Spoke to my KD - she agrees that the cabinets should be replaced. She (and her operations manager) thinks they should be able to be removed from the wall without damaging them (despite the glue), which would mean not all the cabinets would need to be reordered. (I hope that's true.) She's figuring out how to order them without the doors and hinges so it's a little less expensive for them - she says that's definitely possible for the uppers, but possibly not the lowers (because of the drawers). It would take 3-4 weeks to get the replacements. She checked about the countertop, and they could theoretically install the counter on the sink side so the sink & appliances could be hooked up. Then at least I'd have half a working kitchen pending the cabinets coming in. Of course, there would be a big charge for this ($640) because of all the extra trips (and I guess it covers the re-templating)... which the contractor would have to cover. I *could* do without that, so long as they plugged in my refrigerator, I guess. I don't actually cook much. (Was planning to more after the kitchen was done.) And I could wash dishes in the bathroom... Maybe I'm being too accommodating here. The foreman is taking a long weekend. I'm supposed to talk to him again on Tuesday. I may have a conversation with the contracting company's salesman before that. Wow. So this is going to be one of those projects that extends on forever...

Following on the credit card advice, it's nice to have a chip card for Europe. Some kiosks, like at train stations, work only with chip cards and not with the magnetic stripes. Along those lines, don't exchange money at the airport, nor at home via your bank. Some ATM cards have no-fee benefits and many credit cards don't charge foreign transaction fees. It's good to suss that out ahead of time. For public transport with luggage, I'd suggest rolling luggage with 4 wheels, so it can roll sideways down the aisle. Also, of course a non-huge suitcase will be a relief every single day. For the long flight, I've had great luck sleeping with the combination of a melatonin pill, a glass of wine, headphones with classical music, and a scarf or hood to snuggle into. Everyone's method differs, but it's worth thinking about what puts you in a cozy, sleepy mood. I also bring my favorite tea bags and an insulated water bottle that can be filled with hot or cold water rather than being dependent on the irregular passage of the flight attendants. I set my watch for the new time zone about an hour after takeoff and never look back. I avoid the mental calculation about what time it is at home, because that just underscores jet lag. The local time is the time, period. I celebrate my arrival in Europe by beelining to the first cup of delicious-looking coffee I find in the airport. For me, the awesome coffee is an important part of the European experience! I also use coffee as necessary to stay awake and energized during the day and get into the local time zone. Other random tips - I make some photocopies of my passport to stick into various bags should I lose my original. You know the phrase, "when in Rome..."? It's great advice for infrequent travelers. There is great temptation to do everything just as you normally do, but then you miss out. Do things the way the locals do and become part of the experience. Anxiety is part of the travel experience. It's OK to be nervous - that is definitely part of the equation for lots of people. In some cases, it even heightens the delight once you get over there and realize just how awesome and non-difficult it is. It's such a thrill to look out the airplane window onto an unfamiliar landscape, to take pride in successfully navigating some other city's public transit, and to set eyes on a much-anticipated landmark. Oh, I just get giddy thinking about how cool that all is. I hope she finds her stride once she gets over there. What a transformative experience this will be! OK, I'm also ready to head over to Europe now!

Hey, just ship everything to Robo's house! I'm sure she won't mind, on top of new job, new baby, etc lol. It is true stores can run out. When we had to get sheets for DS2, we found nothing at Target and Walmart had only turquoise-and+grey. We found a set in white waaay at the back of the shelf. But, that town has a large university and a college, so things went fast I guess. Traffic was not an issue, though. But you hope stores stock up. DS1 went to a good sized university, there are also a couple of smaller universities and colleges around. Traffic wasn't a problem there, either. Well, except at the McDonald's one exit before the town. They were understaffed, and in chatting with the manager we mentioned it was move-in day. He said "Ohhh! It's always been on Wednesday, they changed it to Tuesday? But I staffed up for tomorrow!" As for winter gear, will she come home in October for Thanksgiving? Maybe not as it's kind of far, but she can bring it back with her if she does come home. And, of course, you can always ship it, or order it online.