Bonjour!

Here we are with under three weeks before we take off. It seems like the last few months have flown by. We are having a great summer enjoying our newfound fun-employment. Well…Kik is technically on a one-year leave returning September 2017, but Clair is straight up unemployed. Being unemployed has its perks, we have all the time in the world to watch Netflix (and chill – Kik: C’est vraiment salaud!) The lack of a pay cheque is tough but our planning went really well, and we reached our savings target.

We planned on leaving Winnipeg in mid-July but with weddings, and flights options we settled on August 15, 2016. Neither of us regret having a bit more time with friends and family for a Winnipeg summer. And we have had a great one so far! We completed our third annual Everyone Love Everyone (ELE) canoe trip in one of Manitoba’s beautiful provincial parks – Nopiming Provincial Park, enjoyed many weddings, and spent time out at the farm and cabin.

But now it’s crunch time and there have been some definite learning curves. Here’s what we’re learned so far:

Travel Insurance

Being from Manitoba, our government health insurance plan (GHIP) only covers us for up to 90 days after leaving the province. You can have it extended for up to seven months but YOU MUST return to Manitoba for five months in order to renew. We almost made the big mistake of going with a plan that required a primary GHIP to run throughout our trip. Luckily, an acquaintance randomly told us about this and recommended Ingle International. We still did our research to try and find a Canadian company that would provide insurance without a GHIP, but were unsuccessful. We purchased six months of insurance and will renew while away **Remind us to renew our travel insurance in February 2017**. This was another selling point for Ingle as they allow you to renew and extend while away.

Credit Cards

We had always planned on getting a credit card with no foreign transaction fees. Most US cards already do this but there’s only a few available in Canada. To understand more about these fees and the benefits of having card that does not charge them, check out this post. P.S. As Clair learned the hard way, applying for a credit card when unemployed isn’t the best course of action. Kik to the rescue!

Selling Kik’s Car

What a pain in the a** ! We posted the car on pretty much every social media app, Kijiji, and Metcalfes Garage LTD – Ford Dealership in Treherne, Manitoba. It’s been stressful trying to sell the car with such a short timeline. Instead of interested buyers, we keep getting calls from companies that are willing to advertise the sale for a small fee of course. It feels like they’re trying to sell you a time share! When trying to shut down the conversation or ask for a moment to think about your options, then they throw you a desperate Hail Mary. It feels like a bad break-up, just leave with some dignity…My God!

Prepping Our Condo

We were very fortunate to find some friends willing to rent our condo for the year, fully furnished. Phew…got away from lugging some big items down three flights of stairs. Renting our place was crucial for saving our travel budget. We’ve been clearing out our shelving and fridge. Literally eating everything we still have.

Clair: Pudding for lunch?

Kik: …Ah…YES!

Kik: What do we have for a treat?

Clair: Spoon full of peanut butter?

Kik: …Alright!

Before we leave we would love to see everyone. Feel free to join us for a drink at one of the two following going away parties.

• August 12th – 5:00 pm @ Jekyll & Hyde’s (437 Stradbrooke Ave.)
• August 14th – 4:00 pm @ Barb & Roly’s house (Message us for their address)

Au Revoir!

Clair & Kik