I surprised my niece on Easter with the plane tickets, rather, the printout of the itinerary for our trip to Paris and London.  With her initial excitement came the realization that Aunt Sue was going to make her work a bit prior to the trip in the form of assignments each week.  I figured this was a good way for her to be involved in the travel planning for Paris and London.  With the gamification of so much of life these days (for better or worse that’s a whole different conversation), I have crafted easy assignments with the potential for reward(s) prior to our departure this summer.

My sister (her mom) said it was a good idea, this game of mine, and that my niece took it quite seriously.  At Mother’s Day brunch, she brought her answer sheet and I rewarded her with two coins – one € and one £.  It wasn’t the amount of the money given but rather to let her know what the money will look like in Paris and London and what their value is with respect to the US dollar.  She is old enough to carry money and will be responsible for her daily allowance during our trip.  So with Week 1 complete, I thought I’d share her answers as I finalize our plans for our holiday this summer.

 

Question 1:  Why do you want to go to Paris and London?

I want to go to Paris and London for the experience.  I am very into food and fashion and Paris and London have a lot of both

Aunt Sue:  Very true, it’s why I’m working out every day at the gym in advance of the trip – for the croissants and pastries!

Question 2:  What do you want to see in Paris and London?  

In Paris, I would definitely like to see the Eiffel Tower and Le Arc de Triomphe.  I’d also like to go to the Louve.

In London, I would like to go on the London Eye and see Big Ben.  I’d also like to go to the Museum of London.  Also, I’d like to go to the Harry Potter studio 

Aunt Sue: Hmmm, Museum of London, it’s walking distance from my London office yet I’ve never been

Question 3:  What do you want to buy in Paris and London?  (how much have you earned/saved so far?)

I 100% want to buy things that have to do with fashion (if I have enough money, maybe a dress, but if not, maybe some hair accessories) in Paris.  I’d like to shop at Au Nom de la Rose.  So far, I’ve saved around $70 or $80

Aunt Sue:  I’m impressed with her savings so far.  It was funny that my Mom (Mom-Mom) saw this as an opportunity for my niece to work in her garden pulling weeds.  She offered $10 and my 8 yo niece, never missing an opportunity to earn money, says “Mom Mom, I will do it for $8”! I had to laugh. As for the shop she mentions, I had to Google it only to find that it is a flower shop so I think she got that one wrong.  Need to find a tween shop for dresses and accessories.

Question 4: What do you want to eat in Paris and London?

I’d like to eat macarons for sure and I’d also like to eat some cheese (happy face – cheese is good).  I’d also like to try some traditional French food and in London, “original” fish and chips.

Aunt Sue: I’m lactose intolerant and haven’t had cheese in (sadly) a very, very long time so I will need to figure that one out. Maybe we can split the wine and cheese plate, obviously I get the wine! As my niece is a bit of a foodie, it will be interesting to see how far on her “traditional French food” spectrum she will venture. As for the London “original” fish and chips, I’m afraid it  might be a bit of a let down since the best fish and chips I’ve had is here in Philadelphia at the Dandelion Pub.

Planning for Paris and London is much more real now that I know what my niece’s expectations are on her checklist.  As I’ve been to both cities numerous times, it will be fun to see how we do on her checklist  – maybe we will stop by that flower shop and fill the hotel room with flowers.