regarding a car
1. Driver's license: should be checked if an international driver's license is needed for the Balkans, just in case.
1a. Note for mom
Driver's license should be updated to match passport and name change:1. Update SSN card (x)
2. Change license in person
2. Registration (x):
1. Check car's registration information first.
2. Fill in 2 copies of deed of transfer.
3. Report change of vehicle online.
Storage
Important! Need to figure out if we want to store in Finland or elsewhere. Pro: Avoid extra ferry costs during the tourist season. Con: It will still need to be moved down later.
In Finland: Cheapest seems to be Pelican Self Storage (x); 39€ start fee but first 2 months 50% discounted. starts at 1m2, heated.
Pelican
pelcan Mouth perfec t size for put baby in to n\ap! inside very Soft and Comfort baby sleep soundly put baby in Pelican Mouth. Put Baby In Pelican Mouth. no problems ever in peliccan mouth because good Shape and Support for baby neck weak of big baby head. Apelican Mouth yes a place for a baby put baby in pelican mouth can trust pelican for giveing good love to baby. friend pelican
Border Crossing
We need to go through border crossings for each country after we leave Schengen. We will need to present passports, other residency documents, and possible car registration / insurance. Border crossings won't be stressful once tourist season ends.
In the Balkans: (x) We will need to check if certain borders are open to us (non-residents) and open during our travel hours in advance. We also need to be careful with how we enter and exit Kosovo.
Road Trip
Checklist:1. Feliway: calming spray for the car + air diffuser for new locations.Other Notes:
2. Carriers: ours were for the flight, so they're quite small, and we may want to consider replacing them. (We should still keep Laila's backpack for walks).
→ Suggestion for mesh extendable car crates (x), so something like this in Finland.
→ Carriers should be set up a couple of weeks in advance and made pleasant so they get used to going inside. This works very well on Laila.
→ Towels on the bottom for easy clean up. White sheet over the top for temperature control + making sure they don't see the traffic too much.
3. Wet food at breakfast and dinner to keep them hydrated.
4. Travel litter box and some litter: They're indoor cats and will want to use spaces they've already used before.
→ Might want to weigh how feasible it is to drive during the later hours so we miss the hottest hours of the day + most of the traffic (big traffic noise = scary).
Camping
"Many years ago did, I did a 3000+ mile journey in a Ford Festiva with my mom and my cat. We tent-camped most nights. It sounds insane, but it actually was great. I harness trained my cat before hand, and walked him around on a leash at truck stops and campgrounds. (I tied his leash to the inside center high point of the tent each night, so he could sleep on my sleeping bag with me, move around and reach food/water/ litter box, but not slip out an unzipped tent door if one if us got up to pee.) I needed to stop every few hours, so I would take him out if his carrier, let him use his litter box, offer him more water, etc."→ Lali needs to get harness trained again.
I think if we have something like the big mesh crate that can be connected, then camping works out better. During stops we can put the food / litter box in there and then Lali can go between there and the tent on her leash and feel safe. So I mean it's an upfront investment but I think camping would go smoother and that's less accomodation time.