Are we ready yet?

All day long Stan’s been on high alert. He knows something is up. By now I think he’s realised that packing away all his food, treats, and clothing means that if Mum is going somewhere he’s coming too. And since most other journeys conclude in being in the countryside, Stan is excited! In fact he’s so keen, he’s been contemplating driving himself there! He’s ready to go.

And, so am I pretty much!

The important things arrived today, my wheels! Now I accept it’s no head turner, but this faithful SEAT is about to embark on an 866 mile trip to Liguria. We’ve got all our documents - the VE103 and mycardirect have been absolutely amazing! The car arrived at 9am giving us lots of time to get ready.

One of the things I’d been dreading is the tolls. Yes the tolls, not the trolls! I couldn’t figure out how we’d get through the toll booths with me driving a UK right handed car. Stan had offered to hold my credit card in his mouth whilst he politely passed it to the operator. But, I’d pointed out to him that if it got covered in drool it might not work so well. Plan B was put in motion. Buy a selfie stick and extend it towards the booth! Both of these ideas are, of course, excellent, practical and fully implementable - you think! However they pale into obscurity when compared with the actual solution.

Drum roll, please! Please give it up for …. Liber-t and Bip and Go. This handy little object fits neatly behind the rear view mirror, but what few people know is that it makes you feel like royalty. For years, I travelled extensively for my job. This gave me, yes, you guessed it - status! I rarely had to queue, upgrades really did happen and business class lounges were de rigueur. But those days are behind me for now. So who’d have thought on this the most arduous journey I’ve made in a long time, I’d have status. Liber-t is an electronic payments system that automatically tracks your progress through the toll booths. What’s more the app Bip and Go lets you see how much you’ve spent. The toll payments are made monthly and you decide which account to use. But that’s nothing compared to zooming through the toll booth free from queues! Yes I will be that person speeding along whilst others wait! 

So, that’s it for now. We hope we get to sleep tonight and wake up rested. See you on the road!

If you don’t hurry up, I’m driving!

Bip and go!

E-tag installed and status restored!