Vacation Herald

When preparing your trip to France, don’t forget to do a somee research and pack the right adaptors and or transformers for your travel appliances. Otherwise you will get yourself into trouble and blow up your appliances.

Firstly, we need to make sure you to understand the terminology. Adaptors are simple devices which allow you to connect one plug into an electric plug which has a different shape. You can get adaptors for American to European, English to European, Australian to European and vice versa - basically any combination for different shaped plugs. You can even get expensive adaptors to plug in anywhere in the world.

Adaptors are light in weight. These are not to be confused with transformers (also called converters) which modify the characteristics of the current which is input in your appliance. Transformers or converters are usually much heavier and bulkier than adaptors as they have a metal coil in them.

Transformers are not adaptors. The tricky part is that some transformers can also be adaptors at the same time if the terminal is adapted for a different shaped foreign socket.

Before you jet off you need to think aboutconsider plug differences. The electrodes (terminals) on an American plug are flat. The electrodes on all French plugs are cylindrical. All french wall outlets only accept these cylindrical plugs. You won’t be able to plug your flat American plug into a regular French socket unless you use an adaptor. The United Kingdom also has flat plugs and English tourists also need adaptors. Adaptors are simple devices which allow you to connect your appliance into a plug with a different shape than the country where you purchased your appliance.

If you need to buy yourself a cheap adaptor you should be able to find inexpensive ones at your local hardware store. It might be prudent to telephone first before driving down to the hardware store. If you are lucky you will be able to pick up an adaptor at a market for around £1. If you still can’t find one anywhere, you can usually buy them at an inflated price at the airport or the ferry port or the eurotunnel terminal – but you will pay about three times more.

Adaptors come in all shapes and forms. The most expensive sophisticated ones also allow you to plug your devices anywhere in the world. I paid 9 euros for a European to Worldwide adaptor at the Eurotunnel terminal in Calais.

Next you need to consider the power voltage differences. England has 240 volt standard power like France. European power typically comes out of the electrical outlets at 230-240 volts. 2Europe has over twice the voltage of America where the standard volts is 110. If you plug a 110 volt American appliance into a French socket with an adaptor and no converter or transformer you will blow it up. You can get electric shavers and other appliances rated to operate at between 110 volts and 240 volts, which will not blow up when you plug it in a French socket.

If you want to take your laptop, portable CD player,portable CD player, laptop, digital camera, cell phone, electric shaver, or any electrical appliance and their chargers you must first look at the voltage they supports.

If your appliance comes with a converter , a small device which converts a 110 volt current into a 9-12 volt current, you also need to check its input voltage. The label should state which voltage it accepts. If it states ‘110 Volts’, that is not good enough. You will burn both converter and appliance when you plug them in a European or a Frech socket.

You should only pack appliances that work in the 110-240 volt power band, or at a low voltage of 9-12 volts with a transformer (or converter) that supports an input voltage of 240. You need a converter which accepts the 110-240 volt range.

Good news - Transformers for laptops are normally rated to work at 100-240 volts. But make sure you check it first. If your laptop only operates at 110 volts, go to your local computer store, and buy a suitable multi-voltage converter for your specific model. Similarly you will need to check the labels on the battery chargers for mobile phones and digital cameras and the labels on the transformers which come with them. Some battery chargers will accept the higher 240-volt current, some won’t.

Hairdryers usually consume a large amount of power in order to produce the heat to dry your hair. If yours does not operate at between 110 and 240 volts, you will have to buy a transformer and these are normally quite bulky. My advice is to call the hotel first to check whether they provide blow-dryers in the rooms. If they do travel light and leave yours at home.

Now you [spin]are|are thoroughly{/spin] prepared you can sit back and enjoy your French vacation. Remember there is more to France than Paris. The Loire Valley 2 hours south of Paris is incredibly popular and defiitely worth an extended visit.

We run a luxury french wedding castle in the Loire Valley near Blois, for up to 36 people perfect for a fantastic french castle wedding with family and friends and for unwinding and touring historic castles and vineyards,. It is a fairytale wedding castle venue.

If you’re preparing for a trip to Washington, DC, plan to take a break from the National Mall and spend some time in Georgetown on vacation. This is a pretty, lively neighborhood known for superb shopping, a variety of restaurants, and a vibrant nightlife. You can also see some fabulous architecture, historic homes and beautiful gardens in Georgetown.

You can shop for practically anything in Georgetown. Whether you’re interested in art, furniture or antiques, you’ll find plenty of options along M Street. Trendy boutiques sell handcrafted items, jewelry, and souvenirs. When you’re ready for a break from shopping, you won’t have to go far to find a place to grab a bite to eat.

There are over 100 restaurants and cafes in Georgetown, and you can enjoy practically any type of food here. There is also a fabulous assortment of bars and clubs to visit on a night out on the town here. Catch a live jazz band, relax at a wine bar, or have fun at a lively sports bar. Georgetown is beautiful during the day, but at night, it is simply spectacular.

A civil marriage is obligatory in France and religious ceremonies, which are optional, are not legally binding in any way and can only be performed after the civil ceremony. To be legal, a marriage in France needs to be performed by a French civil authority. In practice this means that the mayor or his legally authorized replacement performs the wedding.

France the land of over thirty thousand castles is an amazing country to choose to hold your wedding ceremony.A civil wedding in France requires legal procedures and advance planning, as well as a minimum stay of 4 weeks and blood tests to complete the necessary documentation prior to the wedding.

As this is not always possible, many couples opt to have a legal wedding in their own country, before flying to France for a religious ceremony held at an amazing location like a fairytale chateau in the Loire Valley or in Paris and they then honeymoon in France. Either a religious or civil ceremony in France will offer you a romantic and picturesque setting for your special day.

For a civil ceremony there is a condition of residency in France which one of the parties to be married must comply with. One of the parties must reside in the town or the arrondissement if in Paris, for the thirty days prior to the marriage. In addition to these thirty days, French law requires the publication of the marriage banns at City Hall for 10 days which makes a total residency requirement of 40 days before the ceremony can be scheduled to take place at City Hall.

Documents for a civil ceremony are as follows:
1. Birth certificate not from a hospital but from the official government Bureau for recording births like the Bureau of Vital Records in the United States of America.
2. A notarized “Affidavit of Law” (Certificat de Coutume), drawn up by an attorney in law licensed in the State of residence of the party, swearing:
- that this person is free to marry
- that the marriage to be performed in France will be recognized as valid in their home country
- and that publication of marriage banns is not required in their home country, neither under States nor Federal law.

3. In the case of previous marriages, a certified copy of the death certificate of the deceased spouse or a certified copy of the final divorce decree needs to be produced.

4. Prenuptial certificate of health issued not more than 2 months prior to the date of the marriage by a medical doctor after:
- serological tests for syphilis,
- serological tests to determine blood types and possibly the presence of irregular anti-bodies,
- and further for females also serological tests for rubella and toxoplasma.
It is possible to have all these tests done in France.

[spin]Regarding prenuptial agreements, if no special measures are taken by the parties with a French Notary or an attorney at law in the States, prior to the marriage, then the couple are considered married under the communaute reduite aux acquets. This means that what each party owns personally prior to the marriage, or whatever comes to them afterwards through inheritance, remains their own property. Only what is acquired during the marriage is owned equally by both parties.

|[/spin]In all cases, it is recommended that the couple contact the Marriage Bureau of City hall upon arrival in France as extra documents may be required, such as a residence affidavit. All the documents listed above must be translated into French for presentation to French officials. Translations can be done in the United States by a Translating Agency or by a certified translator in France. If the translations are done in America the translations as well as the original of the document must be presented to the French Consulate General for verification.

All foreign documents must be legalized prior to being presented in the French authorities. American documents can be legalized by obtaining the Apostille provided for by the Hague Convention which was signed by the United States on October 15, 1981. The apostille is usually obtained through the office of the Secretary of State of whatever state the document was issued in.

[spin]American citizens holding ordinary American passports are not required to obtain a visa for a trip to France as long as they do not stay longer than three months. The visa exemption does not apply to members of airline crews or to journalists no matter what the length of their stay. American citizens holding diplomatic or official passports must obtain a visa before going to France no matter what the length of their stay. Other foreign nationals must check with the visa section of the Consulate General of France.

|[/spin]As the legal requirements for getting married in France are detailed and may be reviewed or amended at any time, it is recommended that you engage a competent wedding planner if you wish to get married in France. Not only will she advise you on up-to-date legal requirements she can assist you with every little detail for your special day.

A fairytale chateau in France is a magical location for your wedding vows.