Up the East Coast with "Open Hearts and Minds" and a Baby in a TESLA!

A GoSeeItPeople Interview with Jayson and Grace Caissie

“Wherever you go, leave your heart and mind open to new experiences and endless wonder.
”
— Jayson and Grace's Travel Philosophy

We were all a bit skeptical when my cousin Jayson and his wife Grace announced they would be heading on an epic east coast road trip from Florida to Montreal, Canada and back with a 9 month old baby, while traveling in a fully electric vehicle!  I wasn't sure that there would be enough infrastructure to charge their Tesla in the rural northern states, and wondered how traveling with such a young child would work.   We had no reason to worry! Armed with excellent planning tools, a car with GPS to direct them to the nearest TESLA Superchargers, a very easy going baby and their own open hearts and minds, Jayson and Grace and their young daughter had an amazing adventure with very few bumps in the road!  I asked them to share their story with us, and they generously agreed to share their photos and experiences! - Editor, Kathy Klofft

ALL PHOTOS BY JAYSON AND GRACE CAISSIE

 

Charging in Vermont

GSIT: How did you decide on this destination? Why did you want to go? 

J & G : We decided on this destination because my husband has family in Maine and his family heritage is part French/Canadian, so we also wanted to travel to Canada and revisit the city of Montreal to explore what feels like a small version of Europe. On the previous trip (summer of 2014) we drove a 2012 Kia Soul with three adults and the remaining space filled to the brim with luggage to be on the road for a month. This time around we decided to purchase a 2012 Tesla Model S 85 with an ideal range of 280 miles per charge. This allowed us to travel without a cost for fuel as we were using the Tesla Supercharging network throughout our path up the East Coast. 

GSIT: How did you plan your trip? Did you use any websites or special apps? 

J & G:  On all of our trips, we outlined the dates and times of stays and travel time in Outlook. We create meetings in Outlook that are labeled as the following: location, travel time and distance. This sort of planning allows us an opportunity to view an outline of our entire trip. It also gives us a chance to look up points of interests along the way. All of this planning we did, we did before knowing we were going to have a Tesla. On previous trips we used a TomTom to navigate from one location to the next. With the Tesla’s built-in GPS, we were able to put in our destination and the GPS located all of the charging stations along our path, and it also provided an estimated time that we needed to charge to help us reach our next charging station or destination. For this trip we wanted to rely on “modern” travel stays vs. hotel stays. For example, we used airbnb to stay in people’s homes or apartments to allow ourselves the experience. We also found that most airbnb’s were cleaner than some hotels. At locations that we could not find a good airbnb, we relied on Hotels.com which is a subsidiary of Expedia.com.  

 

New technology meets old in Vermont

GSIT: What did you do while you were on this trip? 

J & G: When we were planning the trip with a gas car we thought about the cost of gas and hotels to get from Florida to Virginia and compared it to the cost of the nation’s only Auto Train that travels between Sanford, FL and Lorton, VA. We booked it assuming it would save us money and time. While it did save us time it did not save us much money as we ended up getting to charge for free the remainder of the trip. The train required us to have the car loaded on at 2:30 PM and hang out at the station until 4 PM when it departed. They provided Dinner and Breakfast as part of the train ride and we got off the train at 9 AM. We reserved a Roomette that had a bunk bed in it allowing us to lay down and attempt to sleep during that portion of the trip. 

Once we arrived in Lorton we traveled to Maryland to visit some of Jayson’s friends from college and allow Atlantis to meet their children. Then next stop was Burlington, VT where we got to visit Church Street, the Cabot Annex store, Magic Hat Brewery and the Ben & Jerry’s factory. Those were the main stops but we fit in about 5 smaller local breweries in there too. 

An art installation in Montreal, Canada

After Burlington we went to Montreal, Canada. Some people may wonder how it was crossing the border with a 10 month old, it was surprisingly very easy. When our daughter was first born we knew some day soon we would take her out of the country, so it only made sense to get her a passport while doing all the other paperwork that comes along with a newborn. When we got to the border they just looked at the passport and looked at her through the car window and sent us on our way. Montreal was a real treat, as it was fun place to visit other people who spoke another language, stay in our first airbnb, and experience all of what attracts people to this glorious country. I’d also like to add, after many visits to Canada, it was my first time eating the local Quebecois dish, Poutine. 

The Montreal Biosphere was a fascinating place to explore the environment for a couple dedicated to preserving it as owners of a two electric vehicles! Designed by Buckminster Fuller for the 1967 Expo, it's a popular museum dedicated to the environment today.

 

 

GSIT: What surprised you about the places you visited ? Is there a "don't miss it" attraction? 

J & G: Out of all of the places we visited, Helen Georgia was the one stop where you’d want to go to visit a place unlike any other in the United States. It’s no Disney...World or Land, BUT it is worth visiting it at least once in your lifetime. The town of Helen, GA is a made to look like a German town that was built and transformed in the 1960’s.

That’s not even the best part! What made this a fun and memorable stop was the cheap ($5) attraction to go tubing for 2 hours down the river that cuts through the town of Helen. Once you’re done with a day of tubing, it’s nice to grab a bite to eat at Paul’s Margarita Deck, overlooking other tubers as they travel down the river. Every place to stay in the town is also walking distance from anything you’d want to do while you are there. Helen even had ONE public charging station for any (EV) electric vehicle.

Helen GA with it's colorful German Town.

In addition to visiting Helen, GA my husband and I would also recommend to anyone and at any age, to go visit downtown Asheville in North Carolina. Downtown Asheville was one of those places we just wanted to check out and then we both just fell IN LOVE with it! To sum it up in a nutshell it’s an eclectic and artsy town that has over two dozen breweries, fun shops, and great places to eat.

The Sierra Nevada Brewery, in Asheville, NC with front row parking for EV and hybrid vehicles

GSIT: What tips would you give for someone who wants to visit? Anything special you should pack? 

J & G: A good rule of thumb when it comes to traveling, at least this is what we found helpful is to remain flexible during your trip because you never know when a hiccup might occur. Always plan out what you want to do before you leave, unless you like to travel with spontaneity in mind then by all means, but, when planning a head it really did help us when pre-booking hotel rooms and airbnb’s. Also it’s crucial to check your finances and expenditures, and to check your bank account daily or every other day.

When it came down to packing for a long road trip, we brought with us a few essential items; a collapsible tote bag for dirty laundry, laundry detergent, and coins for doing laundry and paying tolls. It’s also a good idea to pack an emergency card for all passengers traveling. My husband and I didn’t do this, but after thinking back about our trip, it would have been safe thinking to have if the emergency cards on our phones weren’t able to be activated in the event of a dead or lost cell phone. Other items we packed were a first aid kit, a car safety kit, an all purpose car tool that can shatter windows, cut seat belts, and pop airbags in the event of an emergency if necessary, and we also made sure to pack umbrellas, and rain jackets (which did come in handy during the summer rain). Furthermore, besides packing all of the important essentials, we definitely had to pack car snacks for us and the baby, and just for fun, I had to pack the selfie stick for those tricky family shots when nobody was around. 

 

GSIT: You took this trip with a baby in an electric car, in what ways was that challenging, rewarding, what would you do differently, what would you do again and suggest to others doing the same trip? 

J & G: Taking a baby in an electric car was really no different than taking a baby in a gas car. Actually, driving in an electric vehicle was somewhat less challenging and more convenient than a gas vehicle as my husband and I were able stop at regular intervals due to charging. Now, some may think this might be more of a nuisance, but when it came to driving long distances, it was quite the relief to get out of the car and stretch and have a break more often. Gas cars may be able to go longer distances without stopping as frequently compared to EV’s, but when having a young baby in the car and you knew it was time to charge soon, it felt great to have those much needed breaks.

At the same time, those frequent breaks sometimes did make it challenging when it came to the baby falling asleep for naps. As most people know, driving is a great way to put a little one to sleep, but with charging times sometimes taking longer than one would want with a baby, it would also wake her up due to the car no longer moving. However, one of the really nice things about having a Tesla is being able to charge at all of the superchargers, because the superchargers were mostly all located in great locations where you could grab a bite to eat, find a Starbucks or even walk around in a few department stores. By having the Tesla it made us experience more of the places we were stopping at than we normally would have on a trip.

If you are wanting to do a similar trip, whether you’re in a gas car or an EV, I would suggest one parent to ride in the back with the baby and have one parent be the navigator, or take turns with the roles of driver and entertainer. Also having a basket of your child’s favorite books and toys is a huge help! We even scored some awesome Fraggle Rock puppets that were super helpful and fun. But most of all, take lots of pictures and video and enjoy the time creating memories with your family. 

The Caissie Family visiting me on the beach in Maine, where they got engaged at a Fourth of July family cookout three years earlier,  with their new baby daughter!

Jay and Grace did take and post loads of photos!  All of their family and friends enjoyed seeing their adventures and those of us along the route, especially enjoyed visiting with them and meeting their beautiful baby girl!  I thank them for sharing their adventures!- Kathy

Jayson and Grace

Grace Caissie- I’m 28 years old, and I am a Teacher of students with visual impairments and blindness, also known to some as a TVI. A few of my interests are being a mommy, Japanese culture, eating good food, cosplaying, and going to Disney World often. I was born and raised in Florida where I met my husband who has encouraged me to take on more journeys and adventures with my life. 

Jayson Caissie-I’m 30 years old and I was born in Massachusetts. I moved to Florida when I turned 3, and it’s also where I met my wife. I am a High School technology Teacher and I work with kids in getting them certified in CompTIA A+ certifications in computer hardware and software, for example: Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, and SharePoint). Currently I just received my Master’s Degree in Educational Technology, and I plan to further my education by working towards getting my Doctorate. Some of my hobbies and interests include, technology, movies & film, going to breweries, and alternate forms of creating energy, like solar, wind, and electric energy. Right now I’m very passionate about electric vehicles and cutting down on our carbon footprint. For anyone who may read this and is interested in learning more and connecting with other electric vehicle owners, I created a Facebook page called SWFL EV Owners. 

Europe- don't make my travel mistakes!

I travel a fair bit, and I even write about it on a travel blog! So you'd think I'd be immune to "travel mistakes" - but on my recent trip to Great Britan and Paris, I made a few! I'm not too proud to share them with you, so that if you are planning a trip, you don't make the same mistakes! 

Tour d'Eiffel from Trocadero Fountains

 1- Don't forget to adapt to the culture and customs of the place!

When I travel, I tend to bustle around trying to fit a lot into a day.  London suited me; it moves fast and since we started our trip there that's what we did! But every place in Europe has a different culture from the next place, and when traveling in Europe it's easy to travel an hour or two and be in a whole new country. I forgot how important it is to remember it can also be a whole new culture! After London, we went to Paris on the Eurostar train and we were in Paris in less than 2 hours!  And I was still hustling down the Rue de Rivoli like I had a train to catch. Except I didn't, and the French strooooooll along. I had to slooooooow down! Luckily, for me it was made easier by a few rainy days, because even the French pick up the pace in the rain! 

Our Context Tour guide had a route through the Louvre planned, but we got hopelessly lost at the Musee Arts Decoratifs on our own! 

 2- Don't go it alone at the museum

Travel requires an investment - of time, of money. I like to save both, but don't make the mistake I made of spending money to go somewhere and then not getting the most out of the experience. My daughter is a design major, so we thought we could explore the Musee des Arts Decoratifs on our own. And while she was able to point out the Cameron Macintosh chairs and distinguish between Art Nouveau and Art Deco, neither of us could sort out the layout of this museum! We walked for miles trying to find exhibits! The Musee des Arts Decoratifs is in the same giant palace as the Louvre, but it's set up vertically with a small set of galleries on each of 9 floors. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to get from one floor to next. One set of stairs only goes to some floors, another lift to the top floors can only be accessed from the 4 th floor. The museum is well staffed, and we asked the docents, but after the fourth explanation in French, I didn't know my troisième from my deuxième etage!

We decided to take 2 Context Tours in Paris, https://www.contexttravel.com/city/paris?page=1 which were recommended by Wendy Perrin on her WOW list http://www.wendyperrin.com/wow-list/ We picked the Louvre Crash Course and The Pompidou Center. Context provides local guides for walks in many European cities, and they are usually educated people with expertise in the area you are visiting. Our tours were led by artists and art teachers. We had skipped booking a guide for the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, and it took us twice as long to navigate the labyrinth of galleries as it should have and we only understood half of what we saw, with me reading the descriptions in my high school French and my daughter trying to recall her art history class. In contrast our Context guides got us to the front of the line, had a planned route through the museums that hit the highlights and still left time for us to explore things not on the hit parade. The Context guides also provided, well, context (with a small c) to understand how the works were seeing fit into the culture and history of the place. We couldn't afford to hire one for every museum we visited, but our experience show is well worth hiring a good guide for places that require a high level of expertise to navigate and interpret! 

While I relied on an "offline" app to navigate the Metro, it's also good to know how to read the map- technology doesn't always work!  

 3- Don't rely on tech to bail you out

We brought plenty of tech on this trip, and generally I rely on technology as a travel aid.  I had paid for an international plan with my cell carrier; I could send texts, but inexplicably only received texts once I arrived at a rest area one day on a motorway in England! I never had cellular data in England despite paying for it.  My daughters phone charging cord was fried by the power outlets. At one point nearly every piece of tech we brought was broken, uncharged, or just plain ineffective!  My niece, who we met whee she was studying in Oxford, got a sim card in the country for her phone. That worked better for her than my hoping my carrier will play nicely with the carriers abroad. I'd get the SIM card for a long stay in Europe next time.

I did download 2 good apps that allowed me to route the public transit off line. (YR Creative Offline London Tube and Paris Metro Maps) These were invaluable for finding our way around the Tube and Metro, when we couldn't count on google maps. I also carried a guide book with street view maps which proved very helpful when standing on a corner wondering which way to go! (DK Eyewitness-  Paris, London) 

A young couple locks down their relationship status on Pont Sofferino where people from all over the world leave a lock to commemorate their love. This reminds me to keep things secure while traveling!  

4- Don't get pick pocketed IRL or phished or scammed on line on wifi

In big cities anywhere, there will always be an element looking to take advantage of distracted travelers by trying to pick their pockets, or worse! We were lucky, with our cross body bags from PacSafe, we didn't encounter any trouble in real life (IRL) and our bags had RFID blocking pockets to prevent scammers from scanning our electronic info from passports or credit cards remotely. But we also had to guard against getting phished or hacked on wifi and sometimes using wifi in public places can be chancy! Don't enter personal passwords or important info over public wifi, where anyone can be skimming for that data. While we were away my daughter fell for a phishing scam (this was a coincidence and not related to our travel) where she clicked on a link to reset a college account password that was from a hacker, not her university! Luckily, the University shut her account down before any major damage was done! Try to use wifi networks that are password protected, where they change passwords frequently. And don't fall for phishing scams anywhere, never change a password with a "link" sent to you, always log in at the website first to make a change or enter data. My daughter knows this now! 

Also, remind people back home not to fall for travel scams. A popular one is to send emails or social media messages to loved ones in your name, asking for money because of an emergency abroad. While sitting in the airport in London, I had a FB message from a young cousin with a general statement saying she "needed my help". That sounded "phishy", and we hadn't been in touch in months, so I responded asking if her account might have been hacked. She responded with request for help with some general information she needed (not personal info) and used very specific nicknames for her grandparents, so I knew it was really her. Before helping loved ones when you receive a request for money or information, be sure that you are really hearing from the person you think you are. Check multiple sources of contact; text, email, call them in person. If they just instagrammed their breakfast, they probably aren't locked in a Tunisian jail! And remind your loved ones you'll use specifics if you ever needed to reach out to them for help, so they don't fall for a scam at home either! 

Trying to help my adult daughter pack reminds me of the saying "not my circus, not my monkeys" - artistically represented here by this Louis the 15th clock at Petit Palais, by multiple artisits, (ceramics by Kandler, Reinicke) depicting an overmatched ceramic monkey band conductor and his "circus". 

 5- Don't take the wrong (overpacked) bag

In a classic case of Maternal "I Told You So..." I had warned my daughter not to take a back pack she's had since middle school on our European trip. With no padded lap top section, a zipper that splits open at the worst possible times, it was too small and overstuffed.  Mother knew best; this was not the bag to take! I offered any of a dozen promotional back packs I have sitting in my closet, but these were rejected. So what could go wrong?! First, the bag fell from a hook in the loo at Kings Cross and the display on the lap top was ruined. Second, we made it almost all the way home, when the zipper split (in the bathroom again, this time in our home airport!) and she didn't realize a bag of chargers and a small sentimental gift from her boyfriend had fallen out until she arrived home. I did the good mother thing - empathized, even though you know I wanted to say it!

There are so many great travel bags (I'll be reviewing my pacsafe sling bag soon, which traveled beautifully on this trip!) and you can spend a fortune. But you don't have to! You just have to make sure the bag easily accommodates your things with extra room for souvenirs,  is secure and meets the guidelines for size and weight by your carriers, The most important part is to know you can access important things like your passport, or lap top, in and out of the bag without losing the contents and while keeping them be secure in crowds.

Planning an expensive purchase abroad? Be sure to get your VAT back, get the paperwork and save the packaging too!  A parfum store along Champs Elysses.

 6- Don't fail to get your vat back

There I was at the Customs desk at Gatwick trying to get my paper work stamped to get back my VAT (value added taxes added to goods for residents that is generally refundable to tourists at the end of their stay) I was arguing with the agent about what he would do if he bought a sapphire ring. (I wanted to say it might not look so good on his fingers, but I rightly decided snark wouldn't be the best tactic at that moment!) I spotted a ring in exactly the style I had been looking for for years in a shop in Cambridge. It was also my daughters birthstone and would be the perfect souvenir to remember this special mother daughter trip to Paris. I bought the ring, which in itself is shocking because I rarely buy things, I usually just go places! I got all the official paperwork from the shop to get the taxes back and took them to the airport. Because the ring was for myself and we were very overpacked going home, (see # 5 above) I left the "presentation box" with my relatives in Britain and just tucked the new ring in my jewelry pouch.

Well, big mistake. Seems there are people willing to scam, (see # 4 above) and one of those scams is to bring paperwork from someone who is staying in the country with the goods and tries to pass off an old ring and reclaim the VAT money. I would never be clever enough to think of that or brave enough to do anything so stupid!  But the agent couldn't know that about me, and he argued "if I bought a nice ring like that I'd save the box it came in". Well, I resisted the urge to yell, "well, I'm not you and I don't collect superfluous packaging" because I knew that would get me nowhere fast! I prevailed on him that shop keepers in his country sold these things making the promise of VAT returns and it would be disappointing not to get it back. I explained how we were overpacked, the ring was for myself, and as he inspected the new ring for age wear,  I explained I could call my sister in law and have her dig the box out of her bin, pick off the coffee grounds and banana peels and send a photo to my iPhone! Luckily, with enough obsequiousness and apologies on my part, the stamp hovered above the paperwork, then swiftly came down...punch, punch. Satisfied I wasn't a tax scamming tourist, he approved my paperwork, I queued at the money exchange booth to get my VAT back, (less their fee!) Lesson learned, have the paperwork, but also keep the article new and with all of it's packaging before heading to Customs!

 

Overall, we had an amazing trip, just two gals exploring in London and Paris and visiting relatives in England. We had a few stumbles and made a few mistakes, but mostly we learned to be patient and soak up the atmosphere and enjoy time with eachother! And that's what travel is all about! Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting my trip reports for Paris France,  London, St Ives, Ely, Cambridge and Oxford in England, with lots of photos...this time Kathy's own attempts to follow Jeff's photography instructions about how to get great travel shots. I hope you will follow along and enjoy the reports and photos from our special mother/daughter trip! 

Near Palais Royale, even the rain couldn't spoil a special mother daughter trip!