Monster Knows Travel – Monster Knows Shopping – So, Does Monster Know Travel Shopping?
National Shop for Travel Day, celebrated on the second Tuesday in January, isn’t exactly what it sounds like, yet at the same time it is exactly what it sounds like. I’m told it was the brainchild of the Travel Technology Association, and it was created to celebrate all the apps and tools which enable travelers to book marvelous vacations.
That all sounds great until you realize that you’ll never be able to afford the epic vacation you were imagining in between toil at a thankless job. You can barely afford to leave town for a nice weekend, and you sure as heck don’t need a travel guide to get anywhere that’s that 45 minutes from home.
I’ve lived that sort of life, trapped by economic choices I’ve made, unable to enjoy even brief vacations due to…life. It’s not pretty. I’ve lived in my car, in the back of a small pickup. I’ve lived 2 folks in a tiny efficiency apartment which was usually rented to a single person. Folks have crashed on my couch for weeks and weeks, I’ve crashed on friend’s couches for weeks on end, it was never a big deal to me, and it was never a big deal to them. It’s just how poor people have to live.
girl Goes Shopping For a Cruise
Monster never really imagined himself going on a cruise, but there he was hovering over girl’s shoulder on National Shop for Travel Day, as we picked out the activities for our Alaska cruise. I can’t believe I am going on a cruise, I don’t think it’s really going to sink in until I’m actually on the cruise ship and it’s embarking. Oops, probably shouldn’t use the word “sink” in the context of the cruise either.
Neither girl nor I are getting younger. Duh! So, there could come a time and place where trips and travelling could be outside our grasp. Hopefully it’s not coming too soon, but the inability to travel anymore could be lurking out there on the horizon. It’s already happening to an extent. I can’t drive due to peripheral neuropathy, I can no longer feel the accelerator and the brake well enough to safely drive anything/anywhere. That came years ago, it feels like another lifetime to me, back when I could drive and had the freedom of the open road.
So all that adds up to an Alaska cruise for girl and Monster. It’s expected to be an epic, a once in a lifetime, kind of adventure. For some people cruises may be something they enjoy with regularity, but for a Monster and his girl, it’s unlikely to ever be a regular thing. I’d be surprised if this wasn’t the only cruise I’ll ever take.
Monster’s Version of National Shop for Travel Day
Of course Monster has his own take on National Shop for Travel Day. He thinks it should celebrate actual shopping for travel, ie getting all the gear and supplies together for a trip. While he doesn’t shop for travel, he does shop for travel in his own way. Confused? Well, so is Monster!
Monster loves shopping for outdoor gear, all the things that make his version of travel possible. He’s got several sleeping bags, something like three or four tents. He even has a backpack. Monster’s not in shape for backpacking, and with his bad back he may never go backpacking again. But he bought a backpack to carry gear the mile and a half to the “Cabin Where No One Can Hear You Scream” for events, and he’s worn and carried the pack with pride.
Monster’s ready for the cruise. We have a variety of outdoor clothing that will be perfect for the cruise. We also have waterproof digital cameras, a pair of them actually. The megapixels aren’t terribly impressive, they’re in the range of DSLR’s from something like 10 years ago. But the camera is shockproof and waterproof, durable. So we won’t be making any wall sized murals from our cameras, but I think the pictures should still look quite impressive on Facebook and Instagram. We’ve geared up, and are oh so ready to go…
So you can see, Monster really doesn’t do shopping for travel (with the exception of this Alaska Cruise), but he does more than his share of shopping for travel, focused on the gear that enables him to travel. When he saw National Shop for Travel Day he thought he’d be shopping for travel, yet he never imagined shopping for travel! Monster’s a bit disappointed that Shop for Travel Day isn’t about geering up for travel, but he’s going on a cruise, that’s a pretty good consolation prize.
Will the Real National Shop for Travel Day Please Step Forward
We all know Monster’s a silly Monster, right? So don’t pay too much attention to his version of National Shop for Travel Day. He does things his own way, there’s no doubt about that. But, Monster might even be catching on to the real meaning of National Shop for Travel Day.
He and girl are all set for their Alaska Cruise, with all their excursions planned and picked out. The cruise promises to be a peak life experience, and Monster can’t wait!
Now Monster has announced that he’s shopping for travel in 2025, looking for the longest river rafting trip he can take through the Grand Canyon. All the apps and websites, all the technology available to help Monster plan his trip, will only serve to make his trip better, and his time at the bottom of the Grand Canyon more enjoyable.
Maybe using technology for travel assistance isn’t so bad afterall!
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