The Reluctant Traveler
“Reluctant” isn’t the word for it; I hate traveling. There’s a cottage at a lake nearby, a 26-minute trip, and I’ve never taken advantage of my friends’ offer. Luckily, they know of my aversion to actually going anywhere. I’d rather walk to church than ride, but it’s too far; so’s my physician and dentist.
A friend said, “You say you hate to travel, but you are on a cruise ship for 14 days each year. It doesn’t stand still. Exactly how to do you intend to get yourself out of that?”
Simple, I replied. Once you are on the ship, you are in your hotel: put away your stuff and you are set. For the next 14 days, you do not have to drive anywhere or wait for a bus; there is no need to find a motel; the restaurant is just up or down a few decks; every type of entertainment you want is available at night.
When you wake up in the morning, you are in a different city. The weather did not affect you, nor did traffic or road construction. Not matter how far you went, nobody got tired behind the wheel, no nerves were frayed, not a bit of road rage, no cops to look out for because you fell behind your schedule. No schedule, actually.
I think I’ll wander to the library and take out a book; maybe go to the buffet and get a mug of tea. That exercise room at the front of the ship looks good. What city do we visit next? Halifax, Nova Scotia? Great place; they have a free bus, runs all day, to take us around the city. I love “not traveling” this way.
A friend said, “You say you hate to travel, but you are on a cruise ship for 14 days each year. It doesn’t stand still. Exactly how to do you intend to get yourself out of that?”
Simple, I replied. Once you are on the ship, you are in your hotel: put away your stuff and you are set. For the next 14 days, you do not have to drive anywhere or wait for a bus; there is no need to find a motel; the restaurant is just up or down a few decks; every type of entertainment you want is available at night.
When you wake up in the morning, you are in a different city. The weather did not affect you, nor did traffic or road construction. Not matter how far you went, nobody got tired behind the wheel, no nerves were frayed, not a bit of road rage, no cops to look out for because you fell behind your schedule. No schedule, actually.
I think I’ll wander to the library and take out a book; maybe go to the buffet and get a mug of tea. That exercise room at the front of the ship looks good. What city do we visit next? Halifax, Nova Scotia? Great place; they have a free bus, runs all day, to take us around the city. I love “not traveling” this way.
posted by Tom Carten at 3:40 PM
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