Posted 7:25 pm Sunday, December 18, 2011
Collect Travel Wish Books For Ideas
Sometimes I come to work and find pamphlets for this destination or that cruise on my desk. And I love it. They are wish books for travelers. When I was a girl, I loved sitting with my grandfather and flipping through the Sears catalog. Now, I love flipping through glossy travel guides.
This week, it was from Alaska State Parks' volunteer program. Other times, the envelopes hold picturesque scenes of skiing in Colorado, cycling through South America, tours atop elephants in India or events across Texas.
I would never choose a bicycling vacation -- I can't ride a bike. But I love flipping through each page and admiring the mountains in the background or imagining hiking the trails.
I love dreaming about riding an elephant again -- it's been more than two decades since I did it at the circus.
There's also the novelty of how the information is presented. There are fun maps such as the one from Bay Area Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau -- it looks hand-drawn and has longhorns next to the space center and the Elissa passes a cruise ship in Galveston Bay. (See the map at www.visitbayareahouston.com/BAH_Map.pdf.)
The press kit I received from Nashville came on a CD with a label that looked like a record. When you put it in the computer, the articles pop up in a menu that looked like the track listings on the back of an album cover.
A lot of the pamphlets showcase places I've never considered, but do now. A brochure from Chattanooga, Tenn., makes me want to see Lookout Mountain and the nation's largest military park. Pictures of food and trolleys make me want to take my heart to San Francisco.
It's easy to get these wish books. Hit an Internet search engine and type in "visit Seattle" or whatever place your heart desires. You'll be directed to the destination's tourist site, often the city's chamber of commerce or convention and visitors bureau.
You can request materials or view them on the site, which is becoming more common.
If you already have a destination in mind, it's the easiest way to do prep work and find coupons before you get there. The booklets are often small and easy to pack for reading in the plane.
Don't have a computer?
Head to the library and use one there. Or visit the stacks and pull a few travel guides out.
The books are sometimes a few years old, but many of the things that make a place attractive for travel don't change. But before you make plans, call the numbers and check for updated information.
It's the end of the year, so now is the perfect time to start thinking about spring break and summer vacation plans.
Dream big. I am.
New Orleans is the big one on my list for 2012.
I always want to visit Europe or watch musicals on Broadway. A Panama Canal cruise remains on the top of my travel bucket list.
I might not make it next year, but anticipating and planning for travel is almost as much as the trip itself.
Vanessa Pearson is a staff writer for the Tyler Courier-Times--Telegraph. She can be reached at 903-596-6267 or vpearson@tylerpaper.com.
