The Paris Traveler

Ants in My Pants

by Kim on March 13th, 2008

Lately, all I can think about is travel.  Yes, going to Paris is one of my favorite destinations but there is a great big world out there and I really want to take it all in.  Impatiently I plan in my head where I want to go next–certainly Argentina and Chile are high on my list,  as they tempt me with the possibility of drinking some fine Malbec wines.  Morocco, which is a fairly easy trip from Paris is calling to me, as is Abu Dhabi.  My daughter is writing her senior thesis on the cultural growth of this odd place and with her sharing all her research, I feel as if I know it like the back of my hand.  The planning is one part of the process but there is a deeper reason we need to move about this world.   

 The Geography of Bliss is a humorous journey by a self-proclaimed grump trying to find the happiest people in the world and why they are so.  He literally goes all over the place seeking the reasons that determine the direction a culture’s happiness meter points.  He ended up in some of the places that I want to visit and found out some interesting things.  It would be a good read on a long flight for those of you itching to go someplace as well.

 Then there is this book, The Art of Travel, which is more of a philosophical look as to why we want to leave home and why we gratefully return.  What pushes us to seek out new experiences and why travelers from the past have influenced what we think and feel about roaming the world today.  I can’t think of anything more exciting than finding myself in a place that I have never been–I don’t mean some new corner of my hometown–and plop myself down in the middle of it all.  Eat their food, drink their wine and just watch how they live.  You have to be open minded in order to understand or think that you understand where other cultures are coming from.  But being open minded should be at the top of everyone’s packing list when they begin a journey.

 Then I got to thinking about the actual journey itself.  Getting to where I want to go requires a lot of air time which I must tell you, I am not a fan of.  Getting on a plane rattles my nerves like nothing else.  Sleep would be a good option to get me through but I would have to abuse numerous substances in order to actually enter slumberland.  So I work very hard to find my “happy place” and hide out there for awhile.  When I am in the middle of a long flight I think how nice it would be to have my very own cashmere travel blanket to snuggle into.  Once I land, I forget about purchasing one until the next time I am about to get on a plane.  The ones they give you, who knows where they have been.  They are more the size of a hand towel than a blanket so their worth is limited.  Also, a nice pair of slippers, just for plane trips.  Just planting some seeds for future gifts.  Or we can forget about the gifts and I could just fly first class.  I bet they have all that good stuff up there.

 I found this crazy thing on a Travelsmith which is a great site but I have to tell you, if you boarded a plane and started setting up shop with this thing in the seat next to me I would seriously have to move.  My happy place would be all messed up and the substances would have to happen!  Apparently,  you too can have your very own leapord print “plane sheet” to cover up whatever nastyness gets left behind from previous users.  Looks to me as though they assume one is flying coach.  Once again I am thinking first class is the way to go.  Bet they don’t have leftover nastyness up there.

Another great site to visit is Flight 001. The website is as much fun as the store and both get you all excited to go someplace.  It has all sorts of goodies for the novice and veteran traveler.  There is one right around the corner from me and I love going in to check out new luggage tags,  fabulous luggage to put them on,  travel journals and funky guide books.  The real reason to love this place–they don’t sell plane sheets.  

Photos:  TravelSmith website, personal collection 

Share This

Related Stories

Paris Fashion WeekA Visit To VersaillesCafé DimancheParis Haiku: Part Deux

POSTED IN: Great Reads, Miscellaneous