I’m talking travel.
A hefty bunch of holiday brochures have arrived and I’m thumbing through them, wincing at the vastly inflated prices and then wondering why some companies have such a shameless need to rip us off.
There are bargains though and my eyes rove across the images as I smile at places I have been and places I long to visit.
But now is not the time.
Not quite yet. The worlds such a tumultuous place at the moment and whilst I would happily climb aboard a plane tomorrow I’m not yet ready to part with hard earned cash. But soon, perhaps.
I know it’s hypocritical. I’m quick to condemn those who have rushed off abroad whilst secretly wishing I was amongst them although the beaches of Spain and Portugal, whilst I am sure most delightful, are not for me as my eyes stray farther afield in search of exotic delights to soothe my aching soul.
The holiday brochure is an interesting read. Or if you are Saga, a very poor read. I say that because I have to keep reminding them that they can’t get the hotels name right and the pictures don’t have the right captions or that ‘insert caption here’..isn’t an actual caption relating to the image but rather an instruction to some faceless inserter of captions.
It’s easy to dismiss most tours I read about. Either the country doesn’t grab my attention or the cost per day makes my eyes water. Can I justify £5000 for ten days in Japan? I wish I could say yes but the answer is no. And what about that train journey? Only £6995 you say? How very….unreasonable.
And that use of the word ‘only’, an irritating word when it comes to pricing, the suggestion that this is cheap and that anyone can afford it. Its almost as annoying as ‘from’, another word that frustrates me. I don’t want to book a holiday from £1995 because I want it to be £1995 and not £20’000 which could still be argued to be a figure ‘from’!.
I know people have to make money and that, as with all things, someone somewhere will put their hand in their pocket and pay the extortionate cost but I can’t help feel that this is yet another example of how we will be ripped off and our desperate desire to escape will be used to make more profit than is necessary.
But for me it’s all about value and that’s what I will be looking for. How many days? What am I getting? Is the airline decent? Are the hotels decent? (TripAdvisor comes into its own at this time) What am I seeing? Are the journeys between places long or short? What’s the weather like? – these and a hundred more need to be asked and the answers dissected before decisions can be made.
Do we go back? Do we go somewhere new? Is the group small or large? – Yes the questions go on and on and on. But the way I see it, my money is precious and I’m not going to waste it on something I’m not going to feel is worth it. And that’s how it’s always been.
So, why am I writing this? Good question.
I’ve decided to blog more, or at least try to. To try and inspire myself and give myself a push and what better way than to talk more travel!. So, from whenever I summon my next inspiration (or even perspiration if that helps) I will be blogging about past experiences, holidays, flights, incidents and some other stuff.
Just remind me if I forget! Agreed? Cool.
See ya soon.
PiecesOfPatrick 