Though we don’t travel with the goal of shopping—in fact, we travel in part to escape our consumer society—we’re not completely immune from wanting to buy a few things on the road. By using common sense, once in a while we can do a little shopping without taking up needed storage space or spending much.
Food, being consumable, is a
great on-the-road purchase. Stocking up on frozen entrees at Wal-Mart may be
cheap and convenient, but it’s not as healthy or tasty as buying fresh produce
and other groceries along the way. Even at home we tend to buy most of our produce
at a year-round market featuring locally grown items; when we travel, we try to
find farmer’s markets and other local food sources. We have bought maple sugar,
elderberry jam, blueberry syrup, and much more as souvenirs. Harvest Hosts allow
RVer members to stay on their property free or in combination with buying wine
or other products they produce. We have yet to try that option, but it sounds
like a great idea.
We had only one bad experience
with buying farmer’s market foods, and it was all too instructive. Returning to
the States from Canada, we saw a market just a few miles from the border. We
bought delicious corn, fruit, and other things, and stuffed the refrigerator.
And then we crossed the border and went through inspections. The Canadian
inspectors gave us no trouble, but those in the U.S. treated us almost like
ecoterrorists, lecturing us about not bringing possibly infected food into the
country. Worse, they confiscated all the food. We should have known better—we
live in California, where even crossing the state line involves being inspected
for plant pests! For some reason we had not expected the political barrier
between Canada and the U.S. to be vulnerable to infections. The dollar loss was
not great, but we really missed eating the delicious food, felt stupid, and
suspected that we had provided the inspectors with a picnic.
Another trip to Canada turned
out better. The weather was colder than I’d expected, so I bought a lovely,
fleecy sweatshirt. It’s bulky, but often bulky is good. I wear it often. Clothing
in general can be a good thing to buy on the road if it’s actually needed. If
it’s not, then extra clothes can take up too much space.
Souvenirs don’t usually tempt us
much, but there are exceptions, and seeing those we have are pleasant reminders
of our travels. The little corn-husk fiddler doll from the Blue Ridge, the posters
from the Navajo National Monument and other sites, a few small geodes, and other
small souvenirs bring back good memories. If we ever find something
irresistible to buy and don’t have space for it, there is a last-ditch method:
we can have stuff mailed to our home post office box. So far we have managed to
squeeze everything in and avoid shipping charges.
Window-shopping can be enjoyable
and costs nothing. When we went to Monument Valley I looked at some
interesting pottery at Goulding’s gift shop, but paid nothing.
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| So much more than a gift shop! Goulding's at Monument Valley |
During many years as an environmentalist,
I have been enthusiastically shopping at second-hand shops, even furnishing a
series of homes with used furniture. So, on the road I also look around any
thrift shops for second-hand items I can use. Luckily, these
can often be found near Laundromats, which we need every week or so. While the
laundry spins, I can indulge in that shopping. No furniture, of course—at
least, not yet!—but sometimes I can find something small.
I have a huge collection of book
marks, mostly from art museums. These take up virtually no space, cost very
little, and make great souvenirs. I use them at home for the obvious use, and
enjoy remembering various art exhibits and museums. Sometimes I have arranged
some under a sheet of glass on a table. Post cards, too, are a tiny and cheap
purchase. We post some of them on the walls of the Winnebago View, send a few
to friends, bring some home to add to photo albums along with our own photos of
travel.
National and state parks visitor
centers are our favorite source of must-have souvenirs. There is a little
dreck, mainly aimed at children or their grandparents, but in general these centers
are well stocked with books for all ages about the local park, posters, and
other items that may not be available elsewhere. Not only do these help us
recall the area, but the money benefits the parks. In this time of
budget-cutting and opposition to the parks, that trumps everything. (We also
are members of the National Parks Conservation Association. We scarcely notice
our small monthly contribution, and like to think we are doing a little to help
maintain these wonderful places. (It also assuages any guilt we feel for saving lots of money with our Golden Age passes.)
Text copyright © 2017 by Carol
Stone; photos copyright © 2017 by Thane Puissegur
