Murray On Travel

"Your travel life has the essence of a dream. It is something outside the normal, yet you are in it. It is peopled with characters you have never seen before and in all probability will never see again. It brings occasional homesickness, and loneliness, and pangs of longing. . . . But you are like the Vikings or the master mariners of the Elizabethan age, who have gone into a world of adventure, and home is not home until you return."

-Agatha Christie / English Writer

In travel agent lingo, are you an "Independent" or "group" traveler? Would you rather travel on our own, and as an independent traveler, or with a tour as a group? If you have only picked one and never tried the other you maybe missing some very important vacation experiences.

Travelers I meet will often say I'll never take a tour, I wouldn't be caught dead in a bus full of tourists. Well it's time to get over it. Group tours run the range from massive buses to small vans with a handful of passengers. But the common, and valuable, asset a tour can offer is a knowledgeable guide who knows the lay of the land. They can explain the local, take you into places and show you things you may never be able to experience if you were on your own.

But independent travelers can also discover a destinations true character. Moving at your own pace can have it's advantages, especially if you have a passion for a specific item like birding or history. You can seek out and linger over your area of interest for hours and not be required to respond to the needs of others. And, often when times get tough, you will discover the kindness common to all populations around the globe.

We live in a world that has grown over the years. Yes the globe now has more destinations available to us than ever before. But at the same time some of these new, and old, locals can be less stable than we would prefer. This is a great time to consider a tour rather than going it alone.

Travelers should consider breaking away from the group especially if the area is known as a tourist region. Take the time and prepare your own path through a location that is new to you. The Internet has become a great resource for those going it alone. And don't just visit the big commercial travel sites, search out specific sites which have discussion groups related to your area of interest.

First steps? For those who only take tours, try planning a trip in an area you already are familiar with, and for you independent thinkers maybe a cruise would be a nice way to slide into a more structured travel experience. Try it. And always remember to talk to a professional travel agent for any advice they may have.

After over 100 years of being one of the cheapest souvenir, postcards are slowly disappearing from tourist-traps.  You may think that at the root of this vanishing act would  be the proliferation of cellphone cameras and email, along with online distribution services like Flickr.com.  But it isn't.

Industry statistics show that the decrease in use of postcards is  due to a move over to other souvenirs such as refrigerator magnets, key chains and spoons.  Many traveers now keep extensive collections of such items and look forward to enlarging their prized displays.

An industry postcard expert says another reason for the decrease in postcard usage is the loss of independent bookstores, and loss of small Mom & Pop stores in general.  Stocking the low profit margin post card is less appealing for large chain stores.

But it's interesting to learn that a statistics from the Greeting Card Association show that 90 percent of americans like to receive greeting cards and letters in the mail.  And 64 percent say they would rather get a handwritten letter than an email.

I think part of it is due to the convenience and ease of use of digital cameras which has cut into the postcards territory.  In the past postcards were often purchased for individual scrapbooks and never mailed.  Just check out eBay, you will find thousands of postcards that have never been postmarked.

Maybe it's because in a world flooded with scenic images supplied by cable networks like the Travel Channel and the internet's World Wide Web, the excitement of seeing an image from a distant destination may seem to the sender as less impactfull.  

Also SMS cellphone text messages along with email are a much easier way of communicating than taking the time to write a postcard, stamp it, and find a mailbox.

While the internet may have had something to do with the disappearing postcard, it has become part of it's future. Check out these websites: Quantity Postcards, Tacky Postcard Archive, Post Cards From America.

But in some cases the postcard still beats you digital camera.  Just try and get a sunny day photo of Seattle Washington with your personal camera, but you can always find a great postcard.