Strolling through a shopping mall is far from my idea of a good time. In fact, I think it’s on the list of headache-inducing activities, somewhere after air travel next to someone wearing too much fragrance. That said, there is only one time that I enjoy shopping, and it’s right before a trip. That’s the best time to take my credit cards and put them in the freezer.
My closet is full of clothes. According to my mother, I have Imelda Marcos levels of bags. I’ve never been a gear head, but I have enough technology in order to be able to work. Aside from things like mosquito repellent and flashlight batteries, I don’t generally need to buy things for an upcoming trip, so I don’t know how that travel-shopping desire gets turned on.
“Hey, that cute skirt would look really good in Aruba/Mexico/Vancouver/fill-in-the-blank,” says the freak travel shopper in my head. “And throw in those flip-flops. You don’t have that color.”
Sometimes I succumb to the desire to have the right items in my suitcase. I have to admit that I am always looking for that perfect camera bag. But most of the time, I’m able to turn the travel shopper voice off and remember that even though I don’t have “those” shoes or “that awesome” jacket, I’ve got something that will work just fine.
What I haven’t yet figured out is how to turn that voice off completely.