From Thrifting Fun To Coffee Table Traveller

You probably wonder what a “coffee table traveller” is - and how it relates to thrifting. Well, this past week we were out thrifting twice and each time I found a fun (and heavy) “coffee table” book about the best places in the world to travel:

·      National Geographic: World’s Best Cities – Celebrating 220 Great Destinations; found at the Mennonite Central Committee thrift store.

·      Lonely Planet: Ultimate Travelist – The 500 Best Places On The Planet Ranked; found at WINs Beltline thrift store. 

Each time I sat down and flipped through the book and took a few random photos of pages to read and reflect on later.  I took them randomly so they would be apt to be places I haven’t visited, but maybe a few I have. The plan was to read them later and see. 

One of the gems from my flipping was a quote from the late Leonard Cohen about Montreal:

“In Montreal, spring is like an autopsy. Everyone wants to see the inside of the frozen mammoth. Girls rip off their sleeves and the flesh is sweet and white, like wood under green bark. From the streets a sexual manifesto rises like an inflating tire, ‘the winter has not killed us again!’”  That could probably be said about any Canadian city - any winter city for that matter. I love how writers see and write about their city.

Though I didn’t buy these two books (they were just too heavy), I did get two smaller travel books with beautiful cloth covers by “Insight Select Guides” - one on New York and one on Rome that will provide me with hours of reading about two places I have visited.

I share these photos with you so you can also read text and look at the photos and be an “every day” tourist too.

Second Thoughts

After writing the above, it got me thinking that perhaps I should go back and pick up one or both coffee table books. I could put one of them on our coffee table and open it to a new page every day and become the “Coffee Table Tourist.”  Hmmm..that would make for a good website name. 

I also realized I didn’t even look to see what Lonely Planet’s #1 pick was! This got me thinking what would be the #1 spot I have visited. Would it be my camping trip to Haida Gwaii with three women in 1981 and almost getting lost in the rainforest? Or my trip with my then 85 year old Mom to Mexico City and staying in a hostel? Our 9,000+ km USA road trip is still memorable. My first visit to New York City to study graffiti and street art was perhaps my most influential trip as it implanted my love of urban streets and spaces.

Then again, my solo trip to Fort Smith, NWT at 13 which involved taking a bus from Hamilton to Toronto Airport, flying to Edmonton International Airport, then a taxi to Edmonton Municipal Airport, to catch a plane to Fort Smith to visit my “playboy” uncle must rank right up there. The trip back home was just as memorable as we drove from Fort Smith to Hamilton (4,513 km) in 63 hours with just one driver (unless you count the hitchhiker we picked up who helped with the driving) is etched in my mind.

Last Word

Being an “every day” tourist is about living every day with attentiveness to everyday things you see and do as a catalyst for travel memories or opportunities.  Being an “every day/everyday” tourist is just too much fun.