n this mad, mad world, where there are
enough worries to go around and then some, people still are having
a good time traveling. Sometimes they have wacky ideas about how to
get from here to there. And sometimes they run out of ideas and
turn to agents for them.
Case in point: an exchange among agents on TravelWeekly.com's Forum
section, where retailers get together to share ideas.
The message thread began as nancymckenzi wrote:
"I have this guy who I booked Amtrak to Vancouver via rail
across the country, Amtrak to Chicago, flight to Europe and return
to New York. That's the way he wanted it.
"Now, he asks, find me an unorthodox way of getting back to the
West Coast; doesn't want flight -- I have to be more clever than
that --
doesn't want train/bus. Someone mentioned hitchhike; no, not
that. OK, guys, let it rip, suggestions?"
Undaunted, other forum members began to chime in with creative
ideas on how to get this intrepid traveler from New York back to
the West Coast without using a plane, train or bus. Here are some
noteworthy excerpts from their responses:
Motheroftravel: Rent him a motor-home and let him camp
his way across America.
Seattleagent1: Well, I have three horses! Two are
ex-race horses -- I will rent him one.
Kairho: Are there any ocean freighters through the
Panama Canal?
Lisa Abdul: Put him in a hot-air balloon and point him
in the right direction.
Mbj0213: A Ducati and a copy of Blue Highways.
Gregg Welpe: Better yet, rent a Harley.
Plmerlin: Why not FedEx ground ... or just good old
plain USPS?
Mbj0213: Maybe a BMW or Aprilia in lieu of a Ducati. A
Harley's too loud for a trip that long unless you're already deaf
from too many years of loud rock 'n' roll. But if you go with the
Harley, be sure to throw in a CD of "Born to Be Wild," perhaps the
soundtrack from "Good Morning Vietnam" or "Full Metal Jacket."
Seattleagent1: Find a moving van going cross-country,
throw him in the back.
Reginactam: Why not call up the National Guard and put
him in a fighter jet, or do they only do that for senators?
Eileen Sellers: Fly to Mexico and walk back across the
border ... drive original Route 66 ... join a series of charitable
walking tours across the country.
In the midst of all this creativity and levity, a practical note
was sounded by ITagent, who wrote, "Before you suggest
anything, I hope you get a research fee ASAP."