Another Necessity of Traveling – Umbrellas!
On February 16, 2019 by ClaireI was so excited to be on a spring trip to Washington DC. Even though it was many years ago, I still enjoy the memories of seeing the cherry blossoms in full bloom. I had always wanted to see one of the original Declaration of Independence (there were a few) and the also the US Constitution.
I was walking toward the National Archives Building, when I was hit by a sudden downpour of rain and extreme gusts of winds! I opened up my convenient travel umbrella, that I always carry with me. It is a compact and light umbrella which conveniently fits into my purse. But this time it was no help whatsoever under the extreme conditions, blew inside out and broke. Luckily, at that point, I was climbing up the entrance steps where I could quickly get inside and dry off. My poor, little umbrella was of no use to me anymore. But I put that problem aside, decided to start the tour and figure out a solution later.
The tour was very exciting for me to experience. I was standing in much anticipation, while waiting to enter the room where these historical documents were on display. As I looked at The Declaration of Independence, I imagined I was there. It was like I was watching the original signers with a feather pen in their hand, blotting off the extra ink and writing their ever so famous signatures on that parchment! It was definitely a thrill for me, since I had dreamed of going there to see them ever since my elementary school days.
As the tour was ending, I had to figure out what to do regarding my poor little umbrella and the rain storm outside. But then I came upon the gift shop! I always love going to the gift shops at museums and historical sites. There are always items that are unique to that location, which I find very interesting to purchase as gifts and also for my own souvenirs. I wanted to get the parchment copies of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.
Then not only did I find them, but I found sturdy, full size umbrellas that when opened up, had the Constitution written on the inside gold-colored fabric! It was the perfect solution for my dilemma of walking out in that rain storm. I bought one immediately!
To this day I still have that wonderful umbrella, which I use whenever it’s raining heavily. Although, I must admit it’s not very practical to take on airplane travel. Since then I have found compact and sturdy umbrellas which are good for air travel. I find myself also using them for those intermittent showers, even when traveling to a warm tropical climate. When traveling by air, packing a compact umbrella in your carry-on bag is very convenient, in case you have to descend from the plane on a ramp in the pouring rain! (And that happens!!)
The type of umbrella you choose to buy is definitely a personal preference. If you choose not to take one on your travels, you may buy one where you’re staying. But they may not always be in a very convenient location when you need them!
Below are links which you may click on, to go directly to the sites, where you may purchase some of the above mentioned items. If you don’t directly see an item that you are interested in, you should then type the exact item into the search box on the top of that page. It will take you to another page where you should then easily be able to find your item.
For a FREE general packing list, click here.
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