February is the month of love. There’s a plethora of red roses, cheap wine and tacky chocolates floating around. With declarations of lust and love being thrown around more often then Donald Trump’s bottle of fan take.
Firstly let me say that we don’t ‘celebrate’ Valentine’s Day. Why? EVERY DAY is a good day to buy Jean a present. I don’t necessarily agree with the whole premise that a man should only treat a woman with love, respect and gifts on one day of the year. It’s 2017 folks time to move on and be free with your loving all year long.
Secondly it seems like such a waste of time and space.The stores are over flowing with cheap tacky crap. I’m still mildly confused as to why it’s only socially acceptable for James to take me out ONE NIGHT of the year for a lovely dinner and wine. We have a lot of great wine in our cupboard right now. Half the fun has been buying that wine on our recently Glamping experience. So why can’t we enjoy it all the time? Well we’re going to buck western society’s expectations as what we should be doing and go enjoy ourselves all year long. Take that judgemental world.
However should you choose to take this one day of opportunity to spoil your loved one or join James and I in our relentless denial of Valentine’s day then here are a few things to buy your most beloved traveller girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband/partner/dog/cat/fish. We don’t judge here.
Go light or go home (with a sore back)
I’m personally in love with my CabinZero bag. They come in a variety of colours and sizes. These nifty bags have been designed to fit in as carry on luggage with the majroity of commercial airlines. The square shape and super light weight at less then 800grams makes these bags perfect for a naughty weekend away.
CabinZero bags start at $82 AU
A naughty weekend away Glamping
Glamping is a great way to introduce your significant other to a truly different style of adventure. It’s a wonderful introduction to camping or like for us, it was a welcome relief from the hard core camping we usually do. There’s more options then you can poke a marshmallow stick at.
Not sure where to go? Why not buy a gift voucher? GlampingHub gift vouchers start at $75USD
Still need to be convinced of the pleasure in Glamping? Read our Glamping Amongst the Grapevines experience.
Protect Yo’Self!
You might have a lot of balls but I’m sure you don’t have a crystal ball that’s going to tell you exactly what’s happening. It might not be the most romantic gift but it’s the gift that keeps on giving – Travel Insurance! It just sits there in the background, doing its thing and not annoying anyone until you need it. Unlike zip off pants or another shitty passport cover no one minds if this gift never gets used.
Socks & Jocks
Now for anyone who’s rolling their eyes at me right now HELLO! No I’m not talking about the keepo Kmart unicorn socks (though I do love those) I’m talkin’ about high quality, merino, butt and toe hugging adventure gear.
For jocks (underwear) my butt loves ExOfficio. Their range isn’t hooker red cheap lace so you mightn’t think it would make a great V-Day gift. The styles are simple and practical with low rise, high rise, thong or cover me up level of rise. It’s the super cool material that’s easy to wash and even easier to dry when you’re on the road.
Smart Socks are my preferred toe warmers. I always say no hoof – no horse when it comes to picking out the right sock. These merino wool socks are comfortable and soft, keeping your feet happy throughout the day.
Here I am enjoying comfy jocks and socks on a recent hike.
Fun and Random Facts on Valentine’s Day
Despite popular belief this isn’t a Hallmark created holiday in an attempt to help boost the birth rate of America.
February 14 was (at some point n history) considered the day that birds starting to make sweet, tweeting love.
The Catholic Church recognises at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. All three seemed to have defied the Emperor Claudius in helping people – either Christians escaping the Romans or in helping young Roman soldiers get married. At the time Claudius believed that unmarried men made better soldiers.
Is Valentine’s Day also Lupercalia? A Pagan fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity and but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”–at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day.
The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
So there you have it. A few handy hints, some terrific trivia facts and some lurve from James and I. Have you got a silly or weird way to celebrate your loved ones? Or even the joy of being a single traveller on this road called life?
Let us know in the comments below!
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Jeanette
Founder, Principal Blogger & Coffee Drinker
Coffee Lover | Travel Blogger | Horse Rider | Adventure Racer | Donut Dame. Generally nice lady-enjoys wine, indie movies & random dance parties in my tent.
Just a little FYI- this article was written in partnership with me, myself and I. Any and all views and opinions expressed are entirely my own based on personal experiences when travelling and are honest and factual without any bias.
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Interesting post, I have never read something about Valentine’s day, it’s a pity that we dont celebrate it, thank you so much for sharing it
I am so glad to know that my husband and I are not the only ones who don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. In fact, we don’t even know that it’s Valentine’s day anymore. Lol. I really don’t get that commercialized holiday which I think Hallmark created to boost their Valentine’s day car sale. :p
Anyway, I’d take that glamping trip anytime as long as it’s not Valentine’s Day. I don’t want to join the lovestruck couples celebrating it. 🙂
As mentioned above it’s a long standing pagan holiday and certainly not a Hallmark creation! It has roots deep in pagan and Catholicism
I spent Valentine’s Day in Thailand with my Boyfriend. We didn’t really get each other gifts as we are travelling but we did have a lovely day walking along the beach to a little shack and getting a cocktail. We even treated ourselves to a pizza in the evening. It was a lovely day.
While everyday is a love day for my husband and I, and we don’t overly celebrate Valentine’s Day at all. It is still fun to relax and enjoy each other’s company on this day. Plus flowers are always accepted.
We don’t do gifts for Valentine’s but I do treasure the cards we exchange. We do have a tradition though…we go out for pancakes like we did on our first date and on the night hubby proposed. Now we take the kids with us. I’ve never been glamping but I would love to give it a try!
Oh how fun would it be to go glamping for Valentine’s day! Here it is winter so quite cold for glamping/camping, but the idea of a getaway sounds so lovely. I also like the bag! If it is light on the back, that would be most ideal for me.
Glamping sounds like a great idea! I’m gonna send this post to my guy to give him a hint! Btw, he would see this comment as well. Lolz…. The Cabin Zero baggage looks perfect. Just 800gm? That’s super cool!
I love your unique take on this gift guide. We don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day too – I agree on you that it is ridiculous to go all-out on pampering your loved ones with gifts or a date night once a year! We do that as often as we can! That glamping trip sounds like a great idea. It is a good chance for you to getaway and have some time alone. I would love that bag too, because I hate checking in luggage at the airport so I always try to bring a carry-on with me (whenever possible).
I’ve read a bit about that glamping recently. I’d love to try it with the missus. Sadly, this year, a card and a couple of scratchcards will have to suffice. Good fun post!
Some great ideas! I am so tempted to try glamping but not sure if I could handle it in February in the UK – far too cold! But maybe as the summer comes around! Insurance is definitely a good idea!!
I’m not into Valentine’s day but I like the idea because some people need a click to get back at track, some folks need a reminder to love or buy gift and courses like this are good for them while some love all day all year and buy gifts spontaneously.
Wonderful ideas. I would love the glamping for sure. I should pass this post on (unintentionally) to my significant other
That’s an interesting piece of history about valentines day, I too thought it was a Hallmark day I have to admit. I’d love to have a girlfriend I could take glamping, I’ve been reading a lot about it recently. I have a merino wool top, I wasn’t aware they had socks too, smartsocks, I’ll read up about those.
I love the idea of glamping! It’s so my style, but somehow I haven’t actually been yet! Similar to the other comments, my husband and I don’t really celebrate valentine’s day – too commercial! That said, we are going out to dinner tomorrow night, so maybe I’m a hypocrite 😉
We don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day either but that glamping idea sounds pretty awesome. Very good and practical suggestions – definitely the way to go about it!
We usually ignore Valentine’s Day, but I love the idea of glamping. While camping is so much fun, a night somewhere fancy – but still outside–sounds pretty great. We are also big fans of ex officio underwear. My husband and I both swear by them. Happy V-Day!
We also don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day and while sometimes I get a little jealous when delivery after delivery arrives at the office for everyone but me I’m OK with our stance. I much prefer for The Hubs to buy be something spontaneously (and he does often) rather than out of some misguided obligation. Love the idea of the backpack but I will also accept good (not cheap!) wine, lilies (not roses) and quality chocolates when ever lol
What a fun and frivolous article. I live just down the road from Capistrano of the swallow fame. (The bird, not what what ever you were thinking). The return every year on March 19. Hard to believe February 14 was picked for ornithological reasons. I am fully on board with getting a glamping voucher for v-day. It’s fun for his and hers.