I just discovered that you can send virtual postcards via an iPhone application. Like any other video-related program, you can edit the pictures in hundreds of ways. Whatever happened to the good, old-fashioned (and sometimes cheesy) postcards found at highway rest stops?

A few months ago, I mentioned to a friend that I was missing a souvenir magnet from Toronto. I try to get a skyline magnet from every city I visit, and somehow I missed Toronto. My friend said I should just find a picture online, print it out on photo paper and affix it to store-bought blank magnets. Now, why didn’t I think of this?

Actually, why go anywhere at all? Why not just Photoshop yourself into pictures at various locations and save tons of cash? Who needs to actually go anywhere and see anything when we can “virtually” do the trips?

ID 47988810 © Abimages | Dreamstime.com

I guess I am old school. I like buying postcards at four-for-a-dollar and actually writing silly notes on them to send to certain people. I like buying a travel magnet to remind me of my trip. I occasionally even buy a souvenir t-shirt (especially if it is purple).

I am all for modern technology — fixing bad photos taken on the trip (although with digital cameras, why would there be bad photos?). I like having my photos on disks, too. However, I also like printing the hard-copy photos and actually putting them in an album. I do sometimes wonder if people with digital cameras spend more time making sure they digitally capture everything than actually experiencing things.

My brother-in-law, Dave, must have about 5,000 digital pictures from this year alone. At least with old cameras, you had to be more selective (or spend fortunes in photo development).

I guess we are all entitled to do whatever we want. For me, I will continue to buy real postcards and ready-made magnets. I will snap some pictures (probably with a disposable camera). Then, I will concentrate on having a great time wherever I am so that I will always have real memories of my trips.

— John Wroblewski, distribution specialist