How did we ever survive without the "water bottle?" Every hint I have read about traveling lately involves having sufficient room to carry a bottle of water. Are you traversing the desert? Why, oh why, do we need access to H20 every 6.5 minutes? What did people do before some marketing genius came up with "I know. I think I'll bottle something totally common and make a fortune!" <BR>Does anyone really need this much hydration? I mean, I'm not a camel, but yes, I can generally go several hours without ingesting something.<BR><BR>So carry your water if you must, Gunga Din. I'll travel lighter.

ok

I think that before bottled water we all had a coke or an Ice Tea. I was in New York recently at a good restaurant and the waiter came to the table and announced that in light of the current drought they are offering a special on Evian bottled water, only $4.00! $4.00 for a bottle of Evian? I am sure that having a glass or simple tap water won't run NY's resevoirs dry. The funny thing about bottled water in NYC is that many brands of bottled water were tested against NYC tap water and the NYC tap water came out the purest. NYC has the finest tap water in the country. Its source is from the sparkling skies of the Catskill Mountains some 100 miles north of the city.<BR><BR>I also came across this in Paris. If you want to keep the price of your food bill down, order a carafe of water instead of the bottled. It is perfectly drinkable. OK&lt; the waiter will give you that "cheapskate" look. But who cares!

Beatrice, good luck on that urinary tract infection, LOL!!! Some of us like walks in the park and not the rich hoity toity places that you rich bitches go to. It's always better to take water with you, but you're so self-centered that you can't see any other point of view than your own. How pathetic.

Hi Beatrice,<BR><BR>Have you ever traveled outside your country? I'm from the USA, and though it's often easy to get a drink of water in many places, it isn't in other areas of the country. Sometimes at an airport, standing in line may take much longer than we realize! I'd rather be equipped with a water bottle than left standing, parched.<BR><BR>We all have different needs and wants. Why does it bother you if someone carries a water bottle? Some people may also have medical conditions which require that they drink more often than others.<BR><BR>I'm rather amazed at how people here love to criticize someone or something that they don't understand!<BR><BR>Jennifer

These responses MUST be tongue in cheek. <BR>No, I am perfectly healthy, thank God, nor am I a "rich bitch." How is the wide, wide world of sports did you come up with that?<BR><BR>My point - trivial though it may be - is that some of us can travel without a raincoat, antiseptic handwipes, and bottled water. <BR><BR>Do the words "anal retentive" or "high maintenance" mean anything to you?<BR><BR>Unless you are truly traveling through the Sahara or Afghanistan, do you really believe that a bottle of water is critical? <BR><BR>I suppose my point, vague as it may be, is that we carry way too much baggage and call it necessary. <BR><BR>Take your water, if you must, and happy trails. I believe it is at least 10 minutes until the next watering hole.<BR><BR>

&gt;&gt;Do the words "anal retentive" or "high maintenance" mean anything to you?<BR><BR>Then why did you bring up the subject in the first place!?!<BR><BR>It's a difficult task for some people to grasp, but not everyone is exactly like us, with the same needs and wants?!<BR><BR>Why does it bother you so much that someone may become thirstier than you? I'm a frequent traveler and can you tell there are often many times when fresh water was not available every ten minutes, as you suggest.<BR><BR>Goodness, settle down! No one is asking you to fund their water supply!<BR><BR>Jennifer<BR>

this is the stupidest gripe I've ever heard. are you a control freak or what?

For not being a camel you sound pretty shriveled up to me, don't you have anything better to bitch about in life?

LOL<BR><BR>This is an observation.<BR><BR>Merely.<BR><BR>Shriveled? ROTFLMAO<BR><BR>Many, many thanks for an entertaining evening.<BR><BR>Dang, some of you are so TESTY!<BR><BR>

beebe, baby, you is the testy bitch! get a life. all those nasty people who drink from water bottles won't hurt you!!

"dang"<BR>Beatrice,it is healthy for people to drink water,especially while traveling,as flying is dehydrating,water in other countries can cause people gastric distress,and sightseeing can make one thirsty.<BR>My advice to you,since you seem in need of a little advice,would be to relax and don't worry so much about what other people are doing,and enjoy your own travels.

what a ridiculous thread. maybe Beatrice wants to take bottles away from babies, some people need water when you don't. Get over it.

Doncha know that you are to drink 8 - 10, 8 oz glasses of water a day! You must be dragging your butt by the end of the day. Water is fuel for the body..drink up and drink lots. I know someone who was hospitalized after a long flight...guess what? he was dehydrated...go figure!

Beatrice-<BR>The surest way to ruin a vacation trip is to pick up any of the varieties of stomach and/or urinary tract problems that result from drinking contaminated water. Natives of the countries are used to consuming it, and so they do not get ill. Foreign visitors, especially those from the U.S. where we are fortunate to have 'clean' water are very suscepitble to all kinds of distress. Your choice--carry the water or chance wasting a whole lot of money, time and effort in the throes of agony confined to your room where you can run back and forth to the toilet while your friends are off sightseeing and living it up. Think of the little bottle of water as a travel insurance policy--better safe than sorry. Just ask anyone who has spent his/her long-awaited for vacation getting treatment for a water borne disease.

What did I do before it became popular to carry a water bottle? I remember it clearly. I used to be thirsty all the time. I was always looking for a water fountain or a place to buy a drink. Waiting for intermission to go find something to drink. Waiting for a break in the meeting, or the rehearsal, or whatever.<BR><BR>Now I simply carry water wherever I go. And as I get older, my throat is getting drier; I start coughing and need a drink to feel comfortable again. This has been a definite quality of life improvement.

I don't know about you, Beatrice! When I travel I see museums,art,parks,buildings,the people,the churches.<BR>BUT,the one thing I never notice is if someone is carrying a water bottle.<BR>You should think about just what is on YOUR mind and perhaps,seek counseling.

Beatrice, there are more important things to worry about. If people want to carry their own water, who are you to judge?

I think Beatrice's point is that we have fallen prey to the water industry's command to drink more than some of us actually need. I can go for long periods of the day without water--getting it only at mealtime, for instance. But now, if I am not carrying water & sipping while I tour, I feel kind of guilty....thanks to all the retailing & publicity.

For thousands of years people have drunk when they're thirsty or have taken liquid with regular meals. I often wonder what modern grazing and constant drinking are doing to us. Our digestive organs and kidneys only get a rest when we're asleep.