Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Travel Who? Travel John!

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend. And while I didn't have the same kind of 4th that I had last year, it was still great. Lisa's Sister Kristin, her Husband Matt, and their 6 kids came over from SLC, and we all had a jolly good time. And even though I was bested in a game of Risk by my nephew Jacob, I still extended the invitation for them to visit anytime.

OK, now to the post that I have been planning for the last 2 days. This weekend I was at Schucks to buy a couple auto related items, and an item caught my eye. At first I thought it was some joke box that someone had left on the shelf for a good laugh. But then I picked it up for a closer look, and it was indeed real.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the blog world, I present to you....The Travel John.

The picture on the box explains it all. Think about it:

Stuck on the Hollywood Freeway and have the urge to take a tinkle? The Travel John can take that tinkle (and the smell) so you can dump it out on Melrose.

Out camping and the only option is to use the port o potty that smells like a bathroom toilet used by 6 year olds trying to learn how to aim? The Travel John has a unisex adapter so both men and women can use it!

There are so many situations where The Travel John could come in handy!

I must say though my favorite part of this product is the testimonial page on their website. Here is a sample of a couple good ones:

I know of "TravelJohn" through a traffic school course that I attended. The instructor informed us of such a product. TravelJohn "saved my life" on a number of occasions..:-) I travel by planes. And somehow, many times when I just get off the airplane, I don't feel the need to "go". But when I get to my car in the parking structure, the system starts to "kick in", and to run all the way back inside the terminal would mean wet pants for me. And there I have it, TravelJohn. I get into the back seat of my dark-tinted car,... and the rest is history. :-) Thanks, L.N. 11/04/05.

Thanks for that visual of you in the back seat of your car L.N!

And then there is M.P.'s testimonial:

I just came back from a 2 week adventure in Mongolia. The #1 Travel-John saved me (+ 3 friends). Picture, if you will, us in a nomadic tent with 200-300 goats + sheep between us and our "toilet". (A hole in the ground). It is the middle of the night and the temperature is about 35 degree( its 36 degree in the tent!) Out comes #1 Travel-John to the rescue!! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. For such an easy-to-use, clean GREAT product. -- M.P 8/28/00

Thanks for the M.P. I had no idea that goats and sheep accompanied people on adventure trips to Mongolia.

And then there is this one:

Hello, This is to let you know that we tried your Travel John Personal urinal for my double amputee husband, who is wheel chair bound. This product is wonderful!! Be it a trip on the access bus to the doctor, or out of tour in our vehicle, this is a great idea! It helps to discreetly and safely relieve handicapped, greatly reliving body and mind and less stress for the disabled and also the caregiver! It's the greatest thing since disposable undergarments for handicapped (adults) (Or ice cream J ).It gives peace of mind and security. Thanks, S.H. 02/28/05.

OK, a double amputee is not funny, but the thought of a double amputee's wife helping him relieve himself on a bus IS funny. I mean, I have had to go really bad before in the past while on the bus back home from the Benton/Franklin County Fair, but arms or not, I am not going to whip out a Travel John and mortify not only my kids, but the other occupants heading back to the Kamiakin High School parking lot.

Now the question I am looking for get answered here today. When Lisa, the girls, and I go on our trek down to California, should I believe the hype and stock up on Travel Johns, or stick with the McDonald's bathrooms we hit along the way?

Before you answer that question, review the instructions for avoiding a PEEmergency:

I think this just might make it on our trip. Even if we don't use it, I would love to tell fellow travelers we meet on the road how we didn't really have to stop here because we have a 3 pack of Travel Johns stashed in the glove box.

I can see the look on Lisa's face right now.

18 comments:

SuzanSayz said...

Not only that Donald, but it turns instantly into an odorless gel.
That gives it more than one use. After you have peed in it you suddenly have a lovely little travel pillow!

MSB said...

We do not have a travel john, but we do have a travel potty for the girls. It folds up into a brief case size thing and you use a gallon size ziplock, put a paper towel in it and it works great!
We have girls... pulling over to pee when they miss the rest area by one mile is not as easy as it must be with boys!

Em and Ms said...

Wow, Susan's comment cracked me up. Matt's boss gives gag gifts every Christmas at the company Christmas party. One of his coworkers receieved this 2 years ago because he has a long commute to work and, well...

Heather said...

What happens if the volume is more than the Travel John can handle?? Just curious.

Heidi D said...

Can it help with all of your bathroom needs?

I think it's funny that your preferred bathroom stop is the same as mine. I can almost always count on a McDonald's to have a decent bathroom.

Mike 'n' Cindy Brinkerhoff said...

Oh man, the thought of an overflowing Travel John is truly horrifying!!

Katie said...

Lisa has probably just been MORTIFIED at the thought of peeing in the Travel John.

My vote is McDonalds.

Sorry for the visual but I cannot "go" in a moving minivan loaded with four kids. I "MUST" admit that the bathroom is the ONE place I like to be ALONE!

libbie said...

OH MY GOSH . . . .. for some reason I don't think Lisa would go for that. Give it a try though. She might surprise you!

Lisa Christine said...

Donald...this is hilarious! And yes, we TOTALLY need some before we head out on our 20 hour drive.

I will not be using it of course, but I have a feeling it will come in handy for some 4 and 6 year old girls who don't know how to control their bladders yet :)

The question is: how much do they cost? How many 'baggies' per box?

Lisa said...

Outrageous! I know what I'm giving at this years gag-gift christmas party! Thanks! =)

Lisa said...

Oh, I've been sharing your last few blog posts with my hubby and he enjoys them, and as I see you read a few manly blogs, you might enjoy his, too. It's mostly about the Blazer he's rebuilding, his Big Green Egg, and music. http://hosalabad.blogspot.com/

So if I may give him a plug, there it is.

Lori said...

This is hilarious! Did you end up stocking up for your trip? Thanks for sharing... I appreciated the laugh at some of those testimonials! :)

Stephanie said...

I do not think I will buy a travel john. However , I am hoping I can get your famous Salsa recipe. The tomatoes are on the vine, onions are mature and jalopeno's are a budding. I would love to try your recipe. Unless of course you would rather just send a few quarts to Illinois.

Lisa Christine said...

Donald, call me at home please :)

Jessica said...

That is so funny! I love the testimonials. Someone HAD to have made those up!

David said...

no posting in over 3 months? what's the deal?

David said...

no posting in over 4 months? what's the deal?

Kristen said...

No posting in over 5 months? What's the deal?