Long-distance Love: Valentine’s Day Tips For Lorry Drivers
Being a lorry driver is not your regular job. So, if you're out on the road all week at odd hours doing haulage jobs andearning the readies to bring home the bacon, you really can't be expected to keep up the romance, right? Wrong. Just because you're not physically there every night, you’re not let off the romantic hook if you've got a partner who’s keeping the home and family fires burning. And neither should it.
So, for those who carry out long-distance haulage jobs, how can you ensure that you make the grade when the dreaded – I mean, much anticipated – Valentine’s Day rolls around every February 14th? I’m glad that you asked…
A Virtual Valentine's Date
These days, Smartphone technology offers no excuse for being AWOL on the most romantic day of the year. Schedule a date with your loved one for a video Skype or FaceTime chat sometime during the day, and instead of spending an hour talking about mundane things like the leccy bill and school fees, take the opportunity to whisper the sweet nothings that often get lost in the noise of every day life…
Say It with Flowers
A bouquet of flowers on Valentine's Day is the classic way to say "I love you", but if you're not home to present them yourself, an unexpected delivery can mean the world. Make sure that you don’t leave it to the last minute to get your order in, though, and definitely include a personal and thoughtful message on the card.
Say It with Something More
Think flowers are a cliché? (Think again, by the way, but nevertheless…) If you want to impress your loved one even more while everyone else's partners are around to keep them cosy, send a surprise care package to arrive while you’re out completing haulage jobs! What you include is up to you, but make the items personal and significant. Need inspiration? How about a mix tape, old photos of the two of you or favourite foods? Now over to you…
Change History
This is not as hard as it sounds, because we're merely suggesting that if you can't be with your loved one on Valentine's Day itself, just move the celebrations to a day when you can be. Voilà!
Surprise, Surprise
While it might take some sleuthful strategy, calling in some work favours and a few white lies, if you can organise to arrive as your own special delivery when you're "allegedly" away on the road doing haulage jobs, it can be the sweetest surprise package of all. If you want to jump out of a cake, that's entirely up to you.
Make a Dream Come True
Why not use the most romantic day of the year to make one of your loved one's special dreams come true to take the sting out of your absence? While everyone else is getting flowers and chocolates delivered to the office, arrange for a courier to deliver an envelope with tickets to Paris, details of a paid-up photography course or news of the mother-in-law's unexpected and imminent arrival (deep breath).
A Love Letter from the Heart
Sometimes the simple gestures are the most powerful, so forget the texting, emailing and calling. Show your loved one that you care by writing an actual love letter and sending it by snail mail to arrive on the day. The romance factor goes off the Richter scale right there!
Make the Special Day Special
While you might get away with blaming haulage jobs for forgetting your wedding anniversary and maybe even a birthday at a pinch, there's no way to escape Valentine's Day because it's absolutely everywhere. But don't worry, now you've got it covered. And you're welcome.
Author Plate
Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting logistics professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides services for matching haulage jobs with available drivers. Over 4,800 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.
