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Summertime means family vacations to sunny locales — possibly with a beachfront view.

But without oil and natural gas, we wouldn’t be able to plan a trip, travel to our destination or even have any fun once we got there.

Here are a few ways oil and natural gas guarantees a great vacation.

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PLANNING

Computer

Every vacation requires careful planning and maybe even a bit of research. Without petroleum-based components powering our computers or smartphones, that research wouldn’t be possible. In fact, even powering up these devices would be impossible without petroleum-based power plants generating our electricity.

Credit Card

It’s good to have everything purchased ahead of time. There’s nothing worse than getting to your location and learning all the hotels are booked. These online purchases require a credit card, which also comes from petroleum-based plastic.

Vacation Clothing

Lightweight fabrics and swimsuits are must-haves for a tropical vacation destination. These synthetic fabrics are often based on oil and natural gas byproducts. So are most hats, sunglasses and life jackets.

TRAVEL

Fuel

If you’re taking a plane, boat or car, it’s going to require some sort of oil and natural gas-based fuel. Even electric cars often depend on electricity generated by petroleum-based power plants.

Without that fuel, you’re not going too far.

Boarding Pass

Whether you print it out or use a fancy iPhone app, it all starts with oil and natural gas.

GPS Device

It’s always good to get directions to your destination. If you use an old-school GPS or a smartphone, oil and natural gas is an important component in creating these items.

FUN

Coolers

Whether you’re traveling to the lake, the beach or the mountains, it’s always good to have ice-cold refreshments on hand. Plastics made from natural gas add layers to keep your beverages and food cooled.

Sunscreen

Fun in the sun can become not-so-fun pretty quickly without this stuff, which, of course, uses oil and natural gas byproducts.

Outdoor Equipment

Whether you’re there to camp, fish or play golf, everything from the plastics, foams and synthetic fibers come from oil and natural gas components.

Camera

It’s easiest to remember a fun trip when you have photos to look back on. But without the plastics used in today’s cameras and batteries, your Instagram-worthy photos wouldn’t exist — and neither would your trip’s visual evidence.

Next time you’re catching waves at the beach — or making wakes on your boat at the nearest watering hole — take a moment to realize how boring your vacation would be without oil and natural gas powering you along the way.

 

 

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