I’m not sure what kind of adventure this car rental place had in mind, but seeing this sign on a Camry, the car built to be as bland, as vague, and as disconnected as possible, was beautifully hilarious irony. If this is the vehicle of an adventurer, I’d hate to see the sign they’d put on my VR4.

It occured to me, as I was looking at this adventure-mobile, that a great deal of tourist- and travel-related advertising is exaggerated in the worst way. When I was in the US Virgin Islands, I went on a “snorkeling and boating adventure”. One of the perks was being able to drive my own little boat to the snorkeling area. And, fool that I am, I thought to myself, “Perfect, they’re going to give me a little boat and I’m going to rip that little bastard all over the place, break off from the group, and be a general terror.” When all the other snorkeling and boating adventurers and I arrived at the dock, the tour guides explained that we were to pilot the boats in single file and that we were not to pass. Failure to adhere to these rules, of course, would revoke our driving privileges, and I would have to suffer the embarrassment of having the tour guide commandeer my tiny, underpowered boat.

Automotive advertising is similarly exaggerated. Every year, Mazda runs “Rev It Up,” a traveling autocross event where you can drive one or two of their newest cars. The flyers and brochures make it look like you’re entering a serious racing event. When I went, however, I think I spent more time being told not to execute any e-brake turns than I did actually driving the cars.

Am I surprised? Was I let down? Not really. At least I got to drive the Mazda 3. And, I’ll admit, there are worse things than driving a small boat through a Caribbean lagoon. And both of these are worlds better than any adventure I’d have in a Camry–back seat included.