World cruises

“It’s Monday – it must be Madagascar!”  Yes, you can become travel weary if you’ve a mind when traversing the globe, but why would you?  It’s going to be the best time in your life, sharing a fantastic ship with anything from two hundred to five thousand other lucky people, depending on your cruise line.

Arriving on board, you will unpack just the once before settling into your cabin for a world cruise.  These days you can choose a cruise that suits your age, life style and interests.  Onboard activities range from napkin folding to wine tasting, surfing to skittles.  Jogging tracks, boutiques, spas and lectures during the day, fantastic shows by night.

Of course “the world” means different things to different people.  Your itinerary can include time in the Med, the Caribbean, Hawaii, South America, northern Europe or Australia.  If you were to include so many destinations on a flying trip, you’d soon be exhausted, dispirited and desperate to go home.  On a global cruise, the world is your oyster and there’ll be a different destination awaiting you almost every day as you wake up in your luxury, ocean front cabin.

A fabulous cruise ship has all the advantages of a five star resort!  The food is to die for and you’ve already paid for meals, snacks, onboard activities, night time attractions and the incredible destinations.

Believe it or not a world cruise may just be the start of your wonderful relationship with cruise liners.  Once you get a taste for it you’ll want to return again and again.  Apparently there are a higher percentage of satisfied customers who return to cruise again, than on any other type of holiday!

Who can take long holidays?

They still exist apparently: the happily retired on a good pension.  Although, in the future, there will be less of us able to do as we please from the age of 60-65, some retirees who got there before the financial downturn can enjoy good, long holidays abroad – whenever they wish.

They’re not the only ones who can take time out to explore our world though!  Teachers enjoy a good six weeks of holiday each year, including Christmas and Easter holidays that add up to a fair amount of freedom.  Students on a gap year can grasp a “once in a lifetime” opportunity to see what’s out there, grow in maturity and experience different cultures as well.  Then there are the people enjoying a “sabbatical”.  After a long time of employment with some companies – say 25 years – employees are offered a gift of money and some time off to travel the world.  This, highly prized reward, is something that is dying out these days, but some businesses still uphold the tradition.

Of course travel writers, broadcasters and authors researching for their next novel may well enjoy time abroad finding inspiration and peace and quiet to complete their work.  Speaking personally, I look forward to joining the ranks of “Snowbirds” who flock to Florida from colder climes, in the early months of each year.  They’re called “Snowbirds” because they’re usually retired, have grey hair and “fly,” or migrate, from the cold to the warmth for two or three months, enjoying low cost (out of season) accommodation and freedom to relax. Can’t be bad.