Cruisin'

I haven't travelled all that much in my almost forty years of existence. To date, I've been to just one other province in Canada (British Columbia, 2003); passed through twelve states en route to and from a thirteenth (Florida); and visited exactly one other foreign country (Venezuela, 1986...thanks, Dad!)

This will change.

I can't even hope to aspire to my friend Jason's jet-setting status: last I looked, the man's been to well over a hundred nations on every continent save Antarctica. He does a lot of domestic (U.S.) travel on business, and one of his perks is that the air miles accrue to his personal account. Couple that with Jay's legendary ability to sniff out deals and he manages two, sometimes three excursions each and every year. I envy him.

It really wasn't a surprise when and where the travel bug bit us. I'm thinking Walt Disney World is practically infested with them. Especially in EPCOT: World Showcase offers just a wee taste of so many places I'd like to see. I'd long thought, however, that actually seeing those places would require a lottery win, or maybe a few of them.

Perhaps not.

We are slowly being drawn into the world of cruising. Let me tell you, first off, that I had never really considered the option, due to a few assumptions that turn out to be unfounded. For instance, I had assumed that cruises go one of two places: Alaska or someplace interchangeably tropical. The Alaska cruise had long been planned as our kickoff to retirement--it'd take a working lifetime to save up for the kind of experience we want to have, after all. But we are not tropical people. Heat and humidity, beloved by so many, would utterly wreck our vacation in short order. (This is the same reason I have little interest in the standard touristy destinations such as Cuba, the Dominican, Jamaica, or the like. Well, that and..really, how different is one resort from another?)

Lo and behold, we have discovered that cruises go everywhere we want to be. The Globe and Mail has been highlighting Scenic Tours for some time now. The Danube cruise looks particularly entrancing.

Moving from boutique ship to megaship, we have Celebrity Cruisetours. A Cruisetour is part cruise, part land excursion, first class all the way, with an emphasis on the local culture in each port of call or destination. I really like the idea of a guided tour on top of the cruise. And the prices aren't too steep--the Scenic Tour rates include free airfare!

I'm thinking our next big trip will be a cruise. Where to, I'm not sure just yet. But I can't wait.