Introduction to Cruising

I grew up in provincial Philippines where the concept of travel was a far-flung dream. Yet as I got older, the reading that I did began to occupy my thoughts more and more until eventually in 2000 I moved to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Since then, Travel has become my overriding passion and I have now visited 52 different countries on different continents. I became so enthused that having kept notes and taken many photos I wrote and published my own travel book in the hope that I could inspire others, especially from the Philippines to be brave enough to travel – particularly to those who wants to travel solo.

My book is entitled INSPIRED TO TRAVEL; TRAVEL TO INSPIRE – A TRAVEL MEMOIR, published in 2019, is available on Amazon.com and on Barnes and Noble websites.

All of my travels have either been through organized tours, or organized by my own planning and many of them have been on my own. Yes, I usually travel solo.

Although I have had many fantastic experiences and gained wonderful memories there has been a downside to each and every visit. The decisions that have to be made as to where to eat and where to visit. Whether would there be anyone to talk to, what to do in the evenings and all surrounded by the ever-present aspect of “will it be safe”, or “will I be safe?”

I have to admit that the thought of cruising had never entered my head during this period of exploration until in September 2022, when I signed up for a 5-day cruise around some Greek Islands and Turkey. I must be honest that before thinking about this form of travel I had preconceived ideas as to who participated in Cruises. Probably the favorite groups in my imagination were older people, with less mobility, who did not want to have to find their own way around and people who could just sit around all day drinking and eating.

How wrong could I have been?

So many advantages were quickly evident to me. No more wheeling my heavy bags around when moving from one place to another, no more worries about safety, no more hesitation about going out in the evening to find entertainment, and a mix of people to socialize and communicate with.

So, my recent experience of cruising shattered all of those preconceptions and has left me wanting to explore further this method of travel and holiday.

Keep on traveling the hassle-free way!

#Joan Amorganda / My Travels / Travel / Travel book / Travel memoir / Travel with me