Skip to main content

The Trip of a Lifetime

My escape from the mundane and stressful aspects of my life is to browse the internet learning about interesting and exotic places. I love to travel - to experience new people, new views, and new perspectives outside my everyday existence, and my obsession only grew greater during The Lockdown. So a few years ago, I looked into world cruises as a way to see the most places with the least amount of disruptive travel. On a cruise ship, your hotel room takes you to new places so you only have to unpack and pack once, and don't worry about transportation. No "bags out at 7:30 and on the bus at 8:00". I thought this was genius! When things got to be too much, I would log on and check out ports, excursions, and things to do in cities all over the world and dream of a time when I could experience it.

And as it does, life happened; I ended my career in finance and found myself with some time on my hands. I said to myself, "If not now, when?" and clicked to make my daydream become a reality. I am boarding the Island Princess on January 5th in Fort Lauderdale to see the world.

I've been making lists and reading blogs and pouring over travel articles for two years, and somehow my departure has snuck up on me. I've had too much time to think of every possible thing I may ever need. It's quite a challenge packing for almost 4 months when you don't have Amazon Prime delivery. I think that overpacking should be a diagnosable disorder. I could certainly benefit from some professional help. 

Maybe one more suitcase...

Here's my itinerary if you want to follow along:


So I'm going to give blogging a try for all those friends and family that have asked to keep up with my travels. Check back every so often for new posts as I figure out life on a ship, make new friends, and experience lots of new things.  

Comments

  1. Bon voyage!! Can't wait to see your adventures! Watch out for those cruise gigolos!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just put all your ports of call on the calendar! I'm trying to figure out where I can suddenly show up to surprise you! Have a blast. We will miss you! Love you little sister!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

About Me

My photo
MzKath
2023 is all about trying new things. I am sailing around the world on a trip I've been dreaming of, and I am dipping my toe into the Social Media world with this blog. I hope you enjoy following me on my travels!

Popular posts from this blog

Anchors Aweigh!

January 6, 2023. Somewhere south of Cuba. My first day on board was not what I'd expected. I thought I would hide in my stateroom for most of the day, working up the courage to go out by myself and meet random people. But it was so easy! Somewhere along the way, I forgot that I am an interesting person, and can hold my own in a conversation, and people may enjoy spending time with me. How does that happen? I think as we get older, especially since Lockdown, we get used to our routines and don't realize our world is shrinking a bit each day. It was challenging for me to get back into society after they lifted restrictions. A smooth check-in with lots of smiling faces and I was in my stateroom within 20 minutes. The Head Porter said there were over 6,000 bags to get on board (I apologized for my part in the extra work), so my bags took a while to catch up with me. After I dropped my carry-on and inspected the room, I headed to the buffet for some lunch. Had a lovely salad and som...

A'a I ka hula, waiho I ka maka’u I ka hale. (Dare to dance, leave shame at home)

When we arrived in Los Angeles, the ship’s doctor asked us all to mask up for three days then everyone would COVID test. The results were good, and we were able to remove our masks if we wanted to.  Since leaving Los Angeles, I have been taking hula lessons. It has been so much fun – learning the meanings of all the motions and gestures, and not caring if I look the fool. I really have difficulty with hand and feet coordination. The first song we learned is “We Know the Way” from Moana. I am so excited to teach the dance to my grandniece! Then we went on to “Going to the Hukilau” and “Little Grass Shack”, and now these songs have been stuck in my head for about a week. I guess it could be worse – "Mmm Bop" comes to mind. Damn, now that’s in there too. Getting our Hula on... As our instructor told us, the hula is an oral tradition to record Hawaiian stories. Each word in the song has a motion that goes with it. Once you get the gist of the story, you can anticipate the movemen...

Kusadasi and Ephesus

Welcome to Turkey! Oh, my goodness it was cold! Because we were late leaving Jerusalem, we had to make up time to Kusadasi, and we ran into some strong winds that slowed us down. It also brought a big change in the weather. My day in Ephesus did not get above 50 degrees with howling winds. I think I got frostbite. But it was worth every painful minute. Port city of Kusadasi For orientation, the port of Kusadasi is located on the west coast of Turkey on the Aegean Sea. My tour was Biblical Ephesus, Virgin Mary Shrine, and Private Mass. We started with the House of the Virgin Mary, which is considered a Holy Site by the Vatican. This site is believed to be the home of Mary, Mother of God, after Jesus was resurrected and ascended into heaven. Mary's Home Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich, a German Augustinian nun, had visions of Mary’s life. Her writings were taken to Ephesus and used to find Mary’s home. It is a simple brick house where she lived out her later years after Jesus’ assu...