How well travelled are you?

[snowskier]

I have been to all 7 continents and many countries on each continent (except Antarctica which doesn't have a bunch of countries to go to!).

 

I'll take a land vacation over a cruise any day. No idea how many cruises I have been on as I don't count them -- never figured out why I need to waste brain cells on that tidbit of information.

 

After working at a ski area all winter, a cruise is usually on the schedule so we can kick back and get some rest, but not this year. Cruises have a finite number of places one can go and I've been to them all so haven't been able to get motivated to book another one.

 

I would go back to Antarctica -- but that wasn't really a "cruise" as we were on an expedition ship. No ports, no stores, no touristy stuff -- just snow, ice bergs and penguins for 9 days.

 

There are so many wonderful places in this world to still see that I'm pretty focused on land based travels now. Thinking about the Himalayas next -- can't get there on a cruise ship.

[Cruiseaholichal]

Brazil,Argentina, Spain, Thailand, China, Macau, Hong Kong, Egypt, Israel, Netherlands, England, Mexico, Belgium, USA, for us.

[fishtaco]

You sound similar to us. We have lived or worked in a number of countries - i am at work in Tanzania at the moment. We now live in Australia, though we were British and my wife was born and raised in Peru. We have travelled a lot.

 

I find though as i get older i can be less bothered with the hassles of land trips.

 

The only thing holding us back from more cruising is the lack of ships coming into our home port - Fremantle. I fly commute between Tanzania and Australia, so every month do the equivalant of round the world on a plane so the last thing i am willing to do is get on a plane to go on holiday.

 

Many people who re settle in another country travel extensively!

 

I have been travelling the world since I was 19 years old and havnt seen much of it yet, We started cruising in our mid 40,s (now mid 50,s) but we still do land based trips in between or after a cruise, repositioning cruises are good.

 

Last March we did the Fremantle to Singapore on VOS which gave us a great opportunity to spend a few weeks in Cambodia post cruise.

 

We are doing the same cruise in April 2015 because we want to extend the time we spent in Cambodia:)

[Talisker92]

I have been to 58 countries, been to Point Barrow Alaska and Ushuaia, the Northernmost and Southernmost cities in the Americas. I have been to all 7 continents and all 24 time zones.

I rode the Trans siberian Express from Moscow to Vladivostok.

I enjoy cruising, train trips and land trips.

[buggins0402]

I've always wondered how one counts the UK countries (one or multiple) and Caribbean Islands (should I count only countries that carry flags in the Olympics?) Thus, I've given up counting countries - because I haven't a clue what constitutes a country.

[Velvetwater]

I've always wondered how one counts the UK countries (one or multiple) and Caribbean Islands (should I count only countries that carry flags in the Olympics?) Thus, I've given up counting countries - because I haven't a clue what constitutes a country.

 

UK is one (Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England)

 

 

I say I am English but when asked what country I am from it is always UK. :)

Although Ireland has its independence and Scotland wants it at the mo.

 

For definitions of countries the best place to go is the UN website but Olympic flags is pretty much a more fun way of looking at it too.

Edited April 23, 2014 by Velvetwater

[navybankerteacher]

We regularly do a trans-Atlantic in October or November, staying about a week before boarding. This has allowed time in England, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy and Greece pre-embarking; plus occasional trips to Canada, Mexico, Central America, and winter trips to Carobbean - and hoping for an Australia- New Zealand trip with a trans-Pacific return cruise.

[SPacificbound]

Our first cruise, a year ago, was to not have to fly back from Australia after spending 2 1/2 months land travel in New Zealand and Australia. I really didn't expect to like it that much. :)

 

I think cruising for us will be as much for transportation as it will be for the cruise. I don't believe we will ever take a cruise that doesn't deliver us to somewhere we want to go, or bring us back from somewhere we traveled to.

[sail7seas]

Long before we ever started cruising (we have about 100 cruises total), we toured all over Europe on our own. Our first few trips, we went with a tour group but after the first two or three, began booking our own air/hotels, tours, dining reservations etc. We probably did ground trips in Europe at least 20 times or more.

 

Great Britain

Denmark

The Netherlands

Italy

France

Germany

Belgium

Spain

Portugal

Greece

Austria

and who knows where else

 

We also did a number of trips to several cities in Canada long before we started cruising there.

We have done a great deal of domestic travel throughout U.S.

 

We vacationed all over the Caribbean in various resorts dozens and dozens of stays.

DH was in Asia but I was not.

Edited April 23, 2014 by sail7seas

[marco]

I've traveled quite extensively around the globe. A few trips to Europe were on an "ocean liner" cruise and I have to agree with one of the above posts. Stopping at a port for 6-ish hrs is really not seeing the place. For European destinations, a land or river cruise is the best way to really see and experience a country. Now, the only place we cruise is the Caribbean in the winter and the specific ports are irrelevant. We're going solely for the sunshine and 80 degree weather and when all is said and done, a 14 day Caribbean cruise in the winter is far less expensive than flying to an island resort for a couple of weeks. The whole on-board cruise experience is what we go on a cruise for. I don't think you don't see anywhere near enough of Europe, Asia, So America, Australia/NZ going there on a cruise. As an example, we were in Thailand a couple of yrs ago. It was a 2 week tour that included 4 days in Bangkok. One afternoon, we were on a specific day tour and were joined by passengers from a Princess cruise. They traveled almost 2 hrs by bus to take the tour, it would be a 2 hr bus ride back to the ship and this one afternoon tour was the extent of what they were going to see in Bangkok! We were there for 4 days and that wasn't long enough!

Edited April 23, 2014 by marco

[GrandmaHofmann]

We find one of the best ways to learn about anyplace is to "live there." To that end, we rent a condo or a house in a place for a month at a time. For example, we spent March 2013 in San Antonio; we spent March 2014 in Albuquerque. And we really saw a lot, traveling 4,000 miles thru NM this year. Sometimes we rent for shorter periods of time. We are renting a house in Padua for a week this October before we head out on a 21 day cruise leaving from Civitavecchia. You will find it cheaper and more interesting to rent a condo in the middle of a city than staying in a hotel. And more comfortable as well. There is a condo in the Ginza district I have my eye on in Tokyo for an upcoming trip.

[calliopecruiser]

I cruise for sea days, and I do land travel to visit different places. Apples and oranges. This year it's a transpacific cruise with just one port stop and 14 sea days, but next year I think I'll do two+ weeks in Italy. Or maybe the UK, if my experiment in driving on the left turns out well.

[cruisemom42]

I've traveled a fair amount, both on cruises and land trips. Many people say that they use cruises as a "sampler" to find out places they would want to go back and spend more time -- but I'm not sure how many really do it. I actually HAVE done this a number of times. After a cruise that visited Egypt, I went back and spent two weeks on a small group tour. After visiting Turkey on a cruise, I did something similar (but more on my own). Same with Israel and most recently Tunisia. I go to Italy as often as I can.

 

I love the Mediterranean countries for their history primarily. But I have also enjoyed trips to many other European countries including France, the UK (all parts!), Portugal, and Germany. In Northern Europe, I enjoyed my Baltics cruise and someday will probably go back and spend more time in Scandinavia -- but it is lower on my list.

 

I've seen some of Asia -- loved Japan, enjoyed Thailand and Hong Kong. Next year I will be doing a cruise to SE Asia and beforehand I'll have a chance to get to Cambodia and Angkor Wat -- which I'm really looking forward to. Also in my travel plans for next year: Romania.

 

There are many places I still want to go -- India, China, the Silk Road countries, Libya (to see Leptis Magna and other Roman sites). Right now, I'm not terribly interested in places that don't have a lot of (ancient) history, but maybe that will change.... I'd rather go back and spend more time in areas that fascinate me (Turkey, Greece, Italy, Engand, Japan) than visit places that are less interesting to me just to say I was there.

 

For those who suggested that the world isn't safe for travel any longer, I disagree. Sometimes I think staying home and listening to the news is enough to scare anyone into not going out their front door. But once you get out there and see things are much as they always have been, you wonder why you were ever afraid. ;)

[Symbacat]

I have land visited nearly 70 countries. Now for the last 4 years I have changed to planning 2 cruise per year one the Carib. A nd one on the Med. On occasion a land trip thrown. Usually cruise solo.

 

 

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[Nebr.cruiser]

We've traveled to 47 states, Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica on land trips, as well as Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Israel, Egypt, Kenya and Tanzania.

 

We have spent several days in the UK and Italy post cruise, if that counts.

 

We are mostly cruising now as it seems to be a better value and more relaxing, but we still have some 'Bucket List' places we want to visit on land trips.

 

The long expensive flights are holding us back in some cases.

[paradiscroozin]

I have traveled to Jamaica, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the Bahamas without being on a cruise. I actually prefer going on a land vacation more than cruising. Land vacations, you can go and enjoy the beach at your leisure and plan excursions whenever you want. If it rains one day, you plans aren't ruined.

 

I started cruising because I thought it would be cheaper and I could see more islands like this but I really don't like staying for a half day, it seems so rushed and your opinion forms on a place that you've seen for just a few, short hours.

 

Will I stop cruising? No, because of the all you can eat, comedy shows, and all around relaxation of sitting on a ship. I like that you can run into the same people on a cruise ship, and that you talk with different people at meals.

 

I will do more land vacations though. I am currently booked on a Carnival Cruise because it was a free offer that I couldn't pass up but I initially was planning a Dominican All Inclusive land vacay.... Nothing beats having alcohol included.. :)

[Michael P]

To be honest, I dont think cruising is the way to visit most areas and regions. You need to be at a place more then 5 or 6 hours to say you were really there. You are far better off visiting places and staying for a few days then just a port stop from a ship. Nothing wrong with cruising, but you really cant say you really love an area or island when you only spent a few hours there, as you have not really experienced the area

 

 

Exactly. It's only a very quick introduction. Gives one motivation to return to specific places that they really enjoyed, though.

 

 

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[dorisis]

To be honest, I dont think cruising is the way to visit most areas and regions. You need to be at a place more then 5 or 6 hours to say you were really there. You are far better off visiting places and staying for a few days then just a port stop from a ship. Nothing wrong with cruising, but you really cant say you really love an area or island when you only spent a few hours there, as you have not really experienced the area

 

I agree.

[donnatello]

I find cruising more intended to be for the "ship experience' then for the places the ship is going to.

[janmcn]

We enjoy both land and sea visits, but more cruise-based lately with a few "infirmities" that are slowing me down.

 

However, that being said…as an aside to this thread…too many people see "other countries" before they REALLY see our own. We lived in a motorhome for 7 years and traveled all over the US and Canada and I can tell you we have some amazing places here…not just the "usual" ones that people think of. So, don't forget seeing our own country!

[Skywench]

I travelled a lot when I was a kid, as I had a dad in the military. I love to travel and as a flight attendant, I get the opportunity to travel the world for work and also on my personal time.

[gooch47]

I compare cruising to eating at a buffet. You can sample the foreign ports and countries and if you really enjoyed one, you could go back for an extended stay.

[calliopecruiser]

I compare cruising to eating at a buffet. You can sample the foreign ports and countries and if you really enjoyed one, you could go back for an extended stay.

 

I keep hearing people say that, but I rarely hear anyone say that they actually did it ;)

[Skywench]

I keep hearing people say that, but I rarely hear anyone say that they actually did it ;)

 

LOL, I've gone on cruises and liked certain ports enough to go back and spend several days there.

[cadien]

I keep hearing people say that, but I rarely hear anyone say that they actually did it ;)

 

Not specifically a cruise, but I did a whirlwind Europe tour and then went back for more extensive time in the countries I enjoyed the most.