Touring Macerata, Itally

So, you want to go on a cruise! It’s exciting, it’s fun and it’s your way of enjoying the great life. But how do you make the choice of where to go, when and with whom? There are so many choices with respect to cruising nowadays that it can be very confusing. Here are a few tips to consider helping you decide which cruise is right for you.

Listed below are few examples of the types of cruise you may wish to take:

1. Mediterranean cruise

2. Caribbean cruise

3. an Alaskan cruise,

4. a cruise down the Amazon or Panama Canal

5. a Transatlantic ocean crossing

6. South Pacific or Hawaiian Island cruise

7. River cruises (the fjords in Norway, the Danube in Europe, the Nile in Egypt, the Mississippi in United States)

8. Polar cruises to see the penguins in the Antarctic

9. Russian waterways cruises

10. Galapagos Island cruises

11. New Zealand or Australia

Each can be very appealing but are also very different.

1. The first thing to consider in taking one of these cruises is when you want to go—the time of the year can dictate the type of cruise. Some cruise ship lines do not offer cruises to the Mediterranean in the winter months, but transfer their ships to the warmer waters of the Caribbean. Alaskan cruises only run in certain months also due to weather conditions. Ocean crossing cruises (Transatlantic) take place only as the seasons change so that cruise ship companies can reposition their ships to match the high seasons’ tourist industry.

2. You also have to decide on the length of your cruise. A typical choice is a 7-night cruise, but you can take cruises from 3-4 nights to over a month in length, or more. The length of your vacation time available may limit you, but taking a cruise for the first time may also be a consideration. Limiting your cruise to a manageable shorter cruise may help you decide whether a longer cruise at another time may be more advisable. In other words, do you get seasick? Do you like the variety of visiting different ports? Do you wish to simply stay at one destination and relax? Do you like the busy atmosphere of the many activities on a ship?

3. Next, the ports that you wish to visit can be a great part of which cruise is the right choice for you. Have you always wanted to visit Tortugas, the Bahamas or Cayman Islands? Here is your chance to get a taste of it. Make sure that one of your chosen destinations is on your cruise itinerary, and there are endless choices of various itineraries available. Cruises are great ways to experience various places. Then you can decide which destination you would like to see more of on a future vacation.

4. Another consideration in choosing a cruise is the amount of time you wish to be “At Sea”. For a Transatlantic voyage you are at sea for many days at a time, which limits you to being within the confines of the ship at all times. This can be a bonus if you don’t want the hustle and bustle of visiting different ports, but it can also be a downside if you want a lot of variety on your vacation. Some cruises offer very little time at sea, being in a different port every day, and this flurry of activity can be too overwhelming for some vacationers. I would recommend a bit of both—for a 7-night cruise a good happy medium would be 2 days at sea with the other days stopping at various ports of call.

5. Once you have narrowed down your choice of cruise to when and where you wish to visit, the next hardest choice is the cruise line and size of ship you want to use. The size of ship can dictate the cruise line, as some cruise lines offer significantly larger ships than others. Some cruise lines only use smaller, more intimate ships for smaller groups of people. Other cruise lines offer huge ships with passengers in the thousands. You must decide whether you like a small personal touch or like the larger groups. (We found that even on a larger ship, there were still areas where we could go to get away from the crowds. Crowding on the huge ships was not a problem at all.)

6. Fitting the cruise line to your individual personality is perhaps the most important factor in determining your cruise enjoyment. There are many different types of ship lines that cater to varying personalities. Of course, the Disney Cruise Line caters to families, but others such as Carnival Cruises cater to more of a party atmosphere for adults, or Norwegian focuses on a more conservative group. Discuss with your travel agent which cruise line fits you best. Cruise lines also offer themed or special interest cruises, such as an art collectors cruise, golfer’s cruises or culinary class cruises. These may be great to fit in with the interests in your life-style.

7. Once you have found the best itinerary for you on the cruise line that suits your personality, at the best time of year for you, there are still other choices you need to make. Some cruise lines offer “freestyle cruising”, which simply put means that you don’t have a set dinner time at a set table, but you can choose to eat whenever you wish. On most cruises, however, you have a preset dinner time at an assigned table. You can choose an early dinner (usually around 6-6:30) or a later dinner time (7:30-8:00). In choosing your dinner time, take into consideration your off-ship excursions. You don’t want to have to rush back from your shore excursion just to get back in time for dinner. You also usually have a choice of how many people you wish to sit with (usually from 4 to 8 -10 people at a table.) Our travel agent suggested a table of 8 on our cruise—she stated that if you were at a table for 4 and you didn’t get along with the other couple you were stuck, but a table for 8 offered more chance of finding congenial soul-mates.

8. Shore excursions can also be a major part of your cruise experience. There are many different shore excursion packages available, from visiting butterfly farms, swimming with dolphins, exploring ancient ruins, to snorkelling or scuba diving. Of course, if you wish you do not need to go on any shore excursions. You can simply choose to stay on-board and take advantage of the ship’s amenities, or you can simply walk around and visit or shop in the port-of-call.

Choosing a cruise can seem overwhelming, but the main point is to suit the cruise to what you want to get out of the experience. If you want a whirlwind of activity choose a party cruise line with that in mind. If you want a more relaxed atmosphere, choose more time at sea. If you want to sample various cultures, choose a destination-rich cruise. Different types of cruises offer at of those things, and more. Hopefully the above has given you an idea in the choices you need to make to get the most enjoyment out of your cruise. Happy cruising!

When you’re camping, your tent is the most important piece of equipment. Without a tent, you are nothing! You need one that will keep you dry and warm (but not too warm). There are a huge huge range ot there on the market and it can be difficult deciding what to buy but here are a few tips to help you on your way.

There are so many different tents oit there on the market that it may be difficult to know where to start. from a simple one person tent which will fit easily into your rucksack, right up to an eight berth monster, with all mod cons including spa pool and massage table ok, perhaps that’s a bit far but you get the idea!). As with everything camping related, your tent needs to fit the purpose that you’ll be using it for. If you will be carrying the tent in a rucksack, then the weight and dimensions when packed are very important. If you are camping with the family, you may want something with seperate bedroom areas for privasy. All of these details can be found within the information of the packaging or from the shop when you buy your tent.

Tents will be labelled ‘one person’, ‘two person’ etc, but you should always check the actual dimensions as classifications can differ between manufacturers. You should also pay attention to how much space there is in the living area and what the height of the tent is (ie, can you stand up). Below is a summary of the different types of tents you might choose.

Frame Tents: These have the best headroom and are useful for families, and those who plan to cook inside the tent. The disadvantage of frame tents is that they are havy and difficult to carry, so only suitable if you are travelling by car (and have a few people to hep you put it up). Frame tents are becoming less popular in favour of the more fashioable and lightweight Dome Tents.

Ridge Tent: This is a triangular shaped tent, the more tradiditonal one that you are used to seeing. You rarely see this around nowadays, and again have given way to the more modern dome tents.

Dome Tents: A dome shaped tent, very simple to erect and very lightweight. The flexible poles thread through the tent fabric criss corssing in the middle. The poles are normally made of reinforced plastic or a metal alloy. Dome tents can range from a very compact one or two man right up to a family sized tent with room to stand. They are relatively inexpensive and due to the compact size when packed they are very easy to transport. higher dome tents are more vulnerable in high winds than a frame tent so care should be taken in poor weather.

Hoop Tents: These are a cross betwen a ridge and dome tent. They are strong with room inside, they can be multiple hoop, also known as a tunnel tent, or single hoop which is lighter weight and easier to carry. Hoop tents are often favoured by mountain climbers because of their strngth in high winds and extreme conditions.

Geodesic Tents: A geodesic tent is similar to a Dome tent, but with a slightly different structure which gives them greater strength in high winds. Often slightly more expensive than a standard dome tent.

Vis-a-vis: Tents with sleeping areas on either side of the main central area. These are genrally dome style noeadays but you do ocassionally see a ridge style vis-a-vis tent.

Touring Tents: Touring tents can be extended ridge tents or extended dome tents. They normally have a porch area, which is very useful for cooking, (although goking in tents should only be done if it is safe to do so, and you should consult the manufacturr if you aren’t sure). Touring tents often have windows and are the tent of choice for people who spend long periods camping.

Most tents have 2 layers. The first a breathable ‘inner’ providing warmth and keeping the insects off, while the ‘outer’ fysheet or ’skin’ is the waterproof layer that goes on the outside. Having a two layer structure also prevents moisture and condensation building up. These layers can be made from a wide range of materials, the higher end of the price range tends to be the best insulated, most breathable and best quality and would be advised for extreme weather conditions. The higher price ranges will also be home to tents with the best quality seams and zips as these are often the first things to go.

The strength of the poles is an important factor if you want your tent to last. Modern tents are extremely lightweight but you can often tell the difference between poor quality and good quality poles. As a rule, you generally get what you pay for. If you are using your tent to go to a festival and don’t tend to do much else with it, then you can pick up a 2 man tent from about £25. If you are looking for something that you can use a few times of year in all conditinos, then prices can go up to about £500 for the top quality tents.

Whatever your choice, remember to allow anough space for your stuff. A 2 man tent is often big enough for 2 people but if you both have big rucksacks or equipment, you might be better thinking about a larger tent to allow for this