It’s good to get away from your home and the town or city that you live in every now and again. Taking trips to foreign countries can be very refreshing. Spending your entire life in one place is totally unnecessary as international vacations have never been more affordable.

However, travelling by plane can be stressful for people who are nervous about flying. One popular alternative that is much more comfortable than flying is cruising. There is nothing more relaxing than going on vacation on a cruise ship.

This post has a few ideas about whether travelling by cruise liner interests you.

Selecting location

Any regular traveller will tell you that the location one is visiting is considerably more important than the means of travel. Planes, cars, and trains are just methods of getting places and are, therefore, insignificant in the grand scheme of things. With cruises, it is a little different, however. When you take a cruise, the cruise itself is a vacation, and then you get to enjoy wherever you end up. Consider an Antarctic Peninsula cruise, as such trips are always unforgettable. Few people can say they have visited Antarctica.

Booking early

Once you have selected a location to travel to, the next step is booking your tickets. Travel experts say the best way to get a deal on cruise tickets is to book early, i.e., several months in advance of your trip. Early booking discounts can be by as much as 5-10%, as well as giving you time to look at the 100’s of luxury cruise deals. The other best time to book to make savings is right before the cruise is scheduled to leave. You can sometimes also upgrade your cruise class experience for next to nothing a few minutes before the ship departs from its port.

Departure port

Queues to get onto cruise ships can sometimes number in the thousands. Arriving as early as you can will help you beat these queues and set yourself up in your cabin while everybody else is standing outside. Book a room in a hotel near your cruise’s departure port. If you are unable to get a hotel room near the port, then arrive several hours early and hang around at the gate to your ship. When it opens you will be the first one in. Getting in early feels great.

Bathing suit

Instead of packing your bathing suit with the rest of your luggage, bring it with you in your carry-on bag. It can take an entire day for people’s luggage to be released and brought to their cabins. Bringing your bathing suit on with you as carry-on luggage will give you the opportunity to use the ship’s pool before anybody else can. The swimming pools on cruise liners get busy fast. Getting swimming out of the way early will save you a lot of trouble. Bring pyjamas and toiletries in your carry-on bag as well.

Overpacking bags

Do not make the mistake of overpacking your bags. Lots of travellers think they will need more than they actually will on cruises. The good thing about cruise liners is that they tend to have clothing shops onboard. Pack light and then if you need anything, visit one of these stores. You can find a mix of designer and affordable clothing stores, so you are guaranteed to find something within your budget. Clothes bought aboard cruise ships are also great souvenirs. If possible, try to buy the ship’s own merchandise. Think about what you will need before packing and pack effectively.

Bringing drinks

Immediately after boarding, especially if you are early, there is no guarantee that the cruise liner’s stores will be open. It takes several hours after departure before they tend to open their doors. The staff responsible for running them must set everything up before customers come in. Bringing drinks and small snacks with you will stop you from going hungry in the interim between boarding and the store opening. With that said, most cruise liners have vending machines travellers can use. If you do not remember to bring drinks and snacks, you can use a vending machine instead.

Extra toiletries

Some cruise liners can accommodate hundreds of thousands of people at once. While modern ships are very spacious, sharing anything with that amount of people is going to feel cramped at times. You are, therefore, more likely to want to wash than you might if you were staying in a hotel. Many people also underestimate the amount of time they will spend doing things like swimming and eating in restaurants aboard cruise ships. Taking extra toiletries will keep you from having to buy them in the ship’s onboard stores, saving you money.

Cruise amenities

As explained earlier, cruise ships are more than just mere transport vessels. Cruise ships are vacations in and of themselves. Most modern cruise ships have thousands of amenities onboard. You will find dining halls, theatres, cinemas, swimming pools, and sometimes even activity parks. Before booking tickets for a cruise, spend some time researching so that you can find the one offering the most amenities. The more amenities onboard, the more fun you will have. It is especially important to find an amenity-rich ship if you are travelling with children, as a wide array of amenities will keep them occupied and out of your hair.

Private tours

Visiting places like Antarctica aboard cruise ships is fun. However, what’s more fun is disembarking from these cruise ships on small dinghies and actually visiting Antarctica. There is one point in Antarctica where travellers can actually walk, getting amazing views of marine life and the continent’s vast natural landscapes. However, these trips to mainland Antarctica are not typically included in the cost of your cruise tickets. Travellers have to pay a little bit extra to go on them. Be sure to book your tour tickets as early as you can so you get the most out of your trip. Make sure to bring warm clothing if you are going to be taking a tour of Antarctica. Tour guides sometimes provide insulated outdoor gear for a cost. Save money by bringing your own.

Going on a cruise can be a great way of having fun and experiencing unique places like Antarctica. If cruises interest you, then spend some researching and finding the most reliable provider you can afford to travel with. Some cruise companies are better than others. It should not surprise you to learn that the more expensive ones are usually better.

You might also like:

• 5 reasons why you should go on a family cruise
• 6 can’t-miss destinations in Europe for your next holiday

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