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Luxury Halong Bay Cruise: Paradise Found?

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Halong Bay is one of those iconic places. You see lots of photos and it makes lots of ‘must do’ or ‘must see’ travel lists. But does it live up to the hype? Is it worth going to? Well, we set off to find out, and what better way to do our research than with a Halong Bay cruise? It’s not an easy place to get to as it is not close to a major city. Hanoi is the closest … Read More

7 Day Emerald Princess Alaska Cruise, Tips and Tricks

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A Review of our Emerald Princess Cruise of Alaska’s Inside Passage It was with some trepidation we arrived at the cruise ship dock for our Seattle to Alaska cruise. We were about to board for a one-week Emerald Princess Alaska cruise sailing the beautiful, glacier-lined Inside Passage. Why the trepidation? Prior to this our largest cruise ship had a capacity of 135 passengers (and there were only 85 of us)! So, 3500 passengers on one ship was mind blowing and … Read More

9 Tips for Your 1st Cruise Including What to Pack

You booked your 1st cruise and now you are getting ready to go. Wondering what to pack and what to expect onboard the ship for your 1st cruise? We have done a couple of cruises now, usually small ships, but one large ship cruise to Alaska, and here we share our tips for your 1st cruise, including what to pack. Tips for Your 1st Cruise and What to Expect Onboard Pack a Carry-on Bag While it seems obvious in retrospect, … Read More

The Best Way to Explore the Amazing Amazon Rainforest

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The Amazon Rainforest is a mystical place, with more species of wildlife, than anywhere else on the planet. Many of them are still undiscovered and undocumented. The biodiversity is incredible. One of the ways to help protect the rainforest from development is to visit as a tourist. Tourism to the Amazon Rainforest brings in much needed jobs and money to the local communities and has been instrumental in stopping deforestation of this amazing biosphere. It is remote and difficult to … Read More

The Slow Boat to Luang Prabang – Taking the Comfortable Option

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Arriving in Luang Prabang having spent two very leisurely days on what is commonly referred to as the “slow boat” meant we arrived in Luang Prabang in a very mellow mood. This may influence my impression of both Luang Prabang and the whole slow boat experience, but honestly we really enjoyed this and highly recommend it. I should clarify, we did not take the “public” slow boat, the one many backpackers write posts about. The over-crowded, uncomfortable experience where you … Read More

Ushuaia to Punta Arenas aboard the Via Australis

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Cruising Ushuaia to Punta Arenas aboard Via Australis What better way to finish our Patagonian adventure than with a small ship cruise around the tip of South America. Leaving from Ushuaia cruising through the Beagle Channel, around Cape Horn, exploring some remote glaciers and stopping to see the penguins along the way. The cruise is 5 days, 4 nights, terminating in Punta Arenas. We are traveling with Cruceros Australis on the Via Australis. This is the grand finale to our … Read More