Your Cruise Maven Newsletter is Back

Where I’ve been…and why so long between newsletters

With John Sebastian’s “Welcome Back Kotter” song in my head, I’m excited to be back at my desk and prepare this newsletter. This was my longest adventure ever: 80 days from Florida to Alaska and back, and of course without flying.

Trying to stay connected

From remote Alaskan National Parks to Canada’s Columbia Ice Fields and across our Great Plains states, wifi was often not available. To publish fresh new content, I had to wait for a blip on the radar screen when my laptop found a signal or for the few days spent at AirBNBs when I wasn’t out touring. Needless to say, both options were at a premium.

I left my small condo in Central Florida on July 21. With the help of numerous Amtrak trains, a rental car, Alaska ferries, motor coach connections, one small and one large ship, plus a week with Rocky Mountaineer trains in Canada, three AirBnBs and an assortment of hotels, the nearly three months in transit seems to fly-by. Yet time seemed drag at the same pace. Why is that until we reach the hump-day of our travels, time seems to lallygag along – but as soon as we reach the mid-point of our trip, time accelerates at a gathering breakneck speed?

Maybe that’s why I kept trying to add components to the originally scheduled endpoint of my trip. Anything to keep the ball in motion.

There’s something I’ve learned over the last 25 years. When getting from point A to points B, C, D and onward are accomplished without setting foot on an airplane, the effort needed for planning and implementation are both exhaustive and enervating. And slightly an addicting challenge. Thus, when I’m out and about and seeing the finish line within view (boarding my train to go home) I morph into delay mode. I want to continue to experience whatever is new, exciting and will give me plenty of fodder for interesting articles, interviews and memorable photos.

Since all good things must come to an end and when reality shakes you awake, we somehow know when it’s time to surrender further exploration, pack our bags and head home. I’ll bet the majority of you reading this have at one point said, “I wish I could stay here (or stay onboard) another few days”.

Home again, naturally

Within a few hours of my return home yesterday, my suitcases were unpacked, clothes washed, folded and put away. My eclectic collection of nearly three months’ of tourism pamphlets, receipts and exhaustive travel notes were put in neat stacks on my desk.

So here I am, trying to compose a good excuse for a lack of newsletters. This is all I have to say. Plus, a huge thank you to all who followed me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter plus the occasional blog post during my amazing 80-day journey.

Read next:  Review of my small ship cruise from Juneau to Sitka with Alaskan Dream Cruises

Stay tuned for articles, photos and more from this once-in-a-lifetime A-Laskin Adventure.