When travelling abroad, many people often forget that you don’t just need to travel by air, or by land.
In fact, human beings have been travelling by sea since the Neolithic Stone Age, which is more than 8,000 years ago!
I love being by the sea, there’s just something about the sound of the waves and the smell of the salt in the air that makes me feel happy, calm, and tranquil. Because of my love of the sea, I’ve decided today, to talk to you about cruises.
Every single person I know that has been on a cruise would recommend it and would do it again, and I can understand why.
Cruises are a great way to relax, unwind, see some of the finest sights on the planet, and enjoy copious amounts of food and drink in the process.
Whether you’re planning on a cruise around the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, or the Arctic, it’s essential that you pack the right items to get the most from your break.
Here’s a look at se7en mandatory items to pack for the perfect cruise vacation.
Smart, casual, and formal attire
The great thing about a cruise is that it can be as formal, casual, or sophisticated as you like.
By this, I mean that you could spend your day sitting on the deck or on the beach in your shorts, sunbathing and drinking a cold lager, or you could spend it inside an air-conditioned champagne bar in your smartest clothes, sipping on cocktails before changing into your tuxedo or cocktail dress and dining at the captain’s table.
As great as this is, it does make packing a bit of a challenge if you want to do a bit of everything.
When packing, ideally you want casual clothing when out and about, fairly smart clothing, and smart clothing, I.E tuxedo, black tie etc, for when you’re really getting fancy.
Oh, and don’t forget the footwear too, as a tuxedo just doesn’t work with flipflops or crocs, or so I’m told.
Small portable fan
Unless you’ve opted for an air-conditioned cabin, your cabin will likely get very hot and stuffy, especially if it is an inside cabin.
Now, most cruise ships will have fans that you can hire, but not all, so it certainly pays to be prepared.
A small portable fan will help keep you cool in your cabin, plus the white noise is very useful to help drown out any sounds that may be keeping you up a night.
A portable phone charger
Let’s face it, virtually everybody these days is heavily reliant on their phones and they can’t go anywhere without them.
Smartphones are indeed great, but one of the biggest downsides is the fact that the batteries drain so darn quickly.
The last thing you want when the ship docks at its latest port, is for you to depart the ship with virtually no battery charge, as you’ll likely miss out on some fantastic photo opportunities, as well as much more besides.
A portable battery charger is ideal in this situation because you can depart the ship and charge your phone as you’re out and about.
A power outlet adaptor
Another essential on any cruise vacation is a power outlet adaptor.
These adaptors can be purchased for very reasonable prices and they will prove to be real lifesavers once you get to your cabin and need to charge and plug in your electricals.
Whether you’re charging your phone, your battery charger, your camera, or are operating your portable fan, a universal power outlet adaptor can be a real-life saver and can be used with virtually any power outlet to charge a variety of electrical items.
Cash for tipping
Regardless of how you feel about tipping, tipping on a cruise ship is somewhat customary.
Some cruises have tips included in the package price, which you can opt-out of and receive a refund, although ideally, you should still tip, particularly if you receive good service as tips are how a lot of cruise workers earn a living.
If you’ve opted out of tips, you should make sure you have plenty of cash to tip the various waiters, chefs, bar staff, and the staff in general for a job well done.
The type of currency will vary from cruise to cruise, but generally, it’s usually in dollars, so don’t forget your dollars!
Underwater camera
Okay, unless you’re incredibly brave, or incredibly silly, you might want to ignore this item if you’re planning on an arctic cruise, perhaps to see the Northern Lights.
If, however, you’re cruising somewhere hot and sunny and you plan on swimming in the sea and maybe scuba diving, make sure you pack an underwater camera, such as a Go-Pro perhaps?
An underwater camera is great because it will capture things that you miss in person, plus you can then store these videos and images and keep them as memories for the rest of your days.
There’s also the bonus of cool underwater snorkelling vids being very popular on social media, so the content will certainly earn you a fair few likes and followers.
Binoculars
Finally, don’t worry about looking like a geek or an ‘Anorak’ as some people would say, because this last item is something you will most definitely appreciate.
When on a cruise, whether you have a cabin with a window, a balcony, or on the inside, it is still well worth investing in a pair of binoculars.
Believe it or not, but when you’re out at sea, there’s actually much to see then you may have realised.
You can sit on the deck or anywhere else on the ship and use the binoculars to see exactly what amazing creatures are living and hiding in the sea. Who knows, you might even get lucky and spot a whale or dolphins.
You can also take them with you when you depart the ship to go exploring throughout the various destinations.
If you decide to enjoy your summer sunbaking on a cruise on the ocean, make sure you’re all set up for a fun time!
Until next time stay safe, stay curious and don’t stop wandering!
