The world is a book. And those who do not travel read only one page – ST AUGUSTINE
And I don’t remember the page where it says pandemics were God’s message to us to stop travelling.
In defence of Travel
So while we are confined to barracks let me get some things off my chest and address why Travel is essential to our very existence in my Defence of Travel.
Despite what the naysayers, who are dancing a jig because some dolphins have been seen in the Grand Canal in Venice, are saying.
You’d think cruise ships were parking at the Rialto Bridge than far off.
While I know one or two who would only be too happy to discuss cruise ships too… and you’d want to keep your social distance for your own safety.
We’re all of us seafarers
Of course those of us who are Travel professionals, and those for whom it’s their life investment, are in the frontline when it comes to this release of schadenfraude.
Cruises: There is a fanatical, almost religious zeal which drives those who want to remove cruise ships from the face of the earth.
Who mock cruiseheads as ‘overfed, newly-wed and almost dead’ and guess what cruise chiefs have a sense of humour snd cams up with that themselves.
It’s not a sin to have fun
While they moved on from that years ago and we now have cruises for every age and every niche…
While also providing the best food, drinks, entertainment, activities, shows and stop-offs.
And for whom the sight of cruise companies docked in port and suspending operations because of Coronavirus was seen as vindication.
Dolphins in Venice
And which reached fever pitch with the return of those dolphins to the Venice lagoon, seen by many as divine retribution for the ‘sins’ of cruising.
I never have felt stained by taking the decision to cruise, and nor should you.
Because don’t we celebrate the journeys of Odysseus My Greek odyssey, Sinbad, Marco Polo, Drake, Magellan, Columbus Messi around on the water, Francis Chichester, Ellen MacArthur.
And we should never forget today’s sailors…
Let’s hear it for the crew
The crew’s untiring work, their distress at the loss of passengers, the 24/7 work done back at base to compensate customers and the loss too of their livelihoods.
And that people are at heart seafarers… after all didn’t we all come from the sea anyway, haven’t we been harvesting it since the day dot?
And for all those divine retributionists I guess they would have been screaming for Health & Safety to burst down the doors of Noah’s Ark.
To arrest the oul’ fella and release the animals two by two.
#DontCancelPostpone
So #DontCancelPostpone, and support our cruise companies.
Be rest assured that I’ll be hopping on board to promote cruise companies when we get back on board with…
MSC https://www.msccruises.co.uk and https://www.msccruises.ie, Celebrity Cruises https://www.celebritycruises.co.uk and https://www.royalcaribbean.com/gbr/en. http://www.princess.com
All of whom I’ve sailed with… The call of the fjords, I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out To Here and A Royal Party.
While I’ll also flag up those I haven’t sailed with, but you have, and I will.
I love a dolphin too
And now to show you that I love a dolphin as much as the next man, or woman, I’ll talk to you tomorrow about how we can tackle Flygskam, or ‘flying shame’.
I hope you’re reading, Greta Thunbetg.
MEET YOU ON THE SEAS
