Voyage, voyage

With just three days to go before we set sail on our latest voyage, it's been a case of all hands to the pump to get everything packed and ready to go. As with previous cruises, Mrs PBT seems determined to take as much as she can along, including the proverbial kitchen sink. Whatever happened to travelling light seems to have gone out of the window, because as well as cramming her own suitcase(s) full to overflowing, she's already eyeing up mine. It’s like a repeat of last year’s cruise, when after packing just the right amount, there was still quite a bit of room left in my case relatively, so guess who ended up nabbing the spare space.  

It’s a while since I last undertook an overseas break on my own – although that’s not strictly true, as I went to Cologne last year. That was a business trip though, which meant suit, smart shoes, several shirts, plus a couple of casual outfits to wear in the evenings. The same thing applied to a business visit to China, five years ago, although I swear on that trip I spent more time siting on a plane, than I did carrying out the audit, on a potential new supplier. That was the reason my company sent me to the far-east in the first place, but despite the long haul, it was definitely well worthwhile seeing the set up with my own eyes.

If I didn’t know that my efforts would fall on deaf ears, I would direct my good lady wife to the travel blog, One Small Bag, written and expertly put together, by Christine Taylor. Some of you will probably know Christine as Mrs RM, - wife of ace pub ticker, and prolific blog Blogger, Martin Taylor. Now I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Christine on a couple of occasions, and I know she is a very practical and matter of fact individual, so it will come as no surprise to learn that One Small Bag means: exactly that. I’ll let Christine explain the philosophy and the purpose behind this title.

“I like to jump off that plane, train, or bus without delay and without carting a heavy bag about or finding somewhere to dump it. I just don’t want stuff getting in the way of my fun!” She then goes on to describe her ideal travel bag - a 20L day pack, preferably weighing in below 6kg, when packed. Christine ends with the lines, “Not only does travelling with less make my life easier, but it also saves me money.” The money saving part is not having to pay for expensive hold baggage, especially as the price for checked-in bags can often be on a par with the price of the flight itself.

I have managed this on a couple of occasions, the first being a short solo trip to Barcelona, nine years ago, and the second, a flight to Edinburgh airport. This was as a prelude to a presentation to a group of dental sales people, in Dundee. Travelling light meant my colleague and I travelling up to Scotland in our business suits, which not only wasn’t ideal, but was also unnecessary seeing as the company was footing the bill. Still, it was his idea, rather than mine.

My good lady wife’s outlook on packing for a cruise, is the complete opposite, her thinking being that once we are on board ship, we will only have to unpack once. Basically, we will be on a floating hotel that delivers us to a different destination, not quite every day but more often than not every other day. In her eyes this means she can take as much baggage as she likes, and to this end, she has bought yet more new outfits. I swear there's more than a few items of clothing hanging, up in the spare bedroom, which are yet to be worn, having been bought for previous holidays. I shall leave it at that, as I’m sure I’ve given you more than enough detail over our packing arrangements.

Now, over now to the main event, a 16-night cruise to warmer climes (fingers crossed), a voyage which despite any good intentions I might have about traveling light, has required quite a bit of organising. I've got to call in at work tomorrow morning to deal with an insurance matter, but once that’s sorted, I'm good to go. If all goes to plan, we should see be driving down to the outskirts of Southampton, to a place called Hedge End, close to the village of Botley, for an overnight stay at the McDonald Botley hotel. (We've stayed before at the Ronald McDonald Hotel as I like to call it).  On Friday morning, a mini bus shuttle will transport us from the hotel to the cruise terminal at Southampton. The package we have opted for allows us to leave the car at the hotel, ready to pick up on arrival back in the UK.

 So where are we cruising to this time? And which ship will we be travelling on? Well, this particular cruise is confined to the western Mediterranean which means we will be visiting several destinations around the coast of Spain, including Vigo, Barcelona, Majorca, Malaga, and A Coruña, followed by Civitavecchia in Italy and Alghero in Sardinia. So, 16 nights away, with plenty to see and do, both onboard ship and at the various ports of call. As for the ship itself, it is none other than the Queen Anne, the latest addition to Cunard’s fleet of ships named after famous British queens. (I’m not sure where they  go after this, as they’ve already got Elizabeth, Mary and Victoria. Lady Jane Grey? Perhaps not, considering the barbaric fate of this poor, unfortunate, young girl, who lost her head after being caught up in a real life Game of Thrones, at the tender age of 17 years.

The cruise we’re booked on, will be the Queen Anne’s third commercial sailing, following her maiden voyage on 3^rd May from Southampton to Spain and Portugal. This was followed by a 14-day cruise around the British Isles, which included a visit to Liverpool, where the naming ceremony for the ship took place.  When Queen Anne arrives back in Southampton on 7^th June, it will be our turn.

Like I did last October, I shall be taking my laptop, as well as several good books to read, despite Mrs PBT’s claiming that I’m boring with my head stuck in a book. I shall endeavour to put out the odd post, depending on data connections and time in port. Apart from Barcelona, all the destinations are new to us, and several offer opportunities to visit other places Cordoba or Granada – in the case of Malaga, plus Rome from Civitavecchia. Neither of us have pre-booked excursions, as it’s often easier to book them on the ship, when there is the opportunity of discussing the best options with the cruise line’s own travel team.

I’ve waffled enough now, and with final packing, and last-minute chores to attend to, it’s best that I call it a day. Don’t forget to check out Christine Taylor’s blog though, not just if you’re interested in travelling light, but also if you want to learn about countries and destinations off the beaten track, in regions such as the Balkans and Norway.