Nearly a year ago, Keith Bellows, editor-in-chief of National Geographic Traveler, spoke at the North American Travel Journalists Association conference in Cleveland. He spoke to the fact that travel is changing. He said we will see more people traveling with their families and more people traveling via backpacking, hiking, and by more environmentally-friendly means.

High threadcount sheets...soft, yummy robes...beds you can stay in forever...massages that transport you to a far away land.... Let’s face it—­luxury travel doesn’t suck.

When I think of cruising, the feeling of complete relaxation comes to mind. The first time I took a cruise, I was 17 and on my way to Alaska with my mother and grandparents. I was one of three people under the age of 45, and more often than not, I was bored out of my gourd. I spent a lot of time napping in my room while Mom, Grammy and Grampa played canasta with shipmates in one of the lounges. But Grampa encouraged me to write about my journey and what I saw. I still have that journal.