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.

The second time I went on a cruise, it was in the South Pacific (see page 16). I went with my husband, mother-in-law and 7-year-old daughter to Tahiti and sailed from there. While I had very fond memories of the beauty of Alaska, I was really unprepared for the stunning views of French Polynesia. I was also unprepared for the ultimate relaxation that would quickly envelope my being. I had forgotten how peaceful a ship at night could be, how the sea air has a magical healing quality for the mind and body, and how very far away you can go, both physically and mentally.

Cruising is a wonderful way to see the world and get lost in one’s own imagination. Visiting faraway lands and exotic locales inspires all sorts of stories that need to be told to those at home.

That had to be what newspaper man Arthur Anderson had in mind when he created an advertisement in his Shetland newspaper for an “imaginary cruise” to the islands off of Scotland. This was in 1835 and his ad was solely meant to fill an advertising hole he had in an issue. Anderson was credited with “inventing” cruising, yet it wasn’t until 1843 that P&O advertised and carried out an actual “Interesting and Classic Excursion to Constantinople.” With that, classic voyages to faraway lands were born.

In 1844, the novelist William Makepeace Thackeray sailed around the Mediterranean. From this experience he wrote the popular book, From Cornhill to Cairo.

So it seems that writing and cruising were meant to be together from the ­get-go.­­ This issue proves that much is to be learned from the stories cruising travelers bring back. There still is so much to feed the imagination!

Jerri
Jerri Hemsworth
Publisher
jerrih@natja.org