New Year's Greeting Everyone
This is the time that everyone makes resolutions and plans for the future. I am no different. I take the time to reflect on what goals I want to accomplish and what things I would like to do in the coming twelve months. Travel is always top of the list and travel writing holds a special place right beside it. Thankfully, this is the year that my next book “Sleeping in a Life Jacket”, finally comes to publication and I can put that beast to bed.
It has been a challenge to write this book as cruising took a major hit with covid. My little “how to” book on cruising, filled with advice and humorous anecdotes, was mostly written when I rented a place on a beach in North Carolina for the winter of 2020. I took inspiration from a panoramic view of the ocean and I was assisted by copious cruise notes I had made and stories from various readers. When covid struck, the book was unfortunately put on hold and then put on hold a second, third and fourth time. Who wants to read a book on cruising, when cruising was considered (by some), to be a risky activity and a vacation to be avoided at all costs? Horror stories of ships with covid outbreaks were ubiquitous. People confined to their cabins for days on end, missed port stops and ill crew were enough to scare people away from cruising. We had three cruises cancelled, rebooked and cancelled again.
My original version of Sleeping in a Life Jacket, was revised as I felt I needed to address some of the changes that had, or were, occurring due to the adverse impact of covid. For example, covid did a lot of damage to the reputations of inside or ocean/sea view cabins. Balcony cabins became a must. The risk, versus rewards, of large onboard gatherings needed to be addressed in the book as would other shipboard activities. It feels as though I have been editing this book forever. I also felt it would be prudent to take three or four cruises in the new covid world, before releasing my book. I did not want to submit a book for sale that had dated or inaccurate information. That proved to be difficult as cruise lines kept changing their policies. Consequently, the book has undergone revision and more revision. As time has passed, I have also had more contributors offer stories about incidents they have encountered onboard. They have offered up a treasure trove of information and insights as to their cruising experiences.
In addition to the upcoming publication of my book, I will also embark on three additional cruises, a land trip to Israel and a cross country trek across the northern US states and western Canadian provinces. Travel is back, and the writing will continue.
I encourage anyone who wants to share a travel story or tip, to contact me at: gailgauvreau@gailgauvreau.com
Happy New Year and best wishes for good health and great travel in 2023. Remember, if you cannot travel in person, enjoy the adventures of others by reading their descriptions and viewing their photos. In support of that advice, here are a few photos taken on my fall cruises and two photos of an iconic landmark in PEI that did not survive hurricane Fiona.
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