Why Fly?

Looking at retirement causes many changes in perspective.  One of the better changes is a relative lack of deadlines.  You have time!

Over the past ten years we have grown increasingly disgusted with the cost, the hassles and the state of airline travel.  Cancelled or delayed flights, baggage limitations, damage to and outright theft from baggage, seats built for dwarves, etcetera.  We have put up with this due to the necessity of business travel and the time limitations on our rare vacations.

Guess what!  No more business travel.  No more time limitations.  Our time is now our own.  If we can avoid an airplane ride, it just makes the whole travel experience that much better.

We have been destination cruisers for about 15 years.  For a while it was comforting to think that we only had to unpack once during our vacation and the ship was basically a hotel that followed us around.  Over time however, the ship became more of a tether pulling us away from places we wanted to be.  So, for a time, we stopped cruising, preferring to spend time in the places we wanted to go.

When planning our trip to Spain we were astounded at the cost of airline travel and dreading the idea of 20 hours of flying and airport connections.  On a whim we looked at repositioning cruises, since it was to be the springtime ships would be going from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean…seemed like a good fit for us.  We found several cruises from the east coast of the US or the Caribbean to ports all over the Med and were delighted by the low prices.  The perfect cruise for us left from San Juan, Puerto Rico and arrived in Malaga, Spain a 1.5 hour bus ride from Granada!  The cost for two people, in a balcony cabin for two weeks with several interesting stops when added to the cost of air travel to San Juan was less than the price of the economy class airfare to Spain!

Hmmmm, let’s evaluate. 

Two weeks of reasonably good food in several restaurants, a double bed to stretch out on, a private bathroom, maid service, 24-hour room service and entertainment all included.  Beverages of all kinds are available for purchase when you want them not when the flight attendant decides to visit you.  No jet lag?  Sold!  An added benefit; two weeks of living expenses are covered as well!  We were to stop in St. Thomas; St. Maarten; Lanzarote; Tenerife; Madeira and then made final port in Malaga, Spain.  We would arrive in Spain happy, tanned, well rested and ready to go.  Having energy from the first hour of the first day would be a first for us in Europe.

Another thing to consider, we were going to be in a state of near exhaustion from the last few weeks of getting rid of everything in our lives and saying good-byes to everyone.  Perhaps some "down time" on a ship on our way across the Atlantic would give us a chance to rest and catch our breath before beginning an entirely new life, in a new place, with a new language.

We booked it! It was an RCCL cruise on the Adventure of the Seas and we used vacationstogo.com to get the best deal.  Cost of air tickets to San Juan $189 each accommodations in Old San Juan for 4 nights $324, cruise in a balcony cabin for 2 weeks $799 each.  $2300 total for everything including meals….two one way coach class tickets to Madrid $2160, no contest.  Keep in mind that we knew we were going to spend money for food and drink in San Juan and for drinks and extras on the ship but these expenses were already in the regular monthly budget for living expenses, no matter where we are we will have to eat and drink.

If you have time and have the flexibility to travel whenever you choose, a cruise just might be the way to knock the longer flight segments from your travel and save your back from those awful airline seats.

Besides, isn’t retirement about not being in a hurry?