'Tis the Season - for Travel Expo

Travel brochures galore - read and dream about cruises!

Have you noticed all the advertisements in the newspapers this last week or so for cheap travel deals? Flights, cruises and hotels are all discounted heavily for 'earlybird' buyers. It means that you pay this year, in November or December, to have a holiday in the 2012/2013 season.

   We went along to a Travel Expo on Saturday. There were video presentations every half-hour for cruises and expeditions and excursions in various countries. I particularly enjoyed the one on Greece and Turkey, which reminded me of the time I lived in Greece.

  Many of the stands were set up advertising cruises. There was such a variety: European and Russian river cruises, holidays on barges in France, river cruises in South East Asia and China, round the world voyages, Mediterranean and Pacific and Caribbean cruises. I was in my element! In fact, I collected so many brochures that someone asked me if I was setting up my own travel agency!

   It was also a chance to talk to interesting people who had been on many cruises. One man had worked on cruise ships for seven years as part of the entertainment staff. Another had been on 40 cruises. 

   Since we got home from the Travel Expo I've been immersed in brochures and websites checking out various cruise holidays and ships. There is a wealth of information about cruising, which is one of the fastest growing trends in the vacation industry. All the brochures have seductive photos of beautiful ships with beautiful people on board sailing in beautiful weather to beautiful destinations. How tempting they are!