After Years of Family Travel, We’re Dreaming of a Cruise for Two
Charles and I started traveling together back in 2003, when it was just the two of us with backpacks, a loose itinerary, and a whole lot of enthusiasm for seeing the world. Since then, we’ve explored more than 40 countries together, built a travel business, and spent nearly 18 years traveling with our two kids.
Of course, travel looks a little different when you have children. Over the years, we’ve worked around school schedules, packed more snacks than any family should reasonably need, and found creative ways to keep everyone happy on long travel days.
While we’ve traveled extensively year round with the kids, we’ve also made the most of plenty of summer breaks and Christmas holidays, including more than a few impromptu spring break road trips when the kids were enrolled in school and we weren’t semi permanently on the road.
While we love long travel, sometimes that meant fitting our adventures into a shorter window, but we always found ways to make it work.
But our kids are older now, with one in college and the other getting close, and we’re finding ourselves in a new stage of life. For the first time in a long time, we’re starting to think about what travel might look like when it’s just the two of us again.
And one idea that’s been tempting us lately is a cruise. We’ve been especially interested in ambassador cruise line offers, partly because the idea of an adults-only getaway sounds pretty appealing after so many years of family adventures.
Remembering How We Used to Travel
Before we had kids, our travels were a lot more spontaneous. We could spend an afternoon wandering through a new city, linger over dinner, or change our plans completely if something interesting caught our attention.
Of course we still managed plenty of adventures once the kids came along. In fact, some of our favorite travel memories involve exploring the world as a family, but traveling with children comes with a whole different set of priorities, especially when they’re young.
For years, we planned around what everyone would enjoy, how much walking little legs could manage, and whether there was enough downtime between activities. We loved showing our kids the world, and watching them experience new places was often the best part of the trip.
Now, though, we’re reaching the point where we can start making travel plans for two again.
It’s a surprisingly exciting thought. After spending so many years thinking about travel as a family of four, we’re realizing there’s a whole new chapter of adventures waiting for us.
Why an Adults-Only Cruise Sounds So Appealing
One of the things that appeals to us about adults-only cruising is how different the experience can be from a traditional family cruise. With sailings designed for guests aged 18 and over, the whole atmosphere is geared toward a different kind of holiday.
And we can definitely see the appeal.
An adults-only cruise has a different atmosphere from a family-focused holiday. There’s less emphasis on kids’ clubs, splash areas, and entertainment designed to keep younger passengers occupied. Instead, the experience is geared toward adults who want to relax and enjoy themselves at their own pace.
After years of planning trips around family activities, that sounds pretty wonderful.
There’s also something appealing about having so much of the travel planning taken care of. You unpack once, settle into your cabin, and let the ship take you to different destinations. We’ve always enjoyed independent travel, but we can appreciate the idea of occasionally letting someone else handle the details.
The Logistics We Actually Care About Now
Our priorities have changed quite a bit over the years.
When the kids were younger, school schedules were a big consideration, along with making sure the destinations and activities worked for everyone. Now we have a little more flexibility, although we still have work commitments and our own schedules to consider.
These days, we’re more interested in things like how easy it is to reach the departure port, whether the itinerary includes places we’d love to visit, and how a cruise might fit into a longer trip.
One thing we find particularly appealing is the idea of taking a European cruise that departs from the UK.
Obviously, living in Canada means we’d still have a flight across the Atlantic to think about. However, spending an extended stretch of time exploring the UK has been on our travel wish list for ages, and the idea of adding a cruise to that adventure sounds wonderful.
We could spend time traveling around the UK, then enjoy a week or so at sea before continuing our travels. It would be a lovely change of pace, especially after days of sightseeing and moving between destinations.
And depending on the itinerary, we’d have the chance to visit several interesting ports without constantly packing our bags or arranging transportation between cities.
That’s a combination we can get behind.
What We’re Most Looking Forward To
Sea days, mostly.
There’s something wonderfully appealing about the thought of waking up with nowhere in particular to be. Maybe we’d spend the morning reading with a coffee, enjoy a leisurely lunch, or simply sit on the deck watching the ocean.
When our kids were little, that kind of uninterrupted downtime was pretty rare. Even on holiday, there was usually someone who needed a snack, wanted to go swimming, or had an entirely different idea of what we should do next.
We wouldn’t trade those family memories for anything, but we’re also looking forward to having a little more time to ourselves.
And then there are the destinations. We still love exploring new places, discovering local food, and wandering through unfamiliar streets. A cruise would give us the opportunity to mix those adventures with genuinely relaxing days in between.
It sounds like a pretty good balance.
A Different Chapter of Travel
Family travel has been such a big part of our lives that it’s a little strange to think about moving into a new stage.
We’ve spent years exploring the world with our kids, from long international trips to road trips closer to home. Those experiences have shaped our family, and we’re incredibly grateful that we’ve been able to share so much of the world together.
And we’re certainly hoping there will be plenty more family trips in the years ahead.
But as our kids become more independent and start building their own lives, we’re also getting back some of the freedom we had when we first started traveling together.
There’s something wonderful about that.
We’re beginning to imagine trips that are a little slower, where we can follow our own interests and spend more time simply enjoying being somewhere new together.
An adults-only cruise seems like it could fit beautifully into that next chapter.
What We’d Tell Other Traveling Parents
If you’ve spent years traveling with your kids, you might recognize some of what we’re feeling.
Family holidays are built around everyone’s needs. You think about school breaks, activities the kids will enjoy, and all the little details that make traveling together easier. While it’s rewarding in it’s own way, it’s never a for only me adventure. It’s always as a group with keeping the group dynamic happy.
And then, almost before you realize it, your kids grow up.
Suddenly, you have more freedom to consider the trips you’ve been putting off or the places you’ve always wanted to explore solo or as a couple.
Of course, you don’t need to wait until your kids are grown to take a just for adults trip together. If you have family willing to step in or can arrange trusted childcare, even a week or two away can be a wonderful opportunity to reconnect, explore somewhere new, and enjoy some time together as a couple. It takes a little more planning when the kids are young, but having that time together can be well worth the effort.
There’s something particularly exciting about reaching this stage after so many years of family travel though.
We’re starting to see possibilities that simply weren’t as practical when the kids were younger. Being able to pack lighter, not having to pay for 4 flights or 4 meals all the time or always getting rooms or places big enough to handle us all means it’s also much cheaper to travel with just the two of us.
Looking Ahead to Our Next Adventure
We haven’t booked an adults-only cruise yet, but the idea is definitely on our radar.
After more than two decades of traveling together, we’ve learned that the way we travel changes as our lives change. We’ve gone from backpacking as a couple to exploring the world with our children, and now we’re looking forward to discovering what comes next.
Who knows? Maybe our next big adventure will involve exploring the UK, boarding a cruise ship, and spending a week enjoying the freedom of traveling as a couple again.
After all these years, the thought of setting off somewhere new with just the two of us is sounding pretty wonderful.
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