It's January 2014. After a really crappy period of personal turmoil and depression, I finally felt human again. I had quit my job to take on something a little less demanding and wanted to use the time in between to rebuild confidence in myself. My weapon of choice?
Solo Travel.
I spent hours scanning the web for a deal over a period of a week. Window shopping for travel is almost as much fun for me but to actually book something while between jobs, the deal would have to be a door-crasher.
How about a cruise? said the marketing email in my inbox.
Good suggestion. Itineraries to warm climes with lots of opportunity to snorkel were most tempting. I also wanted to try a smaller ship with a more exclusive feel and not centred on partying or families.
The dreaded single-supplement turned out not to be an issue. According to +Vacations To Go, many cruise lines are offering reduced supplements or none at all for those who wish to have their own stateroom. However, you often need to call for quotes, cruise lines don't advertise these solo prices in a banner on the home page.
I made enquiries but didn't find that magical value/price sweet-spot so I declined the offers from the kind travel agents and let them know that I was still searching.
The phone rings…Lori from +Cruises.com who twenty minutes earlier had proposed a Caribbean cruise fare that would have involved a second mortgage and the sale of my left kidney on the black-market.
"Have you ever thought about Asia? I have something."
That little minor in East-Asian religion and three levels of Japanese language from Uni might be a clue too, but I had never had the opportunity to go to Asia.
+Azamara Club Cruises on the Journey, February 17-March 3, 2014 sailing out of Hong Kong ending in Shanghai. Overnights in Tokyo and Osaka plus two stops in Okinawa prefecture at Ishigaki Island and Naha. Xiamen, China & Keelung City, Taiwan were just gravy along with a few days at sea.
Quick look at +KAYAK …multi-city airfare from Montreal on Star-Alliance ran at $1100.
Visa requirement for China…yes…no problem, it takes four days, I had almost a month.
Water temps in Okinawa in February = 20°C
Price of the an outside cabin for the 14 night cruise worked out to less than $250/day, drinks and tips included.
I booked it immediately without consulting anyone. No spouse. No friend. No parent or sibling. Just me, the travel agent and my Visa card.
The price was unbeatable…it would have been impossible to travel to and stay in those cities, have three squares a day plus booze and entertainment for less.
Was this the road to sanity or the descent into madness?
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