The Buzz — Ellen Barone

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Small Ship Cruising

PHOTO ESSAY: Exploring Baja's Sea of Cortés With Un-Cruise Adventures

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PHOTO ESSAY: Exploring Baja's Sea of Cortés With Un-Cruise Adventures

Snorkeling with sea lions, beach bonfires, cocktails to celebrate the full moon, stand up paddle boarding on glassy blue water, desert mule rides and not a port of call in sight. This is not a cruise. It’s an Un-Cruise. Unhurried. Unconventional. Unbelievable. 

Discover ten trip highlights and the essence of Baja’s magic and the Un-Cruise experience in the following photos and videos. 

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Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
GALAPAGOS ADVENTURE CRUISE: Reptiles, Preservation and Paparazzi

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GALAPAGOS ADVENTURE CRUISE: Reptiles, Preservation and Paparazzi

I admit it. Reptiles creep me out. I find them as cute and cuddly as Hannibal Lecter. But there I was, face to scaly face, happily snapping photo after photo of iguanas: self-appointed paparazzi of the Galapagos Islands.

Mother Nature can do that to me. One day I’m going about my rich yet ordinary life–work, hang out with Hank, read, nap, eat, walk, meet up with friends, eat again, read some more. The next, I’m stalking lizards like a star struck groupie at the Oscars. 

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Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".

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AN ALASKA UN-CRUISE: WHERE NATURE SETS THE COURSE

In the wake of InnerSea Discoveries’ inaugural ‘un-cruise’, southeast Alaska - with its mountains, glaciers and watery wilderness - is open for adventure and it’s up-close-and-personal.

Like many adventurous travelers, there was a time when I dismissed cruising as the domain of gawkers and grandparents. A no-go zone for real travelers. Shame on me.

Truth told, there were a few gray hairs among us and whole lot of oohin’ and aahin’ going on last week as we plied the wild reaches of southeast Alaska aboard the first-ever InnerSea Discoveries adventure cruise. But that’s where any cruising clichés ended. There was a wild streak than ran thru the passenger ranks that defied age - from the 20-something rebel rousers thru the mid-life explorers and right on up to the no-adventure-left-behind AARP members. 

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My husband, Hank, and I had been enlisted, along with 14 other intrepid explorers, by InnerSea Discoveries to travel-test their new small-group wilderness adventure voyage. From snorkeling shallow tide pools teaming with marine life and paddle boarding glacial ice flows to kayaking with humpbacks and meeting outback oyster farmers and native totem carvers, the 8-day, 7-night voyage cranked up cruising to a whole new level.

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Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".

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Alaska by Yacht

Forget the megaships. The best way to experience Alaska’s watery wilderness up-close-and-personal is aboard a luxury yacht.

 

The company tag line reads “Luxury in the Pursuit of Adventure.” They got that right. Our week-long voyage aboard American Safari Cruises’ new flagship vessel, Safari Explorer, served up plenty of luxury and adventure.


Here’s their winning formula:

Take 36 curious travelers age young to young-at-heart, 18 expert and friendly crew and put them together for 8 days aboard an elegantly outfitted yacht. Add in all-inclusive extras such as adventurous activities, gourmet meals, premium wines and spirits, on-deck hot tub and sauna, massage treatments and Tempur-Pedic mattresses. Then top it off with plenty of bears, whales, bald eagles, seals and sea lions, and float them among shimmering icebergs, beneath thundering waterfalls, and to the lip of calving glaciers. Oh, and demand nothing of them but that they have fun.Think you could stand it?

Click here to view a full gallery of photographs from the voyage.

Still not convinced? Read travel writer (and fellow passenger) Suzanne Wright’s day-by-day accounting of the cruise atwww.wanderwomanonline.com.

Ready to hop aboard but craving a warm-water destination? Come join me in Mexico’s nature-rich Sea of Cortez March 8 - 15, 2009 aboard American Safari Cruises’ 22-passenger luxury yacht, Safari Quest. I’ll be aboard as ‘photo host’ providing one-on-one field instruction to help you bring back vacation photos that will make your friends and family feel like they’ve come along for the ride.

So, get your digital equipment ready. Polish up your SLR. Dust off your vintage Brownie. Or-if you aren’t a photographer at all-just pack up your sunglasses. This promises to be an extraordinary adventure.

Check out my online gallery featuring last year’s fun-filled AMS Sea of Cortez photo cruise.

To learn more, click here. For booking and reservations, contact American Safari Cruises toll-free at (888) 862-8881 or visit their website at www.amsafari.com.

Hope to see you there!

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Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".