Today is National Relaxation Day – do you need a vacation?

by McLean Robbins on

For the majority of Americans, today isn’t a national holiday. It’s simply a Monday in the middle of August. Roughly one in four Americans say they haven’t ever taken a relaxing vacation, and for those who have, it’s been roughly three years since their last break from it all.

A new national study, commissioned by Princess Cruises, suggests that 74% of Americans say that an inability to relax negatively impacts their health.

Americans are busier than ever – be it for work or family,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. “The overwhelming support for an official, nationally recognized day of relaxation demonstrates that we need reminders – and in some cases, permission – to simply relax and escape from our everyday routine.”

While we at Gadling can’t force you to relax or to book a vacation, we can suggest a few things you can do to decrease your stress and make even a small escape feel like a vacation:

  • Plan your next vacation early. Studies show that anticipation is nearly as valued as the travel itself.
  • Plan multiple short jaunts rather than one long break. In today’s plugged-in world, getting away from it all for a long period of time isn’t always possible. Break up your vacation days by taking long weekends to single-flight or drive-able destinations.
  • Do your research. Use a site like SeatGuru.com to ensure that you’re booking the best possible seat for a longer flight – nobody wants to sit in the non-reclining back row.
  • Consider a flash sale. More and more flash sale sites are offering substantial discounts to some of your favorite destinations. One of our top picks, Jetsetter.com, even offers trip planning services, combining discount travel searching with traditional travel agency services.
  • Start dreaming. Change your desktop background regularly to a photo from a previous vacation or a must-visit spot on your travel list. Jam out to Jimmy Buffett or your favorite travel ‘tunes.

And, of course, keep reading Gadling for great travel tips and stories from adventures around the world.

[Flickr via virtualphotographystudio]

Shanghai Surprise: the Language of San Francisco and the Barbary Coast

by David Farley on
• 200: the population of San Francisco in 1846.
• 25,000: the population of San Francisco in 1849.
• 300: the number of women living in San Francisco in 1849.
• 200: the number of those women who were prostitutes.
• 1,400: the number of murders in San Francisco from 1850-1856
• 3: the number of murderers hanged during the same period.

One number that we’ll never know are the amount of people who were abducted, taken out to sea during this time period, and forced to, among other things, use words like “ahoy.” It happened so much that a particular word was invented for the practice and it has since entered the American lexicon: to shanghai someone.

The Barbary Coast was the physical hangover-a living, breathing collective gasp of desperation-of the Gold Rush. It created a lawless atmosphere that not even Moscow could compete with today.

As Simon Winchester wrote in A Crack in the Edge of the World: “During the 1850s, San Francisco’s notoriety was fully and widely established; it was a den of iniquity, a lawless town where men in unrestricted mobs drank, gambled, and whored their way from street to street, unchecked by family, by conscience, or by law.”

And the practice of shanghaiing went largely unchecked. Here’s how it would go:

A miner would go out for a night of drinking and carousing and when he couldn’t cough up enough money (or gold), he was given over to a crimp, a sort of loan shark, who would eventually knock the miner out and sell him to a sea captain. Eventually the minor would wake up, head aching from too much drink, and find himself in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, his fate to working off his debt on the ship sealed, as the boat made what was called a “shanghai journey,” slang for a very long voyage.

It was a shanghai surprise: the language of San Francisco and the Barbary Coast.

Live virtual cruise lectures to offer a variety of topics

by Chris Owen on

When travelers choose a cruise vacation its often because they get to visit several different destinations bundled into an itinerary they find attractive. They may have traveled to those destinations on land before or simply dreamed of going there one day. Cruise line web sites do a good job of describing various ports of call as do online sources like CruiseCritic.com. Now, a major seller of cruise vacations is offering a live virtual cruise lecture series that gets up close and personal on a variety of topics.

“The cruise experience differs widely from cruise line to cruise line and from ship to ship. Our virtual presentation series will allow customers to learn about the different cruise opportunities from the comfort of their own home. Registration is free and a variety of topics are covered. We hope to give consumers a much better understanding of cruising and what the different options are to choose from,” said Jeanne Wyndrum, senior vice-president of Cruise.com, a major, reputable online seller of cruise vacations.

The program is designed to provide consumers with a unique venue to learn about the cruise experience from the comfort of their own home. A number of cruise destinations and topics will be covered. Virtual Cruise Lecture Series allows consumers, whether a first time cruiser or a seasoned sailor, to take a virtual tour of almost every aspect of the cruise experience.The a wide array of topics are being offered at the live presentations set up for 7:00 PM Eastern time starting August 2nd. Advance registration is required and allows viewers to ask questions and interact with program presenters.

Topics include specific destinations like cruising in South America or Asia as well as general topics like Winter cruising in the Caribbean, river cruising or information about themed culinary cruises.

Not able to attend at 7:00PM Eastern time? All cruise lectures will be available on the Cruise.com website for viewing later, just no asking questions. To take advantage of recorded sessions simply register for the presentation(s) of your choice. An e-mail will be sent after the presentation is completed with a link to view the recorded program.

Flickr photo by pmarkham

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Woman cruise ship captain in the spotlight

by Chris Owen on

Back in December of last year, Inger Klein Olsen took the helm of Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria and joined a small group of women in a male-dominated occupation. Now, P&O Cruises has made history with their first woman cruise ship captain sailing to Australia at the helm of Pacific Pearl. Captain Sarah Breton joins four other female senior officers on P&O Cruises Pacific Pearl along the biggest group of female senior officers on any cruise ship in the region.

“We are thrilled to finally have a female Captain in charge of one of our great Australian ships and believe that Captain Breton is a fantastic role model for girls who dream of a career on the high seas” said Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia, which operates P&O Cruises.

Captain Breton, 45, has served on board many ships including the former Royal Princess, Sky Princess, Canberra, Pacific Princess, Grand Princess and Star Princess as third officer, second officer, navigator, first officer and safety officer reports northernstar.com. After being promoted to staff captain in 2001 on the original Pacific Princess she went on to serve onboard Coral, Tahitian and now the new Pacific Princess.”Growing up near the water I always loved boats and the ocean, so it really does fulfill a lifelong ambition of mine to be a captain with P&O Cruises” said Captain Breton.

The worlds very first female captain of a major cruise line ship was Karin Stahre-Janson back in 2007 on Royal Caribbean‘s Monarch of the Seas. Since that time, few other women have been named master of the vessel on a number of lines.

Flickr photo by WexDub

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Drug dealer on Worlds Largest Gay Cruise pleads guilty

by Chris Owen on

Not long ago we reported on a drug dealer busted on the Worlds Largest Gay Cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas. The man pleaded guilty this week in a U.S. Virgin Islands court to dealing drugs on board a cruise ship.

Steven Barry Krumholz admitted selling ecstasy, methamphetamine and ketamine to fellow passengers on board the Allure of the Seas in February reports the Associated Press.

“Krumholtz, 51, of West Hollywood was busted aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas as the cruise ship was docked in St. Thomas”, a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said in a statement to AOL Travel News at the time.

Federal Chief District Judge Curtis Gomez set sentencing for November 2. The West Hollywood man faces as long as 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.”Agents searched Krumholz’s cabin and allegedly found more than 142 ecstasy pills, nearly 3 grams of methamphetamine, a small quantity of ketamine and about $51,000 in cash, reported the AP. While waiting for the suspect to return to his cabin, two more passengers came to buy drugs, according to the affidavit.

Allure of the Seas departed from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida February 6 with 5,400 passengers on a trip chartered by Atlantis Events. Atlantis specializes in gay and lesbian vacations both on land and at sea. The company has chartered Allure on the same itinerary in January 2012.

Royal Caribbean International maintains a zero-tolerance policy on illegal drugs at sea and cooperated fully with authorities.

Flickr photo by triplezero

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