To Cruise Or Not To Cruise? Is That Even A Question?

We love exploring new places on foot because it is a great way to sight see at our own pace and be eco friendly work off the drunken doner kabobs consumed the night before. However, when the offer presents itself, we never pass on a chance to explore via floating vessel of some kind. And the act of embracing boat-based sightseeing as a trip priority has actually made us better travelers.

Our obsession with water transportation started on our second trip together, a whirlwind 36 hours in Paris. With limited time and a lot of ground to cover, we devoured a cheese filled crepe, croque monsieur and a croissant (because, carbs) before heading to a dock adjacent to the Eiffel Tower on the Seine river. With two inexpensive hop-on-hop-off tickets and two overpriced boat drinks we were on our way. In under an hour, we were able to see some of Paris’ most famous landmarks such as Notre Dame and Musée d’Orsay from the slight discomfort of our own plastic boat seats. And we couldn’t have been happier.

Ever since then, we’ve made it a mandate to explore via waterway as much as possible. Now, that might sound like a no-brainer, but the point is that it’s important to understand and clearly state your travel priorities, if even just to yourself. If you find something as inexplicably enjoyable as we find aquatic transit, acknowledge it, own it, double and triple down on it. And don’t let anyone convince you to go to a ancient pottery museum or local tax filing demonstration if you’d rather be on a sunset cruise. It’s ok to like what you like and to ignore main-attractions, must-sees, and most-importants, if they aren’t your thing. If you’re a boat traveler, be a damn boat traveler.

Looking back on our trips, domestic and foreign, its rare that we haven’t made our way to water in one way or another. And cruisin ain’t always easy. We’re willing to go to great lengths both physical (sea sickness, wind burn, whiplash) and financial (dancing around the entry fee to Maya Bay because losing our debit cards in the sand the night before left us cashless) to coast our way through sightseeing. But we know what we like. And that boat would have to be coated in racist bedbugs for us not get on board.

And sure, there have been a few noteable missteps along the way. We’ve run an electric boat into a few thousand year old canal walls in Amsterdam after enjoying too much local…coffee. We’ve learned to pack Dramamine after sitting in the front of a ferry to the island of Culebra in Puerto Rico, where it’s mandatory to wear a seatbelt and hold a barf bag. We’ve fallen asleep from boredom after finding out not all river cruises are created equal in Seville.

But is the risk worth the reward? For us, absolutely. Simply put, we believe seeing a place from the water is the most unique and memorable perspective you’ll get this side of skydiving over it, and we’re comfortable knowing it might blow up in our face from time to time. So if you ever find yourself in a situation where the opportunity to hit the high seas/rivers/pond/canal/frat shower presents itself, just take the boat. Or better yet, find out what your “boat” is and make that a priority. Your travel sanity will thank you for it. But maybe make make sure the canals have bumper lanes first.