Day 1

“I’m not like all those other guys,” he says- winking while barely concealing the snigger peeking out underneath his dimples. He was just like all those other guys. 

Truth be told, I feel a bit like him starting this blog. I say it’s not another travel diary and I am hoping you will fall for it.

You see, after the early explorers and, later globalization made the world a much easier place to access- travelling has become pretty common. I do not open my facebook feed without seeing some new pictures from China, Italy or Vietnam from some lucky bugger on my friends list. And let us not forget all the new engaged couples tying the knot while I keep a brave, nonchalant face when the guy I passionately made out with last night ignores me on the way to work.

My lack of a successful love life aside- it’s not a big deal to take a trip away from home anymore. This leaves a problem for me. I work as a photographer on a cruise ship. This means I get paid while I see the world. When I started over a year ago I was living the life. I was in a new port almost every day. I ventured off the ship whenever possible- even when I was tired, hungover or just didn’t feel like it. I made myself feel like it. As a result I saw incredible things. I sipped rum on a beach in Jamaica, I caught a glimpse of the Northern lights in Alaska, I stood on top of the Empire State Building as the sun set over New York City. This is just a few of the awe inspiring things I have seen and done- all free of charge. Yes, I know I am lucky. Ps. this is me jumping into the ocean in Honduraz. Just one of the very many pictures I use to make people jealous of my life. 

The truth that not everybody knows is that I don’t do this every day. I may be moving at a speed of approximately 22 knots an hour on a permanent basis but I feel like my life is standing still. My day consists of a heavy dose of mind-numbing work with an occasional cocktail or coffee break with complimentary Wi-Fi on an island somewhere in the world. I know that people pay thousands to have a cocktail in the Caribbean but, for me, somewhere in the past one and a half year the extraordinary has become ordinary. The things people do to escape routine has become part of my routine.

Introducing …. (insert trumpets here)… my new way to find the extraordinary in what I do again. I am hoping that by sharing my experiences I can try and find some kind of meaning from them. Maybe. If not I will always be able to shed a light on the boring and the mundane things about my life at sea so that next time you see a cruise ship crew member bragging about their excursion to some tropical island you will laugh at them- knowing full well that ship life- or travelling is not always what you expect it to be.