Travel Journaling Seminar at Sea Southern Caribbean Escape aboard Holland America’s Noordam

March 4th to 14th, 2009

Early March offers a dim glimpse of the arriving spring. Seattle is a beautiful place to live, but eventually even the die-hard native longs for a little sun. Waiting until July or August is no guarantee that you’ll have enough golden days to dispel the moss from your sandals. We’ve got your guarantee right here.

We are offering special group rates for a 10-night sailing to the deep Caribbean aboard the Noordam, the fourth and final ship in Holland America’s Vista Class. This ship, carrying just over 1900 passengers, leaves no amenity unturned. A health club provides an outlet for those who desire to offset the intake from the dining room. Cuisine is a top priority of the line. I have never been disappointed by Holland America on that end. Noordam boasts a presentation kitchen that has caught on well with guests for demonstrations and classes. Evening entertainment is offered in many venues aboard the vessel.

I just came off a 12 night cruise of Northern Europe on Holland America’s flagship Rotterdam. The service and cuisine aboard ship were as great as I had hoped it would be. I say, and I think the reviews back me up on this, that the dining aboard Holland America is the best you’ll find in this price range. I was lucky enough to make it home with only one pound net gain. I attribute this to walking 5+ miles in every port and making it into the gym aboard ship a few times. Dancing may have been responsible for offsetting the last steak and lobster.

Dave Fox, published author and tour guide, will be hosting several travel writing seminars and workshops aboard ship specifically for our group. I have been traveling the world for about 35 years. In all that time, I have struggled with the need to document my travels, not just for my own edification and reference, but with the hope to have some of my material published at some point down the road. Keeping a journal has never been easy, and had always seemed to be more work than fun, especially after a busy day of visiting museums, castles, or the medieval center of an old town.

A few years back, my wife Gretchen and I attended a community college seminar that Dave was hosting. After 90 minutes, we left this session feeling jazzed about writing about our next trip. I discovered that travel writing doesn’t have to be a chore. Nor does it have to be a dry, mechanical accounting of what time you visited the Vatican and what paintings you saw. There are many different ways to capture your experiences with pen and paper. Dave will share many of these with you.

A specific schedule will be announced when we are closer to the sailing itself. There will be at least two general sessions, combined with workshops to critique and discuss your writing. We are also discussing the possibilities of self-publishing a collection of the work submitted during this cruise. For more information about Dave Fox and his writing and travel career, please visit his travel website at www.davethefox.com and his journaling site at www.traveljournaling.com.

For reservations and additional information, please visit www.nwtravel.com, send an email to brad@nwtravel.com, or call Brad at 425 313 1691.

Updated: Monday, August 11, 2008