Sailing The West Coast, East Coast and Asia

Hi fam,

Greetings from Manila, where it’s already Christmas and I’m about to get on another cruise. This time I’ll be sailing on the Norwegian Jewel from Manila to Singapore via Boracay, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.

I’m looking forward to telling you all about this revamped ship and its new Asia itineraries, but in the meantime let me catch you up on what’s been a busy month.

I sailed on the Discovery Princess as the keynote speaker for the International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association conference in early October. I spoke about positioning yourself online for the work you want as we sailed from Vancouver, Canada to Los Angeles, one of my homes away from home.

If you find yourself on the ship, do yourself a favor— skip the specialty restaurants and splurge on the 360 dining experience instead. The experience is far more than a delicious multi-course meal with wine and cocktail pairings.

I haven’t yet been to the Sphere in Las Vegas, but the concept feels similar. It’s almost like having dinner as part of a theatrical experience with top-notch sounds and visuals. In my opinion, it’s the best thing you can buy on board.

A week later, I got on Explora Journeys to sail from New York to Halifax via Boston. I have to tell you, I absolutely loved everything about this ship. I had excellent cold brew on board, took yoga classes in the nicest cruise ship gym I’ve ever seen and sipped on Moet and Chandon brut rose. Best of all, there was a Dyson hair dryer in my suite and the onboard wifi was exquisite—just like the food.

I only meant to have a bite of that pistachio gelato, but it was too good.

When I arrived in Halifax, I was floored to find a thriving Little Kerala has popped up in recent years. I found an excellent dosa spot around the corner from my hotel and met lots of South Indians who told me about being warmly welcomed by a community that needs and appreciates them as workers, customers and neighbors.

I took a stroll through the Halifax Public Garden, wandered around town looking for murals and dove deep into history at the Canadian Immigration Museum, which alone is well worth the journey to Halifax.

The museum does a great job of telling Canadian immigrants’ stories and giving people a chance to tell their own stories through a series of interactive exhibits.

I learned about Komagata Maru, a ship full of Punjabis trying to circumvent exclusionary immigration laws aimed at keeping them out and about the vibrant immigrant communities now thriving across the country.

There was even an exhibit that mentioned Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition. How cool is that?

Looking for a warm weather escape? Check out this list of stellar all-inclusive resorts in Punta Cana that I pulled together for TripAdvisor.