3 minute read
INDEPENDENCE IN ICELAND
by ELIZABETH HEATH
A family of three takes a confidence-inspiring expedition cruise
“What was your favorite part of our cruise to Iceland?” I asked my 10-year-old daughter. She thought about it for a few moments.
“Seeing the whales.” She thought about it some more.
“No, saving the baby puffins.” More thinking …
“Walking through the glacier. No, helping Jenny with the art show. Wait, no, sleeping in the igloo.”
Finally, exasperated, she declared, “My favorite part was all of it!”
Aft er our fi rst expedition cruise in Central America a few years ago, when Naomi was just seven, we were eager to get back aboard a small ship. We knew from past experience that what expedition ships lack in waterslides, game rooms, and kids’ menus, they make up for with handson learning opportunities, a familial environment, and the chance for intimate encounters with nature.
Aft er staying close to home for nearly two years and becoming admittedly way too attached to our television, phones, and computer screens—it was time to get away, to disconnect from our devices and dive into some quality time as a family.
THE PROMISE OF DUBAI
Our daughter is a shy kid who’s not inclined to take the lead, and who’d rather stick near us than join in group activities. But on our 11-day expedition cruise around Iceland, we watched her run ahead on the path to hike with new friends she’d made, waved at her from across the lounge as she was invited to sit with a group of staff , and were but mere guests on the curator’s tour she helped lead through the onboard art exhibit.
Seeing the whales, releasing the baby puffi ns, sleeping in the igloo, idling in a zodiac raft under cliff s full of cacophonous seabirds, those are all terrifi c vacation memories that we happily recall and recount. But the independence, adventurousness, and self-confi dence we witnessed in Naomi, and the sheer fun she had having the run of the ship and the doting attention of the crew—all without a screen in sight? That’s harder to quantify, more diffi cult to capture in photos, and something that will stay with her for a lifetime.
Need a bravery boost? Contact your travel advisor to book an expedition cruise today.
Icelandic mud packs
Photos: Courtesy of Elizabeth Heath
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