Mediterranean

How to Get Around the Mediterranean

Published May 12, 2017 | By Clark Norton

Hagia Sophia (Church of the Holy Wisdom) at dawn in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo by Dennis Cox/WorldViews

Note: this is the fifth in a series of Baby Boomer Travel Guides. In our last post, we looked at the options for seeing the Caribbean. Today we focus on means of transport around the Mediterranean Sea.

When traveling around the Mediterranean region, you have a full range of options: taking a cruise ship or ferry boat, driving, taking trains, or flying between destinations.

(If you’re on a guided tour, you’ll most likely be traveling by bus, though other forms of transport may figure in as well.)

How you choose to get around this endlessly fascinating area is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make — maybe the biggest decision — regarding your Mediterranean trip. It will color your entire experience — for the better, we hope.

Each mode of transport has its… Continue reading →

Posted in automobile travel, Baby boomer travel, Boat travel, Cruises, Europe, Islands, transportation | Tagged driving in Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, European trains, Flying in Europe, Mediterranean, Mediterranean cruises, Mediterranean ferries, Mediterranean Sea, Western Mediterranean | 9 Comments

Sailing in the Lap of Luxury Aboard Europa 2

Published July 17, 2014 | By Clark Norton

The Europa 2 Sails the Mediterranean. Photo from Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

On board the Europa 2, Hapag-Lloyd’s elite new cruise ship, I got a taste of what it might be like to sail the Mediterranean on my own private yacht.

Entering the Sicilian port of Trapani on the first morning, I arrived at the ship’s indoor-outdoor buffet as it opened for breakfast. With no other passengers in sight, I was greeted by a phalanx of servers and a cheery chorus of “Guten Morgens” and “Good mornings” (Hapag-Lloyd is a German line, but Europa 2’s crewmembers are bilingual).

For the next several minutes, I sat alone on deck overlooking the sea and the city, basking both in the early morning sun and the full attentions of the eager-to-please crew, who proffered cappuccinos, freshly squeezed juices, cooked-to-order omelets – anything I wanted.

Later in the cruise, when I went for… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Boat travel, Cruises, Uncategorized | Tagged cruising, Europa 2, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Mediterranean | 2 Comments

According to government and private surveys:

Leading-edge baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and seniors account for four out of every five dollars spent on luxury travel today.
Roughly half the consumer spending money in the U.S.--more than $2 trillion--is in the hands of leading-edge baby boomers and seniors.
Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) travel more than any other age group.
When asked what they would most like to spend their money on, baby boomers answered “travel” more than any other category, including improving their health or finances.