Around the World

Imagine recovering from Christmas and the New Year with the cold month of January ahead, but you are about to leave on a grand adventure. A World Cruise - the classic cruise experience, lies ahead, circling the globe to explore new countries and visiting more than 30 ports on a 3 month voyage. Cruises can start in the UK, New York, Miami or Los Angeles and go in either direction around the world. The most popular worldwide cruises are often those that follow the UK to Australia route but there are many combinations available that take in Africa, South America, India, southeast Asia, China, Japan and the Pacific.

The Classic World Cruise
Going eastwards cruise the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal and Red Sea to southern Arabia and the coast of India and Sri Lanka. Cross the Indian Ocean to visit Singapore, Bangkok and perhaps Hong Kong before travelling south to Australia and New Zealand. Now past the half way mark explore the islands of the south Pacific and then Hawaii, Los Angeles and through the Panama Canal to the islands of the Caribbean. The final leg crosses the Atlantic back to Europe.

South America and the Pacific
Another route might take you southwards from Europe across the Atlantic to South America, calling at Rio and Buenos Aires before rounding the Horn to cruise up the coast of Chile to Santiago. Striking out across the Pacific, cruises will visit Easter Island and the islands of Polynesia before arriving in New Zealand and Australia. Moving on to the Far East, China and Japan, the cruise ship may return to the UK via the Panama Canal and Caribbean.

Australia and Africa
A third route takes you southwards from Europe down the west coast of Africa to Cape Town and South Africa and out across the Indian Ocean to the Seychelles and Maldives. From there on to India, southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand before crossing the Pacific to the west coast of South America. Cruise Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia before passing through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean and on to Europe.

Some points to bear in mind:

• It need not cost the earth to take a world cruise - there are good offers to be had on the lower grades of cabin accommodation.
• Although there will be busy days in interesting ports,you will spend a lot more days at sea than you might on a normal cruise so you will need to make the most of the wide range of facilities available on modern-day cruise ships. Relax with several good books or take the opportunity to learn something new.
• You will experience occasional choppy weather as you travel from one part of the world to another so pack a suitable remedy for sea sickness if you are prone to it.
• Review our Clothes to Pack tips and do remember to pack sturdy walking shoes for exploring ashore, an umbrella, somethingwarm for those cooler evenings and air-conditioned rooms and an ample supply of any regular medication you need.

Most world cruises are divided into shorter - but still substantial - flycruise sectors. If a full three months at sea is too much, you can try one of these. The longest option is a semi-circumnavigation from the UK to Australia or back - popular with people who have family and friends Down Under. If you don't have that much time available, four, three and even two week sectors are also available, covering a range of destinations including the Far East, South Africa, the Indian Ocean and South America.