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5 Things to do Before You Travel

Don’t worry about the ins and outs of preparing; if you follow these guidelines, a comfortable and hassle-free journey awaits you…
CONTINUE READING >> 

Traveling is an extremely powerful antidote to the stress and exhaustion of the daily struggle of work, school, and other yearlong commitments. As a frequent traveler will tell you, it’s an intoxicating mix of thrill and adventure that you’ll be addicted to it in no time once you get a taste of it.

Offering a much-deserved break where you can let off some steam and reinvigorate yourself, traveling is also a great learning experience. It enriches your outlook on life when you explore new places and meet various people and perspectives along the way.

Of course, it is also easier said than done.

Constricted schedules (and often resources) mean that people spend a lot of time contemplating their travel plans. For most, going over the idea in their heads alone is enough to deter them, for traveling means stepping out of their comfort zone.

While traveling is wonderful, the first step can be difficult and nerve-wracking. So the next time your friend hangs you out to dry last-minute on a trip that you agree upon, let’s be more sympathetic.

We know that days (even months) worth of effort and planning can drain if one doesn’t cover the right factors. For this reason, we have curated this guide to help you make an effective checklist of all the things you must do before you set out to travel.

1. Make a reservation

What’s worse than procrastinating on the most important part of the trip: booking the place where you’ll be recharging for the day ahead? Heed our warning, and don’t make the mistake of making a late reservation.

No matter the destination, be it rentals in St George Utah, hotels in Las Vegas, or a camping lodge in the remote suburbs, the holiday season is especially rife with tourists. Finding a good, comfortable and affordable place to stay during this time can become impossibly hard and ruin an otherwise perfect travel plan. Be smarter than this, and always book your place in advance. If you are worried about the costs, many places don’t charge you for reservations. Research thoroughly, and ask about all the services available so you give yourself the least amount of anxiety settling into a new environment.

2. Ping a local tour guide

If you’re thinking of visiting a place you’ve never been to before, it would be wise to be one step ahead and ping a local tour guide. It would save you the hassle and tension of wandering around aimlessly or getting lost in a new place, but it also won’t disappoint when getting the full feel of the visit.

A local tour guide would be an expert at dealing with tourists and giving them a round of the famous hot spots in the area. This would save you from investing unnecessary time and effort; meanwhile, going in a group can also cut costs, allowing you to spend more on the local attractions and bring home some fancy souvenirs.

3. Pick a suitable mode of transport

Do you prefer going by sea, road, or air? Which options fit your budget, and which ones are appropriate considering the weather and season? Is there anyone in the family who has motion sickness or requires special care for a particular mode of transport? How do you plan on getting to your hotel after you arrive? These are all the questions you must sort out before picking out the ideal transport, route, and timings before you travel.

The unexpected problems that can arise out of a poor decision on transport make it the second most crucial parameter to cover while traveling.

4. Take stock of the travel essentials

You’ve probably heard this a million times already, but we will still reiterate to highlight its importance: Pack what you need, not what you want.

It is tempting to pack an extra bundle of clothes for no other reason than looking dapper in front of the camera, but think about all the extra load you’ll be tagging along with you.

Travel light, pack only the essentials, and keep some remaining space for shopping instead. Hotels and rentals provide stuff like basic toiletries and snacks, so leave the unnecessary baggage behind and focus on optimizing your travel experience.

We’d like to point out that books don’t count as essentials for the fellow bookworms out there. Sure, bringing one with you to keep you occupied during commuting time is a good decision, but please don’t think of stuffing your entire summer reading list in your suitcase.

If you absolutely cannot stay without a good book to accompany you, we recommend swapping your copies with eBooks, so you always have them in your hands and don’t have to worry about getting them ruined.

5. Network with people

People familiar with the area can more holistically guide you than any superficial information on the internet. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to talk to locals online, read up on blogs or ring up their tourist services to know the demands of the destination.

For instance, some countries have their specific vaccination protocols, and they may differ significantly from the ones in yours. To avoid delays in getting a visa, it’s better to know them beforehand.

Hold up, the place you’re traveling to doesn’t have English speakers? Pick up a dictionary or download a translator app on your phone so that your butchered attempt at the native language doesn’t land you in hot waters. Moreover, keep a checklist so that you don’t miss any place you want to visit and end the trip on a sour, regretful note.

Moreover, for vegans or people suffering from food allergies, it is wise that you look up all the restaurants that cater to your unique needs.

Conclusion

Traveling is an amazing experience, and you should enjoy it to the fullest. Don’t worry about the ins and outs of preparing; if you follow the guidelines mentioned in this article down to a T, a comfortable and hassle-free journey awaits you.

Reasons why the Addiction Treatment Process Followed At Muse Treatment Can Be Beneficial For You

Addiction can be quite simple to develop. However, getting out of it is a difficult task. Thus, every addiction treatment ensures that patients can recover from their drug or alcohol addiction in a comfortable setting. Drug treatment is meant to assist addicted persons in overcoming their excessive drug craving and consumption. Several rehabilitation centers in California offer specialized care and treatment to help with addiction treatment.

Above all, Muse Treatment has had a significant impact on its patients’ lives by improving them and breaking them free from their addictions. If you seek a facility that will help you recover from your addiction safely, Muse Treatment Centre is a great choice. However, if you’re still wondering Why Choose Muse and what makes it so unique, consider the following:

Helps in the recovery of different addiction

Muse Treatment is recognized to assist people in recovering from all types of addictions, whether they are drug or alcohol addictions. They provide a variety of programs, including inpatient, outpatient, addiction treatment, and detox programs, among others, so you may select what you want based on your circumstances.

Treats all kinds of mental disorders

Therapy for excellent mental health and addiction rehabilitation go together at Muse treatment. Both the addiction and the mental factors are critical for a successful addiction recovery journey. Therefore, they focus not just on addiction therapy but also on the mental health of their patients.

The patient must be psychologically strong to heal effectively and safely. That is why Muse Treatment concentrates on treating their patients’ mental issues and drug dependence. They are known to treat various mental problems, including bipolar disorder, personality disorder, anxiety, trauma, and depression.

Employs different phases of treatment

The most distinctive feature of Muse Treatment is that its specialists treat their patients in phases. These phases are as follows:

Phase 1

This is the initial phase in which medical specialists sit down with the patient and develop a personalized treatment plan based on the individual’s needs. The treatment is then carried out using a comprehensive strategy incorporating multiple therapeutic methods. These techniques include goal planning, both short and long-term, awareness-raising, community support, educational initiatives, and sponsorship.

Phase 2

Muse Treatment focuses on evidence-based treatment programs in Phase 2. This stage enables each patient to communicate their feelings openly and sincerely. This stage is also responsible for a significant behavioral change in the patients, with fast development resulting in strong personal communication. Apart from strengthening their connections, they aim to attain short-term goals, guide themselves, and maintain self-regulation.

Phase 3

Phase 3 is a more advanced phase in which the program focuses mainly on the patient’s aftercare. Here, the medical professionals of the facility center promote a framework that encourages the patient’s progress. This program also enables both positive and negative real-life events to occur with their patients for them to become accustomed to the problems they will face when they enter the real world.

The team uses the preliminary treatment plan and notes their day-to-day activities and reactions to construct a flexible and ever-changing strategy for their aftercare. This stage allows each patient to rehabilitate at their own speed while being safe.

Phase 4

This is the final stage of the addiction treatment process in which each patient may discover their goals, interests, and desires in life. They also recognize their own behavior and how to deal with it. Many patients at this stage pursue vocational or academic motivation while also remaining a part of the institution as alumni or participating in aftercare programs, resulting in a successful recovery.

Solemnly Cycling Along Omaha Beach

There might be no better way to experience Omaha Beach in Normandy than to glide silently along the several miles of this unparalleled piece of history on two wheels….
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We are fully convinced that bicycles are the best way to see most places up close while traveling. We can cover many times more ground than on foot, and those feet don’t hurt at the end of the day.

However, if we needed some reinforcement for that point of view, there might be none better than the day we spent riding along Omaha Beach in Normandy. For us there is simply no better way to have experienced this unparalleled piece of history than to glide silently along its several miles of waterfront on two wheels.

We began at one of the surviving German bunkers, where the Fifth Engineer Special Brigade Memorial stands overlooking the landing site of the Allied troops.

The feeling here is beyond profound. Gazing out over the English Channel, the power of that historic campaign was fully overwhelming. It was not difficult to picture the armada of ships dotting the horizon, but almost impossible to imagine the chaos and turmoil of the human onslaught while the liberators came onshore.

It took several minutes before anyone in our group was even able to speak.

When we went inside of the bunker and looked through the narrow slits designed to allow for outgoing gunfire, we could only think that the positioning of the bunkers made it hard to believe any allied forces ever made it off of the beach.

Just above the bunkers, the Monument to the First Infantry Division commemorates the six hundred and twenty seven members of the Big Red One’s that died freeing France in June of 1944.

From there we made our way back up to the top of the bluff where The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France is located. Here the graves of 9,385 soldiers, almost all casualties of D-Day or soon after, spread out over one hundred and seventy acres.

If we thought that we were emotional before, this took us well beyond any feelings we had ever experienced. To gather ourselves we took a few minutes to meditate at the reflecting pool in front of the colonnade.

Along this columned walkway there are maps detailing the military operations, a bronze statue entitled Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves, and the Wall of the Missing. The wall, inscribed with over fifteen hundred names, serves as a solemn reminder of those who were lost in action.

Moving into the cemetery, we spent a while walking among and gazing across the seemingly endless rows of stark white markers, taking in as many of the names as we could, before finally deciding to move on for a look at the rest of the beach.

Mounting our bikes we rode off in silence. The pathway took us directly alongside the sand, with the sea on our right and bluffs dotted with overgrown pillboxes left from Germany’s Atlantic Wall looming above us on our left.

After a mile or so we spotted the sculpture Les Braves rising from the water’s edge. Dedicated in 2004 for the 60th anniversary of D-Day, the thirty foot center pillars called Rise, Freedom! stand majestically between The Wings of Fraternity and The Wings of Hope, all formed from gleaming stainless steel.

It is an awesome work of art, designed by Anilore Banon to move in and out of the water with the tide and her words describing it are much better than anything we could possibly say:

“The Wings of Hope -So that the spirit which carried these men on 6th June 1944, continues to inspire us, reminding us that together it is always possible to change the future.

Rise Freedom! – So that the example of those who rose up against barbarity, helps us remain standing strong against all forms on inhumanity.

The Wings of Fraternity – So that the surge of brotherhood always reminds of our responsibility towards others as well as ourselves. On 6th June 1944, these men were more than soldiers, they were our brothers.” – Anilore Banon.

Slightly inland from Les Braves is another poignant piece of artwork. Yannec Tomada’s Ever Forward is a statue of a running soldier carrying a wounded comrade up from the water. The work conveys the human struggle of that fateful day with gripping realism.

Once again, the artist’s words serve to explain much better than we ever could:

“In commemoration of the determined effort by the soldiers of the 29th Division’s 116th Infantry Regimental Combat Team who landed the morning of June 6, 1944 on this section of Omaha Beach, known as Exit D-1, to open the Vierville Draw behind you to begin the liberation of Europe.”

This was another spot that held us for quite some time, unable to move away, but as we finally rode away from the sea it occurred to us that bicycles were a very good way to move about this countryside.

Later we learned that some of the Allied troops had used bicycles on D-Day.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

A big thank you to Backroads Travel  for providing this adventure, as always, all opinions are our own.

This post may contain sponsored links.

Identifying top ways to avoid relapse on Drugs and Alcohol with Daybreak Alcohol & Drug Rehab

People start to consume alcohol and drugs for various reasons. Starting from experimenting to social drinking and consuming drugs under peer pressure, there can be a variety of reasons for an individual to start using these things. But it won’t take long for these binge drinking or one-time things to become a habit. You may not even notice when those social drinking and experimentation have become a necessity for you.

Even though the process of becoming completely dependent on alcohol or other illicit substance is smooth and may appear very natural, it will be challenging and takes up a lot of will to recover from the addiction. But more than recovering from addiction, the process of relapsing can be traumatizing. People may feel guilty or develop a sense of shame when they start to relapse.

Since there is always a chance for individuals to relapse, it is better to take some preventive measures. Let us discuss the most beneficial prevention strategies to avoid any possibility of relapse.

1. Take the help of addiction treatments

It is very difficult to recover and free yourself from complete addiction alone. Therefore it is best to take the help of an addiction treatment center like Daybreak inpatient rehab near Philly to break out of the chain. As alcoholism varies from person to person, such treatment centers will monitor and provide customized strategies for each individual. They will provide a safe and secure place that will help an individual stay active, thus preventing any possibility of relapse. The various treatment programs starting from detox to inpatient facilities and outdoor programs will help the individual to heal and teach them to stay without drugs and alcohol.

2. Create a proper schedule and plan for aftercare

According to studies, nearly 40% to 60% of people relapse after treatments. Therefore individuals need to create effective aftercare plans to stay sober and not jump back to their old habits. The plans may vary from outdoor activities, community care services, counseling, and several meetings. To stay sober, an individual must stay active and should be committed to the cause. They should strictly adhere to the plans and follow the instruction properly.

3. Surround yourself with positive and supportive people

Trying to overcome addiction can be daunting. Until the individual is fully cured, they will have the urge and thoughts of relapsing. Therefore it is very important to surround yourself with positive and supportive people. When an individual has a support network with whom they can share their thoughts or call when they are feeling lonely, they will feel accountable.

One of the main things to avoid the temptation of consuming alcohol or illicit substances is to stay active. With a good support group, an addicted individual can go out, talk freely, and stay active, thus will stay away from unhealthy thoughts.

4. Self-care

One important step to avoid relapsing to alcohol or drugs is to take good care of oneself. It is very common for an individual who is recovering from addiction to feel tired. They may suffer from various conditions including insomnia and anxiety. They may feel like consuming the drugs to overcome these post-withdrawal symptoms.

To avoid or reduce the symptoms that can cause relapse, having a proper diet, physical activities, and proper sleep is very important. Eating a healthy diet, along with good sleep and exercise will help in reducing the chance of relapse.

5. Identify your triggers

People usually turn back to their old habits when they have encountered the triggering factors. Try to identify the factors that cause stress, make you angry, or anxious. A trigger can also be your old friend group or something that reminds you of past events. Once you identify the triggers, you can avoid them, thus reducing the possibility of relapse.

Even though following all these strategies may seem difficult at first, it will become easier with time and practice. Remember why you are doing it and stay committed to the cause.

Water Heater Maintenance: 9 Importance To Properly Maintain Your Water Heater

You can routinely check your water heater, but an expert will be far more efficient. They have the knowledge and expertise needed…
CONTINUE READING >> 

Hot water is something that most homeowners take for granted- that is until some catastrophic morning when you enter the water, still sleepy, and a cold blast of water makes you leap out and shriek. It is a wake-up call and to maintain your water heater.

The water heaters need maintenance to keep the hot water flowing. It will help minimize surprising yourself with cold water or flooding at home. It will also ensure the efficiency, longer lifespan, safety, and more important roles of maintenance to your water heater in Frisco, Texas.

9 Benefits of Properly Maintained Your Water Heater

1. Improve Efficiency

Water maintenance makes sure the efficiency of your water heating system. Without proper water heater maintenance, the build-up of minerals will settle on the bottom of your water heater, making the water heater forced to release hot water. In a gas water heater, these loose minerals can produce hot spots that damage the water tank and fail, eventually. In an electric water heater, they can lead to the low heating element malfunctioning. Emptying your tank during maintenance will eliminate these loose minerals. It will boost or maintain the efficiency of the water heater.

2. Save Water

When a water heater is running inefficiently, the water becomes wasted. How many times have you let the sink or shower run to warm the water up? You are wasting water. Have your water inspected to see the efficiency of your water heater. Let the professionals at Lex’s Plumbing maintain your water heating system. Conserve water by getting your water heater examined and tuned up.

3. Calcium Build up

Flushing out your water heater regularly is a vital component in eliminating dangerous particles from the water tank. For instance, areas in your water heater that have hard water will quickly build up calcium. This build-up can cause clogs that stop your water heater from working as intended. When you make sure that your water heater flushes out unwanted debris and dirt yearly, you can protect your water heater and stop these clogs from transpiring.

4. Catch Rust

Rust often leads to the need to replace your water heater. It can affect the quality of the water heater in your house and often result in many additional issues. With regular maintenance and inspections, you can make sure that you detect rust when it happens. You can also take extra steps to stop rust from building up inside your water heater.

5. Conserve Money

Emptying your water heater ensures it is running well, increasing efficiency that lessens the home’s energy use. As a result, you will get more hot water without running the sink, shower, or tap for a long time. You will save and reduce your utility bills.

6. Prolong Longevity

An average water heater has a lifespan of 8 to 12 years. After at least once or twice yearly maintenance, which can fix the typical water heater issues before they become massive problems needing to replace the unit. You can prolong the lifespan of your water heater by many years. It will provide you with a return on investment in the long run.

7. Eradicate Surprises

The denoting cold water shower may be the least of your concerns if you do not maintain your water heater well. Much worse is having a flooded home and ruined flooring due to a damaged water heater.

8. Sustain Full Volume

MIneral and sediment build-up have no space in your water heater, decreasing the amount of water the tank water heater can carry. With routine flushing, you can eradicate unwanted build-up and gain full volume use of your water heater tank, boosting the water heater volume to full.

9. Enhance Safety

Water heaters have safety features and devices. These safety devices need yearly testing, such as pressure and temperature valves that secure your water heater from excessive discharging water. In addition, it is essential to examine the relief valve of your water heater to stop anyone from being burned or scalded.

Maintaining Your Tankless Water Heater

Tankless water heaters do not utilize tanks like the other water heaters. Instead, tankless water heaters deliver hot water, pulling water directly from the source and quickly heating it to your faucet or shower. But, because there is no tank does not mean there is no maintenance needed. You should get your tankless water services once a year. Tankless water heater maintenance involves emptying the water heater system to eliminate build-up in the lines and cleaning the water and air filter. It will help ensure that all parts in the water heater function as they intended.

For Water Heater Maintenance in Frisco, contact Lex’s Plumbing.

Though you can routinely check your water heater, getting the services of an expert will be far more efficient. They have the knowledge and expertise needed to make sure that they can detect potential issues in the early stages. Maintaining your water heater can go a long way to stopping severe plumbing problems from happening. Yet, there are various types of water heaters, so it is essential to know how to maintain your water heater. When problems happen with your water heater, they can damage your life. Therefore, maintain your water heater, so it continuously operates effectively and efficiently. It will also control your utility bills and have fewer chances of having early repairs or water heater replacement. If you notice issues have occured with your water heater, contact us immediately to restore its functionality and to its working condition. You can visit our website https://www.lexsplumbing.com/. Call Lex’s Plumbing today!

We are happy to present this collaborative post to offer valuable information to our readers.

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Travel Essentials for Packing Light

Here are some travel essentials you need to bring to help you pack lighter.

If you’re going on a short vacation or you just don’t want to be burdened with lots of luggage, packing light is a great idea. By packing light, you won’t be taking anything you don’t need and it’ll be easier for you to find all of your stuff, reducing any panic in the mornings as you search for your toiletries or clean socks. But how can you pack light if you’re used to packing everything you could possibly need? Here are some travel essentials you need to bring to help you pack lighter.

Sunglasses case

Bringing a sturdy, compact case for your sunglasses will help you store them safely without taking up too much space. Sunglasses are absolutely essential for travel, especially if you’re traveling during the summer, so they’re not something you can leave out while packing light. Luckily, it’s easy to find compact cases for your sunglasses, no matter the brand.

With certain brands, you’ll get a sunglasses case free with your purchase. So, for example, if you need to get prescription Ray-Ban glasses, you’ll get a high-quality case to protect them.

Mini toiletries

Trying to fit full-size shampoo and conditioner bottles into your suitcase is just going to waste space and make your luggage heavier than it needs to be. Even if you’re going away for a couple of weeks, it’s very unlikely that you’ll need a large bottle for any of your toiletries, so it makes sense to buy mini sizes instead. You can find mini toiletries from most major brands, so you’ll still be able to find everything you need (but in a better size for travel).

Travel bottles

Reusable travel bottles could be a better option if you don’t want to go out and buy mini toiletries. By buying these reusable bottles, all you’ll need to do is decant your liquids into these smaller containers to save space in your suitcase. Then, you can label each bottle so you don’t mix anything up. Since these bottles are usually the right size for plane travel, you also won’t need to worry about bringing the wrong amount of liquids to the airport and having to get rid of some.

Collapsible water bottle

Taking a water bottle with you when traveling is always a good idea, especially if you’re going somewhere hot. However, water bottles can be bulky and hard to store.

Luckily, you can buy a collapsible water bottle that won’t take up so much space, helping you pack lighter. These collapsible water bottles are often sturdy and leakproof, which means you won’t have to worry about getting water all over your bags.

Packing cubes

Packing cubes are a fantastic storage solution if you’re hoping to pack light. These cubes compress your clothes, which makes them take up less space, and they also help you organize your clothes by making it easy to separate them into different categories (e.g., different cubes for underwear, t-shirts, and shorts). Try to use as few packing cubes as possible if you really want to pack light for your next trip.

Packing light can seem difficult if you’ve never tried it before, but by focusing on the essentials and using clever storage solutions, you can pack lighter and therefore reduce the stress of traveling.

A Trip, an Exploration, or an Expedition? All 3 Aboard Viking Octantis!

Here’s a look at how we came to understand why Viking Octantis is classified as an expedition ship, because to travel is one thing, to explore another, but to be a part of an expedition is an entirely different experience… CONTINUE READING >> 

When we travel, we like to learn. Usually that means our focus is on the destination because we want to know as much as we can about the places we visit. But, since there is always an exception to the rule, on our recent journey from Barbados to New York aboard the Viking Octantis the ship was really the star of the show.

Speaking of stars, one of the first things we learned is that the name of the ship comes from the star Sigma Octantis, which is the closest star to the south pole.

That makes perfect sense because the Octantis was specifically designed as an expedition ship to explore the polar regions, especially Antarctica. That means that there are several aspects of the ship that are quite unique. We had certainly never seen anything like them before.

Many of the features are designed to provide some added comfort in the face of the frigid conditions encountered while exploring the Antarctic, so instead of an open air balcony, each cabin is equipped with a Nordic Balcony.


The idea is that the phenomenal scenery can be enjoyed in climate controlled comfort with the giant picture window in the raised position, but an open-air option is also available for the more adventurous passengers, or for times like our cruise when the weather is warm and sunny.

Each stateroom also has a heated drying closet for those snowy parkas and cold weather clothes, but we found it quite useful for our wet swimming gear on our Caribbean leg of our journey.

In another nod to avoiding the elements, Octantis has an enclosed in-ship marina called The Hanger. This allows boarding and launching of the ship’s various excursion craft while safely sheltered from the weather, wind, and waves.

The on board fleet includes over a dozen Zodiacs and several kayaks, along with four incredible vehicles for explorations, two six-seat submarines and two twelve passenger high-speed Special Operation Boats.

We missed out on going down in one of the submarines due to rough seas, but did get to take a quick cruise on one of the SOBs. These bad boys can really move! We got up to 38 knots, that’s 44 m.p.h., and let me tell you, that feels like flying on the water.

Usually speeds like that on the ocean would mean getting seriously tossed around by the waves, but these Special Operation Boats are equipped with seats on shock absorbers, so the whole wild ride was remarkably smooth.

Another intriguing feature designed with passenger comfort in mind is the state of the art U-tank stabilizers which can decrease rolling by up to 50% while the ship is stationary. The concept is remarkably simple, when the ship begins to list to one side water in a U shaped tank is transferred to the opposite side and balances the ship. Simple and effective!

There are also several technological advancements on Octantis, for instance, the ship operates all electric. This means that the four diesel engines are only used to generate electricity and the ship can easily operate on only two or three, and even on only one in an emergency. They have also added a system to remove almost all of the nitrogen oxides and carbon particles from the exhaust to help keep the pristine Antarctic ecosystem as clean as possible.

The high-tech amenities don’t stop there because scientific experiments and data collection were built into the ship. This means that researchers can travel along and gain valuable insights into our climate and environment.

There are two ongoing projects that passengers were able to participate in. The first involves cataloging the plastic microfibers found in seawater. The Octantis has a system that collects water, then runs it through a process of filters. The end results are placed on slides and examined for microscopic particles.

We joined several other passengers in The Laboratory to help the project by looking through high-power microscopes to count and document the fibers and particles we found.

The Viking Octantis is also partnered with the National Weather Service, and is the first civilian ship sanctioned to be a launch site for weather balloons. So on our second to last day, while cruising hundreds of miles off shore in the North Atlantic, we got to get up early and watch a launch.

The helium-filled balloon starts out about the size of a beach ball, but expands as it rises through the thinning atmosphere. By the time it reaches an altitude of twenty miles or more it has expanded to over thirty meters across and finally pops. No worries though, it is made of a special biodegradable latex so within a year it has disappeared.

All the while, data about the altitude, barometric pressure, temperature, humidity, and winds is being transmitted through a small radiosonde back to the ship and displayed on a big screen at Expedition Central, the main meeting place for all things scientific on board Octantis. We spent a lot of time there.

The data is then passed along to NOAA and the US National Weather Service to be added in with the other 102 weather stations reporting. All of this information is then used to create accurate weather predictions all over he world.

Yet even with all of these technological wonders, the ship has more than its share of other amenities for pampering, relaxation, comfort, and chowing down.

The huge spa area has public saunas and pools, along with extensive workout equipment and yoga space. Three more thermal pools, going from “Wow, that’s cold!” to “Ahhh, nice.” to “Yeah baby, now that’s a hot tub!” are lined up along the stern of the ship.

Several libraries and reading rooms are scattered throughout the decks, some with video gaming tables where lively impromptu backgammon, chess, checkers or other favorite board game matches break out on a regular basis.

When it came time to eat the crew of the Octantis really outdid themselves. We can safely say that this was the best buffet on any cruise we have ever been on. Fresh seafood everyday including king crab legs and several kinds of shrimp. There was also a sushi chef preparing perfect sashimi and rolls every evening.

Bread and pasta are made daily right on board, and a grill rivaling the best steakhouses sizzled at the ready for a T-bone, sirloin, or a surf and turf with fresh Caribbean spiny lobster.

Beyond the buffet, Manfredi’s serves authentic Italian fare made with that fresh, homemade pasta we mentioned. Magnifico! And The Restaurant features a variety of dishes and a relaxed yet upscale ambiance.

All in all we came to understand why Viking Octantis is classified as an expedition ship, because to travel is one thing, to explore another, but to be a part of an expedition is an entirely different experience.

On an expedition there are goals, not only to learn, but to add to the wealth of knowledge that can actually help the planet going forward. That is something Viking has devoted a great deal of attention to and a big part of why we like them so much.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Thanks to Viking Cruises for inviting us along and providing this adventure! As always, all opinions are our own.