Meet Jess, a world traveller from England. We met Jess through her husband, Brian, a lifelong friend of Kira’s. Jess has done most of her travelling while working on an international cruise ship, which is where she met Brian. We were always envious of hearing of her adventures, not only the exciting sightseeing but also the realities of working your way around the world. We are excited to share her story and unique perspective on travel with you.

Where are you from?
Dewsbury, A town in West Yorkshire in the North of England.

How long have you been travelling?
I aren’t travelling right now but my time on cruise ships began in January of 2010 and that continued until March 2015 with only a few weeks off here and there to go home and take a time out and recharge for the next contract.

Tell us about your most recent trip.
My husband Brian and I met on our first contract working on ships and travelled the world together for almost 6 years. Our most recent/last contract was on Royal Princess (at the time the newest ship in fleet)from Sept 2014 to Feb 2015. We travelled from New York up the east coast to New England and Canada visiting Newport RI, Boston MA, Bar Harbor ME Saint John NB and Halifax NS for a month or so then spent the entire winter cruising the Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We visited St. Thomas, Antigua, Aruba, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Kitts, Dominica, Grenada, Bonaire, Princess Cays and Grand Turk. The great thing about working on ships is you get to see so many amazing spots in a short space of time but you have to keep in mind that as members of the ships company we didn’t have the opportunity to spend vast amounts of time in these ports so we got really good at researching the best spots and maximizing our time spent there, be it an hour or 7 hours or occasionally having an overnight stay. Some ports we went to weekly so we could plan out our trips and see more of those places, some ports we went to once in the entire 4-month season so had to prioritize what we wanted to see/do. Our most recent non-cruise trip was to Roatan, an Island off Honduras in March 2017 for our honeymoon. It was a real difference for us to be in one spot for an entire 8 days since working on the ships is basically a week or two of taster days in places you hope to see in great detail one day. Unfortunately for me the first few days were spent laying in a hammock as I was sick but We picked Roatan as its an amazing spot for the scuba diving so Brian spent the majority of his time doing multiple dives a day. Once I was on the mend I also tried Scuba diving (first time!) and I was hooked so we are definitely planning on making the trip back one day.

What inspired you to start travelling?
From probably the age of 3 or 4 (when I started dancing) I was always in awe of the ‘big girl dancers’ at my dance school who would leave home at 17 and work on the big cruise ships and travel the world while doing what they love. I remember vividly my mum telling me about all the wonderful places I could go and be just like the big girls and I knew even from then that I wanted to do this.

About 6 months before my cruise journey began in 2010 I had a pretty traumatic break up and desperately needed something new. That coupled with the fact that I had only been away from the UK twice in 23 years gave me the kick up the arse I needed to put the plan in motion. I needed an out and cruise ships provided that opportunity for me as I had virtually no money and no means of travelling alone…and I have never looked back! The travel bug, I can confirm, is very real and is definitely incurable! We have been to hundreds of cities in around 53 countries and we still want to see more!!!!

What does a typical day of travel look like for you?
Waking up hungover was pretty much the norm. I almost never ate breakfast on a port day as I knew we would be heading off the ship and would want to sample some of the local food, wherever we were that day. The crew would have to wait until the majority of passengers had disembarked to go on whatever excursion they were booked on.

Most regular cruise ports had popular crew hangouts, away from the passengers, where we could hang out and be ourselves without having to worry about behaving in front of the the people we performed for. Most days we would head to a spot with Wifi, as internet is super expensive on the ship due to it being supplied by a satellite.

After a quick update on world events we would head to which ever spot we had researched that day, maybe it was a pristine beach where if you walked a mile or so down, away from the tourists you could swim peacefully with the turtles in Barbados or hiking to the mendenhall ice caves in Alaska or going to airport beach in St Maarten, where you can witness jet planes landing literally feet away from you or bungee jumping off the Auckland Harbour bridge in New Zealand. Most of the time we would have to head straight back to the ship but occasionally we would have until 6 or 7pm to hang out in the port and grab dinner and drinks. Once back to the ship its time to get ready for work. A quick nap from 4-4.30pm, shower, put on my show makeup, set my costumes then 3 40 minute shows! After the shows would be dinner (sometimes) and then straight to the crew bar! No passengers, just crew hanging out after a long day, telling each other of the fun things they did that day, swapping stories over MANY drinks. A few hours sleep and you wake up in another port, another country and do it all over again!!!!

What is your favourite and least favourite part of travelling?
Least favourite is definitely Packing. Trying to pack 6 months of clothes for two contrasting itineraries, all your dance gear, make up, hair pieces and formal gowns into a suitcase is near impossible but the fine art was honed almost to perfection!

Favourite is having experienced and seen things that most people would only dream of. From being a total homebody who loves security and comforts to facing my fears (flying and heights) and seeing a massive change in who I am as a person is huge for me. Also meeting so many incredible people from all corners of the world and having those friendships that last a lifetime and of course I would never have met my husband if I hadn’t made my choice to travel!

Whats the biggest challenge you have faced?
Getting over my fear of flying. I Kind of had to get my head around this one as I had to fly to different ships and back 3 or 4 times a year. My first flight by myself was the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced but once I spent more time flying it got easier…just as well really as some journeys home consisted of two 14-hour flights, back to back! Being away from family is always super tough, too. It was horrible at first and I was so homesick for a few months, but knowing my family are always there when I need them and that they were happy I was living my dream made the separation that much easier!

How do you make it work financially?
This is the easy part for us, which is usually the hardest part of a persons travel plans. We are paid to work on the ship, we live for free, we eat on board for free (some restaurants on the ship have a cover charge but are no more than $25 USD for a 4 course meal), alcohol on board is cheaper as it is duty free so really all we have to pay for is anything we do off the ship: excursions, eating ashore, buying gifts, groceries, etc. It’s quite easy to save while working on ships and I think that is half the reason a lot of people do it. I, on the other hand am absolutely awful at saving and generally left a contract with an entire suitcase full of new things and crazy bar bills to pay each month! But I can’t say I didn’t have fun so in my head that is all that counts!

What is your favourite place you have travelled to and why?
Alaska. No contest. The reasons are simple. The beauty of the landscapes take my breath away, the air is so fresh and clean there that you actually notice the difference when you breathe it in! The food is incredible, particularly the seafood. You won’t find better anywhere else on the planet. The people are real and wonderful. I realized my love for hiking while experiencing Alaska for the first time in 2010 and what better place to realize a passion. There is a charm about Alaska that I haven’t found anywhere else. I have spent roughly two years of my 6 at sea in this beautiful place I would be happy to go back and explore it on a deeper scale. I would happily live there.

Aside from the basics, what are 3 items you can’t live without?
Mosquito repellent! It doesn’t matter where I am or what time of year it is I ALWAYS get gorged on by mosquitoes. I also have a rather nasty reaction to them, extreme swelling, sometimes purple bruising that lasts upwards of a week. I would also lump antihistamines in with that.

Sunglasses. I have quite photo-sensitive eyes so if I don’t have a good pair of sunglasses at the ready it can really ruin your day! My pair of choice are my Ray Ban Mirrored Aviators which I bought in 2011. They have been through the wars and have scratches and chips galore but other than my passport they have travelled to more places with me than any other item I own.

Music. Along with my glasses and passport music has been my greatest travel companion. Its been my best friend especially on planes, I suffer from Insomnia often but also with my fear of flying I have never once been able to fall asleep on a plane. Music calms me and keeps me company during those long hours, listening to familiar tunes that mean something to me made the journeys that much easier.

Have you been anywhere which turned out totally different to how you imagined it? If so, how?
I’m going to say Alaska for this one too. I am always asked by my friends and family “Did you see any polar bears and walruses in Alaska?”, “Were you really cold?”. The answers to both these questions are no. I think a lot of people (myself included before I had been there myself) think Alaska is a frozen wasteland that is covered by 10 feet of snow 365 days a year. The reality is much different. Yes, Alaska experiences some pretty nasty weather during the winter months. It’s also a HUGE place and so northern Alaska will experience much colder winters and summers than other parts like Ketchikan in the south. The cruise ships only sail in Alaska during the summer season, roughly May to September. May is still fairly cold and snow still adorns the mountains, bergs and ice still float in Glacier Bay National Park but by mid July/August it is positively gorgeous! We were experiencing temperatures of 27c in some ports. I fully expected to be wrapped up in a huge jacket for the season but most days we spent walking around in t-shirts sitting on bar patios drinking cold beers! I also didn’t think Alaska would be my cup of tea, but I discovered a new side to myself while I was there, the outdoorsy Jess who loves to Hike and be outside in nature, I fell completely in love with it.

What do people never ask you about your life of travel that you wished they would?
Where have you gone/what have you done that you would recommend to others? There are so many things that I could answer these questions with! But my first answers would be Alaska or New Zealand and bungee jumping, coming from someone with a fear of heights! But I loved it so much I did it 3 times!

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to travel, what would it be?
In the end you only regret the chances you didn’t take, so go for it, even if you think that you don’t have the means. There is always a way, be it a year long back packing trip or a 6 month contract working and travelling on a ship. The options are endless. Make your story a good one.

If you want to follow along on Jess’s travels (or need a personal trainer in Toronto), you can find her here:
https://www.instagram.com/the_jess_delange/