Above: Puerto Vallarta beachside dining

My mother gave me my sense of wanderlust as a child. There were countless times when she would turn to me on a Saturday morning and ask me if I wanted to get an ice cream in some town an hour away.  The answer was always “SURE,” and we would race to the car, strap in my baby brother and off we would go on a road trip.

While I still love ice cream, our tastes are more adult!
Tequila tasting in Puerto Vallarta

Today, I still enjoy traveling with my mum, and we’ve found our favorite way to travel together is to hop on a cruise.  Conveniently, Judy lives near the port city of San Diego and there are ships coming and going on a daily basis. In 2015 I talked her into taking her first cruise with me and my travel buddy Alisha to Mexico in March of 2015. She loved it so much that we booked our next trip on the ship!   Although we traveled on the same cruise, doing the same route, we had a blast both times.  The nice thing about repeating a cruise route is that you get to do all the things you missed and repeat all the things you loved!

Above: Holland America Veendam docked at the port of Mazatlan

Cruise ships can be a great travel bargain, rolling the cost of lodging, food, and transportation into one daily expense.  Because my mum is retired and lives on a fixed income, cruise travel is ideal for her needs.  She can save up, then pay for the trip in installments, the ships are easy to get around and comfortable for older family members.  It has officially become our favorite type of travel!

Above: Sunset over Cabo San Lucas

On this particular cruise, we sailed on the Holland America Veendam with ports of call in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. And though I feel like a “baby” cruiser with only five sailing, I’m planning for a major cruise for December 2018.  Honestly, I’m completely hooked on the cruise-ship vacation lifestyle!

Above: Sunrise over San Diego from the top deck of the Veendam.

Of my five cruises, four have been on Holland America. The ships are filled with interesting art, comfortable seating, fun shows, and tasty food.  I hope to explore more cruise lines in the future, but since my mum lives in San Diego and I travel with her, hopping on ships at her port makes it super convenient to hope a cruise.  For more information about Holland America lines, check out their website.