Ah! Life at sea - that's for me. Day 1 saw us board our cruise boat, the Norwegian Jewel, with a sleek, polished efficiency. We set sail mid-afternoon on a calm sea under a clear sky. The Seattle skyline faded to the south and after some coastline watching we set about exploring the ship. Naturally it has all the comforts of home, plus some. (I tell a lie - it has plus a lot.) The cabins are very comfortable and quite roomy. Roger, who is very jolly, tends our ...

I love taking the train to the airport for that is when I know my holiday has begun. My first time flying Virgin was quite pleasant and the inflight entertainment helped pass the time. The funny thing is that we landed in L.A. a few hours earlier than we actually left Brisbane, even after 14 long hours in the sky. It is rather nice to gain an extra day in one's life. Americans are very security conscious and the requirements of electronic fingerprinting and fac...