Travel Update: California, Hawaii & French Polynesia - Lucy Williams Global

If you are following me on Instagram and Facebook, you will see that I’m not in the UK and back on my cruising adventures. So here is my travel update!

I flew over to California and hopped back on the ship and sailed over to Hawaii, America Samoa and French Polynesia.

Crusie Ship Deck - Lucy Williams Global

Travel Update: California

Normally I just fly to the embarkation port and join the ship the next day, but this time I spent a few days in Dana Point, California.

I had a fabulous time with my friends that live there. I visited Laguna Beach, Dana Point and Balboa Island and shopped till I dropped at the outlet malls. My California adventures will be on blog this week.

Laguna Beach - Lucy Williams Global

Travel Update: Hawaii

I got lucky with the cruise itinerary that my husband was working on, as the ship was sailing to Hawaii, American Samoa and French Polynesia from Los Angeles.

It took four days to sail to the Hawaiian Islands. We went to Hilo, Hawaii – Honolulu, Oahu – Lahaina, Maui and Nawiliwili, Kauai.

I was in Hawaii last year, so this time I went to see the things I didn’t visit last time and that was Pearl Harbour in Honolulu. You can read all about Peral Harbour this week on the blog.

Travel Update: American Samoa

After Hawaii, we sailed down to Pago Pago in American Samoa. It took four days, but it was worth it.

I went on a tour to the west of the island; to see a Samoan Ava Ceremony and the Flower Pot Rock. It was a lovely day and you can read all about it next week on the blog.

Pago Pago - Lucy Williams Global

Travel Update: French Polynesia

It took two more days to sail down to French Polynesia and we went to the islands of Bora Bora, Tahiti and Moorea.

We had an amazing evening in Bora Bora, saw my lovely friend in Tahiti and went to a desert island in Moorea.

Bora Bora Evening - Lucy Williams Global

As I have bored you enough over the last year about French Polynesia I’m not going to write about it this time, but you can read about Bora Bora, Tahiti and Moorea from my previous blog posts.

After the French Polynesia ports, it was time to sail back to Los Angeles and it took 8 long days!

What’s Next?

Next on the agenda is cruising to Alaska so keep your eyes peeled on my Instagram and Facebook to see where I am!

If you enjoyed reading my travel update, please share this on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, so your friends and family can follow too. Sharing is caring!

Happy Travels

Love Lucy x

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Travel Update: California, Hawaii & French Polynesia - Lucy Williams Global

When the Weather Affects Travelling - Lucy Williams Global

The weather affected my travels plans at the beginning of the month as the snow caused chaos in Europe with the ‘Beast from the East’ and ‘Storm Emma’.

To get back to London was a nightmare! Why it had to snow the week I came home? The weather was fine before in January and most of February.

My flight from Genoa, Italy to London, UK is normally a straightforward 2-hour flight, but this time it was in total a twelve-hour day of travelling.

The flight was delayed, and I thought it would probably be cancelled, but it was being delayed and delayed. In the end, the plane could not land in Genoa because of the wind, so it was rerouted to Pisa.

(This post may contain affiliate links)

 

Genoa Italy - Lucy Williams Global

Weather Affecting Travelling

Pisa is not around the corner from Genoa, it is two hours away. We were told to wait and the plane will either fly back to Genoa or we will be bused to Pisa.

We were bused to Pisa! I thought I was going to get stuck in Pisa as the snow there was a lot worse than it was in Genoa.

Arriving in Pisa, no ground staff to help us, but we figured out to go through security and find the gate number of our rerouted flight.

At the gate, we boarded the plane and took off shortly after. What a day!

 

Selsey UK - Lucy Williams Global

Home Sweet Home

I was met my lovely parents at the airport and when I saw them I realised how nice it is to see family after a long time, so it made it all worthwhile.

Travel is a fantastic experience, but there is no better feeling than arriving home.

If you follow me, you will know I’m British and I’m married to an Italian so in between cruising around the world I spend my time between the UK and Italy. But the UK will always be my home in my heart.

 

Selsey UK - Lucy Williams Global

5 Travel Tips

  1. The weather can affect a flight at any time, so my travel tips are to always have a portable phone/tablet charger with you to keep your phone charged up, so you can contact the outside world.

 

2. Bring hand luggage with a change of clothes, just in case your flight is cancelled and you must stay in a hotel until the next day.

3. Fill the little plastic liquid bag with essentials you may need, toothpaste, makeup, deodorant, etc.

4. Bring a scarf or extra sweater to keep warm at the airport or outside.

 

5. Bring some dried snacks.

Back in the UK

Coming up on the blog soon will be all my adventures in the UK. I am from the county of West Sussex in the South of England and there are lots of lovely things to see and do.

All the places are accessible by train, bus or car. There is a lot more to the UK than just London, as you will soon see.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my travels and travel tips. Please share on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest so your friends and family can read too. Sharing is caring!

Happy Travels

Love Lucy x

P.S. Sign up to the mailing list and never miss a blog post and receive my 15 top packing tips. Click here to subscribe

When the Weather Affects Travelling - Lucy Williams Global

(L. Williams is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites at no extra cost to you.).

 

Travel Round Up 2017 - Lucy Williams Global - Travel and Cruising

It has been quite a year of travel for me, so a travel roundup for 2017, I had to write!

This year has been an unusual year, as I have been to so many places in just the space of a year and this is why I started writing this blog.

I started the year in Italy, had a short trip to the UK and then flew to Los Angeles to join the world cruise.

World Cruise

I was very lucky that my husband was put on a ship that had the world cruise as an itinerary. So, of course, I had to tag along!

It was a wonderful experience visiting so many places in the space of 111 days and I met some fantastic people onboard.

On the world cruise, I went to Bora Bora and Tahiti in French Polynesia, Bay of Islands and Auckland in New Zealand, Sydney and Cairns in Australia and Rabaul in Papua New Guinea.

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Guam in Micronesia, Kaohsiung in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Sanya in China, Singapore, Phuket in Thailand, Cochin and Mumbai in India, Dubai in the UAE and Petra in Jordan.

 

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Rhodes, Chania, Zakynthos in Greece, Bari, Trapani and Venice in Italy, Hvar and Sibenik in Croatia, Valletta in Malta, Chefchaoen in Morocco and Portimao in Portugal.

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Hamilton in Bermuda, Fort Lauderdale in the USA, Oranjestad in Aruba, Santa Marta in Colombia, San Juan de Sur in Nicaragua, Acajutla in El Salvador, La Paz in Mexico and Los Angeles in the USA.

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We sailed through the Suez Canal in Egypt and the Panama Canal in Panama. I stayed on for one more cruise and also went to Puntarenas in Costa Rica and Cabo San Lucas in Mexico.

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111 Days Sailing Round the World | The World Cruise in Photos

Italy and the UK

After this amazing experience of going to 38 ports and 6 continents, I went back to the UK and then to Italy. I spent a summer in Genoa and visited Sardinia, Lake Como and Camogli.

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Genoa | Camogli | Sardinia

Alaska

Then I flew to Seattle at the end of August to join my husband onboard the ship. While I was onboard we sailed around Alaska to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria in Canada.

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Ketchikan | Juneau | Glacier Bay | Skagway

West Coast of Canada and USA

After the Alaska season finished we sailed down to Vancouver in Canada, then Oregon, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles in the USA.

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Oregon | San Francisco | Santa Barbara

Hawaii and French Polynesia

A quick cruise to Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan in Mexico, then on to Hawaii and French Polynesia. We went to Hilo in Hawaii, Honolulu in Oahu, Lahaina in Maui and Nawiliwili in Kauai.

After lots of days at sea, we stopped in Pago Pago in American Samoa. Then on to Bora Bora, Tahiti and Moorea in French Polynesia and back to LA.

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Hawaii | Oahu | Maui | Kauai | French Polynesia

Mexico 

After this lovely long cruise, we sailed around the west coast of Mexico to Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Ensenada. We stopped in Catalina Island an island just off LA.

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Mexico | Catalina Island

End of Year

I flew back to Italy from LA in December and have spent the last month of the year in Genoa in Italy.

This year I have been to 29 countries and I cannot quite believe it! I know next year will not be like this, but I am looking forward to what the new year will bring.

I would like to thank you for reading and supporting me in my first year of blogging. I have really enjoyed writing and sharing my travel, cruise and packing tips.

 

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Christmas in Lake Como | Christmas in Genoa

I would like to hear from you! What would you like to read about? More behind the scenes onboard? More about Italy or the UK? More cruise tips? Let me know as I like to answer your questions and many of my blog posts have started from a question I have been asked.

I would like to wish you a wonderful new year and I will see you in 2018!

Happy Travels!

Love Lucy x

P.S. Here are my favourite travels items that I always travel with.

Eastpak medium luggage and hand luggage, as it is lightweight before you put anything in them.

Packing Cubes for easy and organised packing.

Portable phone charger to charge your phone on the go, for travelling and out and about site seeing.

If you enjoyed reading, please share on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest so your friends and family can read too. Sharing is caring!

Sign up to the mailing list and never miss a blog post and receive my 15 top packing tips. Click here to subscribe

Travel Round Up 2017 - Lucy Williams Global - Travel and cruising

(L. Williams is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk, at no extra cost, to you).

Back to Reality Returning Home After Travelling - Lucy Williams Global

I have returned home after three months of travelling around Alaska, the Californian Coast, Mexico, Hawaii and French Polynesia and reality has hit me!

Real life after travelling is nice but overwhelming!

If you have been following my travels you will know I travel with my husband that works onboard a cruise ship. Hence my blog tagline ‘The Travelling Wife Cruising Around the World’.

Alaska

This has been another long trip, but it was lovely to see Alaska properly. I have worked many Alaska seasons when I was still working onboard, but I never really saw much.

This time I made the most of my 4 weeks there and visited glaciers up close from a small boat to landing on top of one in a helicopter. I saw wildlife up close and totem poles.

Glacier Bay | Juneau | Ketchikan | Skagway

Californian Coast

After sailing around Alaska, we sailed south to the California coast and on the way we stopped in Astoria, Oregon. This was a new port for me and I enjoyed a lovely tour of the Oregon coast.

We then sailed to San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. The weather was great whilst in these port so I saw the Golden Gate Bridge in its full glory.

Santa Barbara was a food and drink day on an amazing food tour and LA was spent in Long Beach catching up with friends.

Oregon Coast | San Francisco | Santa Barbara

Hawaii & French French Polynesia

I went back to Hawaii and French Polynesia. It was fantastic to go back to Hawaii and French Polynesia as they are my favourites! Especially Bora Bora in French Polynesia, pure paradise.

It took a long time to get down there, only 8 days at sea! But it is worth it in the end when you get there. I got to see another new port; Pago Pago in American Samoa on the way down to French Polynesia. It is a beautiful little lush tropical island.

Hawaii | Oahu | Kauai | Maui | French Polynesia

Mexico

We spent a lot of time in Mexico on seven cruises to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas. They were nice for the margaritas!

Also, short mini cruises of 4/5 days either just to Cabo San Lucas or to Ensenada and Catalina Island, California. Catalina Island was another new port for me and it was a nice new place to go, a really pretty island across the water from Los Angeles.

Mexico | Catalina Island

Back Home

Since I have been back home my feet have not touched the ground. After a 14 hour flight, I have been suffering from jet lag. I wish my body would just understand and sleep at night-time!

Within two days of being at home, we have been to Lake Como, lovely but I would have preferred a week at home to recover!

Now, it is time to get ready for Christmas, our tree is up, the turkey is ordered and the Christmas shopping is done. If you need a helping hand with your Christmas shopping check out my gift guides for travellers and cruisers.

Traveller Gift Guide | Cruiser Gift Guide | Travel Beauty Gift Guide | Christmas Decorations

It’s Not the End!

I love to travel so, even though I am home there will be lots of travel blog posts from around Italy and the UK and you will be reading them very soon!

Happy Holidays

Love Lucy x

Back to Reality Returning Home After Travelling - Lucy Williams Global