Before I took my first cruise to Europe, I hesitated to visit for many years out of unwarranted fears.
I started cruising in the Caribbean and it suited me just fine. I loved going to tropical destinations, and there's no doubt the convenience of living close enough to many ports within the United States was a crutch I leaned on often.
But as readers implored me to try a European cruise and my staff loved those trips, the temptation grew and I eventually gave it a try.
Not only did I love it and ended up going back a few times, but I realized my trepidation was rooted in misconceptions about these voyages.
I thought there would be no avoiding jetlag
The flight time to Europe was probably my first reason to skip a European cruise, but I also had these images I'd be so jetlagged that it would be miserable for most of the trip.
I've taken three cruises in Europe so far, and while jetlag is an issue, it's not as bad as I believed. That's largely because I took certain steps to minimize the effects.
Direct flights that reduced the amount of time in the air (and airport) helped to limit my travel time. But managing my sleep schedule was the best thing I did.
Travel experts recommend regardless of how well you sleep on an airplane or not, to acclimate to local time as soon as possible. More importantly, avoiding the temptation to nap once arriving in Europe until it's bed time.
It wasn't easy to stay awake in some cases for that long, but there's no doubt I avoided jetlag with this strategy.
Plus, I was able to get on my ship and start enjoying it on day one.
I was ready to exchange a lot of cash for Euros before the trip
The week before my first European cruise I had a list of things to do, and I thought exchanging cash should be there.
When I casually mentioned it to my video editor, she thought I was crazy because cash was unnecessary, especially in Northern Europe.
The reality is every retailer, restaurant, street vendor, and bar takes tap to pay anywhere I went.
Not only does using a credit card with zero foreign transaction fees mean you don't have to waste time exchanging currency, but you'll likely get a better exchange rate too.
Plus, there's no leftover Euros to come home with (or lose more value when you re-convert back to dollars).
Is there a scenario where having Euros might be helpful? I suppose, but I haven't encountered it yet across three trips.
We worried the kids wouldn't appreciate it
I might have considered taking a cruise to Europe earlier, but my wife and I thought spending the money was a mistake when the kids weren't old enough.
This is flawed logic for two reasons.
First, positive experiences reinforce good travel habits and foster family bonding. Whether it's in London or Cozumel, spending time together is still better than not at all.
Travel has generally been a great tool for exposing my children to different cultures, foods, and ways other people live. It helps them understand how the world works and prepare them for unexpected challenges.
The second reason was kids may never fully appreciate travel (or anything), but that's not a reason to not take them too.
My kids had a great time going to the places around the continent. Do they remember historical facts from each spot and can they rattle off the significance of buildings we saw? No, but then again, neither can most of the adults I went with either.
We had a great time exploring together, and I'm glad my kids got to see it too.
I expected long and expensive shore excursions
I had this image in my head of standing in a large group walking slowly around a city listening to a tour guide and it contributed to holding off on going to Europe.
I have a disdain for large group tours to begin with because of the slow pace, but I thought it would be worse in Europe.
The reality is it's so easy to tour on your own that I did very few group tours at all. Even the ones I took, could have been avoided if I really wanted.
Because so many ports have your ship docked right in the city and there are public transportation options abound, it's easy to get around on your own.
Not only does this allow you to circumvent group tours, but it also limits costs as self-exploration is certainly cheaper.
I thought a language barrier would make things difficult
I didn't think English would be so prevalent everywhere I went.
More people spoke English an I expected, making it so much easier to walk around towns and cities without worrying about limiting my touring.
I do, however, think it's important to know a few words in the local language for basic pleasantries. Knowing how to say "hello", "thank you", and "bye" makes a difference to locals to not have them treat you as entitled Americans.
