Today we welcome a guest blog by Daniel Abrahams – Co-Founder of MyTravelMoney.co.uk / @dan_currency. Daniel runs the UK’s leading travel money aggregator. It’s an awesome service that sources the best value currency deals on the market.

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Alex and I met at #tbe12 – a travel bloggers conference in Genoa, Italy. Initially, on twitter! Seeing a blogger by the name of @sexyfuntraveler definitely sparked my curiosity, not to mention the fact that every 2 minutes Alex appeared on my newsfeed commenting on the event left, right and centre.

We finally met on the last night. Her enthusiasm for her ‘job’ was infectious and I definitely admire the way Alex builds her personal brand as a travel blogger. The approach to personal brand building is something a lot of consumer facing brands should take not of. It’s definitely taught us some lessons as we go through a re-brand of our own.

Alexandra Kovacova goes onboard MSC cruises!

In March, as part of Adventure and Spa project, Alex is going on board MSC Cruises and has kindly asked me to prep her on what to expect. I’ve just come back from a 12 night Caribbean cruise and cruised many, many times in the past. So Alex, here we go.

My top 5 tips for what to expect on board:

 1. Try activities that would be out of your comfort zone. 

My regret most cruises is sticking to the same activities, which are generally sport competitions or would you believe it, bingo! I’m a mean paddle tennis player However, onboard a cruise you can expect everything from educational lectures, wine tastings, gala shows, yoga, napkin folding and ballroom dancing.

I’d suggest not following my mistake and really branching out to trying activities that may be out of your comfort zone. Who knows, you may leave the ship with a new passion or hobby. And that’s part of the charm of cruising.

New Year

2. Hit the gym at least once a day. Adopt a NO LIFT policy!

Food on board is generally terrific and no doubt this will be the case on MSC Cruises. And plentiful! Most people put on a lot of weight onboard a cruise. I didn’t but still managed to eat for England. The trick was simple: gym at least once a day and a no lift policy! You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the amount of calories you can burn walking up and down the decks instead of taking a lift.

Hitting the gym at least once a day, even for a few minutes, will help legitimize that extra scone you want at afternoon tea!

Midnight Xmas buffet

3. Think of a cruise as a floating hotel, even city.

Don’t be worried about being claustrophobic onboard a cruise. You’ll be absolutely fine. Ships are so darn big and everything you could possibly want is only a deck or two away (remember, don’t take the lift!). If you don’t feel well, there’s a doctor. If you need internet to reach the outside world, there’ll be WIFI. If you want to party, there’s lots of bars and nightclubs. If you want to chill, there’ll be deck areas and quiet spots on board.

With spa’s, multiple restaurants, gym and sports deck, you can think of a cruise as a floating city. Don’t get pissed off that you can only spend a few hours at each port. It is what it is and can’t be compared like for like with backpacking and fully exploring a destination.

St Maarten

4. Cruising is extremely social.

As a travel blogger, you love meeting people from across the world. Cruising is an excellent opportunity to meet new people from weird and wonderful places, and you’ll be sure to make new lifelong friends. From trips at the ports of call to the gazillion onboard activities, you’ll no doubt meet lots of new people of all ages. Whether it’s at the Jacuzzi, spa or dinner table, embrace it!

If you are super keen, check out some of the forums on cruise comparison websites before your trip to make connections. I don’t personally do this as I think it’s a little forced.

Dan, Will, Lauren and Rachel

5. Cruising can be romantic.

Don’t discount the possibility of romance at sea Alex! Cruising is extremely social, and on board there are so many opportunities to meet that ‘special person.’ Whether it’s at line dancing classes, gala dinners or the numerous bars on board, who knows, you may find that ‘ideal person.’ I know for a fact (don’t ask!) that long term relationships often start on board!

Dan and Natasha

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About the author: Daniel Abrahams is the Co-Founder of MyTravelMoney.co.uk – the UK’s leading travel money comparison website. The service helps customers transact over £2 million worth of travel money each month. Daniel also owns and operates sister site MyCurrencyTransfer.com – helping people find the best international money transfer deals. Dan can be found tweeting at @dan_currency