Well, it looks like the world has said to yesterday's blog headline: Speak for yourself.
A poll by SodaHead.com of over a 1,000 people showed that 26% are "less likely to take a cruise given the incident."If these results were applied to the estimated 18.8 million people that took a cruise in 2010, there would be 4.9 million fewer customers.
Welcome to the public relations nightmare that is now the cruise industry - look for good deals to come this summer to get people back on the water.
Interesting stat: Only 14% of respondents ages 25-34 said the tragedy might impact their future decisions, while 34% of those over the age of 65 said they were now less likely to cruise.
What does that tell us? Probably that the youth are more reckless and willing to take risks.
Before I went skydiving for the first time, I had a quick conversation with one of my roommates who understands my insanity - my drive to experience life and all the "dangerous" situations that come along with it.
I told him that if anything ever happened to me while I was traveling - be it a skydiving accident, an attack by a baby tiger, or a straight up kidnapping - I wanted it to be his duty to explain to my family and friends that I was all right with it, that I went out doing what I loved and that I wouldn't have had it any other way.
I'm aware that sounds like teenage baloney, but I truly meant it (and still do). Some people slowly die over the course of 30 years behind a desk, which to me is a much scarier thought than falling off a monument or something.
It's all good - that's why they make chocolate and vanilla - yet I need to make sure the people who would mourn me understand that I honestly went out doing what I loved. I need them to believe me when I say there's nowhere else I'd rather be than experiencing that moment, however terrifying it may seem to John Q citizen.
To all travelers: Don't let the news get you down or discouraged, don't get afraid. The American passport statistics are still declining and a lack of travel is, in my opinion, what drives this idea of fear toward the unknown and cultural differences.
Accidents will happen, as they do on the road every day. Maybe you'll get robbed or lost or have to evacuate a sinking ship. But we still have to keep going, keep searching.
I think this man, who I met on my drive from Manzanillo to Puerto Vallarta, would agree.
Notre-Dame Towers The climb starts with 255 steps up the North Tower. Then cross over to the Galerie des Chimeres, which will give you a bird’s eye view of the amazing carved stone monsters. Kids love this! It’s another 147 steps to the Bourdon, which is a giant bell located on the roof. You'll have a spectacular panoramic view. This is the home of Victor Hugo's famous character "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame".
