I'm coming home!!

Spending so much time away from home can be very therapeutic and at the same time very emotionally draining.

The people you meet whilst working abroad tend to share the same passion for travel, and can be very open and carefree. I have spent days watching Humpback Whales Bubble Net Feeding in Alaska, I've walked the Great Wall of China and Sky Dived over the Whitsunday Islands in Australia. This is part of my job and I thank my lucky stars every day! When we share these types of experiences and adventures with people, we are creating memories. And that in itself feels very special. 

When I work on ships, I work with a production cast, three other singers and about thirteen dancers. We meet in Los Angeles at the Princess Studios to train and learn the shows. As a team we are immediately thrown into living and working together. (I will explain more about what we do in a different blog.) Friendships are formed straight away. We know we have a whole contract of 8 months together, and so the people around you become your family and the same happens when you meet other crew members once on the ship. You form your ship family. 

Obviously throughout all this time, we miss our real families and our friends back home. Nothing quite compares with that feeling of coming home and seeing everyone again.

Whilst we are away, keeping in contact is actually rather easy, as long as you are happy to spend a bit of time and money on the ship wifi. We do also go to port and find cafes to use the wifi. Fitting that in and around adventure times can be difficult, but most of the time it does take priority. With Social Media, and technology we are able to maintain friendships and relationships. Facetime is a wonderful thing!! Time differences can cause issues, obviously and some friendships do sometimes go weeks, if not months without talking on the phone. Being away whilst best friends are getting married is definitely something I am battling with and soon another one of my best friends will be having a baby. Not being here for those first few months is going to play havoc with my brain and my heart. Working on ships can feel very isolating, especially when you realise the sacrifices you are making. 

Most of us take a minimum of two months off between contracts. This is our vacation time to rest and recuperate. Most of the time people use it as the vacation it is intended to be. I have occasionally worked within my time off, but definitely make a conscious effort to spend as much valuable time with friends and family as possible. The long periods of time you take off from shiplife allows you to really live, enjoy the little things you normally miss (baths, cooking, driving and the sound of birds in the morning..) and spend quality time with the most important people in your life. 

Saying goodbye to your ship family can be the hardest part of the whole experience though. The people you meet, the life long friends you make, some live on the other side of the world and you have no idea when you'll see them again. It can be surprisingly tough at times. But it's never goodbye, it's see ya later...