In 2025, I spent about 85 days at sea across several cruise lines, sailing on some of the world’s largest mega-ships and smaller vessels with fewer than 200 guests.
I explored the Mediterranean, rode the Rhine River from Amsterdam to Basel, made several runs through the Caribbean, coasted the Mexican Riviera, and visited many places off my bucket list.
All of the globe-trotting sounds pretty glamorous (and parts of it absolutely were), but now that I’m reflecting on my year, I realize I made several mistakes that left me more exhausted than energized.
Here are mistakes I don’t want to repeat in 2026 — and a few smart travel strategies that I plan to continue.
Packing too many cruises into one year left my memories blurry.
I love going on cruises and am fortunate to do so often for work.
However, boarding more than 10 ships in 12 months — including doing a stint of several back-to-back sailings around Europe — was simply too much, even for me.
All the itineraries started to blend together. Throughout the year, I would scroll through my camera roll and struggle to remember which ship I was on or which port I’d seen three weeks earlier.
I never had enough time to decompress, reflect, or even appreciate where I’d just been before boarding the next vessel.
Travel is supposed to create memories, not erase them through sheer volume. In 2026, I plan to slow down (a bit), so I can really savor my trips.
Cruising the Mediterranean during the peak summer season was a brutal mistake.
The Mediterranean is beautiful, but I wish I hadn’t spent several weeks there in July and August — some of the area’s hottest, busiest months.
While docked in places like Turkey and Greece, temperatures climbed over 80 or 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat and humidity put a damper on my trip, sometimes making sightseeing feel like a survival training exercise.
Additionally, I was one of many tourists visiting these countries during their busiest travel season.
I reached my breaking point in Santorini, which had been on my bucket list for years. Instead of the magical experience I imagined, I spent my time wading through crowds in near-suffocating heat.
After standing for over two hours in the direct sun, waiting in a mile-long line just to take the gondola back down to where my ship was docked, I had mentally checked out.
Though these places are incredible, I couldn’t fully appreciate them. In the future, I’d like to prioritize traveling during the shoulder seasons for milder weather and fewer crowds.
Booking too many itineraries with no sea days meant I never enjoyed the ships.
I made a major tactical error this year: I booked too many port-intensive itineraries that had zero sea days.
That meant I was “on” every single day — exploring, touring, photographing content, and rushing back on board just in time to shower and run to dinner.
That pace isn’t sustainable for anyone, let alone someone who’s stacking cruises without a break.
The real loss is that I barely enjoyed the ships themselves and rarely took advantage of the amenities, such as swim-up bars, spas, and waterslides, that make certain vessels special.
By hopping from port to port without downtime, the ship felt like just a floating hotel rather than a destination of its own. In 2026, I’d like to prioritize itineraries that allow me to actually enjoy being at sea.
Giving in to FOMO and never allowing myself to rest kind of defeated the point of cruising.
Not having sea days already made it tough to take a break, but constantly giving in to my fear of missing out didn’t help.
Whenever I had the chance to explore a city, try a new activity, or join another excursion, I said yes. Repeatedly.
I never carved out time for rest, which is ironic given that cruising is designed to be one of the most relaxing ways to travel. I didn’t nap, linger over breakfast, lounge by the pool, or even sit on my balcony with a book.
Instead, I packed my schedule with excursions because I didn’t want to miss a thing at each stop. By the time I returned to the ship most evenings, I was just exhausted and desperate for a shower.
Heading into the new year, I’m reminding myself that rest isn’t optional; it’s a strategy. Being well-rested makes any cruise far more enjoyable.
Not packing properly for all of my destinations cost me money and comfort.
I consider myself a good packer, but even I struggled this year when my itineraries shifted climates faster than I could keep up.
For example, while in Europe, I went straight from blistering heat in Greece, Croatia, Montenegro, and Turkey to the cool, rainy Rhine Valley.
I ended up having to stop in Amsterdam to buy a sweater and a rain jacket — which I wore on repeat — just to comfortably get through the river cruise.
Next year, I’ll check the weather forecasts for every stop on an itinerary before leaving for a cruise (or any multi-stop trip).
This experience also served as another reminder to slow down and not overbook myself with back-to-back itineraries.
Mistakes aside, there are a few things I did right this year and hope to repeat in 2026.
I didn’t get everything wrong this year. In fact, a few strategies paid off that I plan to continue:
- Trying a range of cruise lines helped me understand their differences and get a better idea of which I prefer.
- Because I booked high-demand excursions in advance, I never missed out on my must-do activities.
- I didn’t miss a ship because I arrived at my cruise’s departure area at least one night before every trip.
Still, heading into 2026, I hope to make a few intentional shifts, from scaling back on excursions to cruising during shoulder seasons whenever possible.
This time, I’ll let myself enjoy the ships as much as the ports — even if that means ordering room service in my robe and doing absolutely nothing for a whole afternoon.
If 2025 was about seeing everything, 2026 will be about savoring it.
Read the original article on Business Insider
The post I spent 85 days on cruises this year. Here are 5 travel mistakes I won’t be making in 2026. appeared first on Business Insider.
