OFFER SUPERCEDED
This offer was superseded by another offering a more reflective quieter one.
I have kept this post and moved it way down in date order merely as a matter of record.
Can you survive seven days with only slow-speed internet access?
Do you like hearing people’s stories?
Are you up for adventure?
If so, then perhaps you’d care to join me on crossing the Atlantic from NY to the UK on July 21-28, 2023. Alternatively, you might join me returning from the UK to NY on September 4-11, 2023.
We’ll share a cabin and I’ll cover the cost of your ticket, port charges, taxes, and tips. Since the crossing by ship is only one direction, I’ll also give you a stipend to cover your airfare for the trip in the other direction along with a hotel the night before sailing.*
In return, I ask you to help me collect stories from other passengers.
How to have an adventure
At age 13, I spent an entire summer with my grandparents listening to their stories of adventure from all over the world.
“How do I live a life of adventure,” I asked my grandparents at the end of our time together.
“It’s easy,” she replied. “When you have a choice, choose adventure. The problem is that most people have no idea what adventure is. They think it is the thing that promises the most excitement, like an amusement park. That’s wrong. Adventure is where you have no idea what is going to happen next.”
“Your job,” she continued, “is to have stories for your grandchildren. And remember: the worse it gets, the better the story.”
With those few words, my grandmother gave my a goal for my life, a formula for success, and she inoculated me against despair. Whenever I wander down an unfamiliar road and something unexpected comes at me, I ask myself, “Now what?” And, when things go to hell, while my peers were freaking out, I say to myself, “This will make for an awesome story someday.”
Collecting stories on the QM2
The Queen Mary 2 is an ocean liner unlike any cruise ship in that it is built for long sea voyages. Among other things, it has a library with 10,000 books, it offers interesting lectures by experts, and it boasts a fully functioning planetarium.
I’ve crossed the Atlantic on the QM2 twice and I can tell you that the passengers on board are unlike most on normal cruises. All of them have interesting stories and some are even famous. During seven days at sea together, and without life’s normal distractions, it is very easy to meet people and collect their stories.
For example, I was working out in the gym when I spotted a guy covered in tattoos. I asked if any of his tats had stories and he said they all did. For about 15 minutes he explained each one. When he was done, he said he had to get ready for dinner.
A middle-aged man had been watching us and he approached me afterward.
“I am the drummer in the ship’s band,” the man said to me, “and that fellow is in my opinion the best drummer who has ever lived. I have been stalking him since he boarded trying trying up the courage to introduce myself. I can’t believe you just walked up to him and asked him about his tats.”
The ship’s drummer must have finally gotten up the courage because later they were spotted jamming together.
How you can help
If you join me, we will wear T Shirts inviting fellow cruisers to tell us stories of the kind you’d tell a child, a grandchild, or a student of life.
We’ll record these stories and we will publish the best either anonymously, or – if we are granted permission – we will identify the storyteller by name or with a photograph.
Some of the stories will go on my website HumansOnCruises.com. Others might go into a book I’m developing called Stories for Grandchildren. You will get credit for your participation.
The best stories answer a question
The best way to answer a question is with a story. Consider my story about asking my grandmother, “How can I live a life of adventure?”
Over the last decade I’ve been working on a tool to help create a robust philosophy of life so you can live by design rather than by default. It consists of a deck of playing cards with questions you ask yourself, and for any group of people to ask themselves.
You can find all the cards at: LifeWizardWay.com
On the ship I’ll give you a deck of the cards that you can use to help the people you meet think of stories.
Here are some examples of the cards.
The Aces introduce the four major areas of exploration: The Self, Other People, The Word, and Work. The Kings concern the virtues: Honesty, Accountability, Growth, and Integrity. The Jokers deal with Mortality and Purpose.
The other cards explore important topics, such as: Gratitude, Generosity, Fairness, Wealth, Motivation, Family, Friends, Community, Love, Judgment, Leadership, Followership, Personal Narrative, and so on.
Do you want to join me?
If you would like to join me on one of these crossings, please tell me about yourself and why you’d like to help.
* SOME THOUGHTS: You’ll need to arrive at the departure city at least one day before sailing, i.e. July 20th in NYC and September 3rd in Southampton. I will cover the cost of a hotel room the night before the sailing. I will also give you $500 to cover the cost of return airfare. You will be responsible for booking your own airfare and you are welcome to extend the trip to include additional travel if you want. On the QM2, your fare will cover all the included food but not soda, alcoholic drinks, premium restaurants or anything else that incurs additional charges. You will need to give Cunard a credit card on check-in and I will reimburse you for tips that will be charged to your card but you will be responsible for any additional purchases you make on board. There is slow-speed internet access on the QM2 which is sufficient for checking email and light social media but not for streaming. You must be at least 21 to travel with us.
Brooke Allen 