A cruise is a wonderful vacation for anyone but for writers, it is the absolute best. It gives you time to unwind, to be inspired and to get some serious work done with few interruptions.

You Meet People From All Over

Most of the employees on a cruise are from different countries and this is a fantastic way to get to meet new people from all over the world. And most are more than happy to stop and chat with you so feel free to ask questions. Tell them that you are a writer and are looking for ideas and you will find that they are more than happy to provide you with some.

It’s not just the employees though; the passengers on the ship are from different places too. Forget about setting a schedule for dining; if you do that, you are seated at the same table with the same people every night. Instead, opt for “Anytime Dining” and you get to meet new people each night. You’ll be amazed at how many ideas you can come up with at the dinner table. Make friends with complete strangers, talk to people who are completely different from you and that have some great stories to tell.

You Get to Try New Activities

Cruise ships offer loads of activities and loads of excursions. Have a good browse around the ship to see what’s on offer and check out the itinerary for the trips. Go on all of them or choose the ones that you think you will gain the most from. No matter which ones you choose, there will be a story there, something that you can learn from, get new ideas, inspiration, even down to spotting people that you think would make great characters in your books. In some cases, you may even be able to get a tax write-off for some of this but you would need to discuss this with a tax professional.

And There’s More

Some cruise lines offer the ultimate trip for a writer – a vacation centered around learning about the publishing industry. You get to go to publishing seminars during the day, get your writing done in the evenings, all with fantastic views, free food, no internet and lots of interesting people to meet and learn from. These cruises also offer you the chance to brainstorm or shoot ideas around with like-minded people and, you never know, you may make a few new writing buddies along the way.

Cruises aren’t just sun, sea and booze. A cruise ship is a perfect place to people watch – you have a captive audience for a start! You can get some great ideas for characteristics for your main characters, you might overhear some great lines that you can use in your books, and ideas for new stories are bound to flow with each new place and each new activity or excursions that you go on. Best of all, you get to do all this in the perfect relaxing setting.