Dear Someone,

Picture yourself out in the middle of the ocean, gently rocking back and forth on a ship while reclined in your lawn chair. The sun is slowly fading in the sky and its reflection on the water looks like a river of fireflies through turquoise waves. Everywhere you look you see the sharp and dramatic horizon line between the deep blue sea and the pink and orange clouds. As the sun falls lower and lower the stars begin to shine. Pretty soon you are looking at more stars than you ever knew existed. You and some good friends spend hours outside in the warm air looking at the sky while you dream about the next part of the world you are about to see.

Such is life aboard the Golden Bear. I spent countless evenings on the deck of the ship watching the world go by as we shoved through the water. It is the most relaxing and exciting "vacation" I have ever taken. I saw and experienced places in the world that I had only hard or read about before. We visited remote and tropical islands, swam and snorkeled with brightly colored fish and coral, took double-decker buses through cities and towns to foreign markets and mountain tops, and learned more about the world than any textbook could ever describe.

Questions might be going through your head about what rooms are like on the ship, whether the cost is too high, and if seasickness is a problem. Here are my answers to your questions. Seasickness was never a problem for anyone on our cruise, and the adventure was well worth the cost. I don't think I will ever travel as economically as I did aboard that ship. If you were to add up the cost for a 10 week trip to a place like Europe, taking into account the travel costs to fly to each destination, the hotel costs, and the food costs for eating out every day, you would soon see the dramatic difference in price. Another difference between a personal vacation and the Golden Bear cruise is the difference in the ease of travel. On a personal vacation to a place like Europe, hotel rooms are small and you often share a bathroom with strangers. Every time you move from place to place you have to repack your bags and deal with the hassle of carrying ten weeks worth of clothes and supplies from place to place. On the Golden Bear you have ample room for your things and they are all carried with you from place to place as you drift into each new and exciting port. The beds may be a little cramped, but you get used to sleeping in a bunk and your roommates become great friends to chat with as you fall asleep at night.

Taking the Golden Bear cruise is a wonderful experience where a student can take a full load of interesting classes while also traveling to many foreign areas of the world. One of the deciding factors for me was when I realized that I wouldn't have another chance to travel around the world until much later in my life. What better time to voyage around the Earth than wile you are in college, and before you start a career.

I hope this letter helps you make the decision that is best for you, and I hope that you take these thoughts into consideration. You will not be disappointed if you go on this incredible journey.