What has become of the cruise ships and their crew in the wake of the sudden shutdown of the cruise line industry?
As much as the entire travel industry has ground to a halt since the outbreak of COVID-19, the cruise line industry seems to have been dealt possibly the heaviest blow. After the outbreak on the Diamond Princess ship in Japan where 712 people were infected, followed by a much smaller outbreak on the Grand Princess off the coast of California, all major cruise lines based in the USA (and therefore all major cruise lines) suspended all their cruises with little notice. Any cruises scheduled to start on or after 14 March were cancelled. While some cruise lines tried unsuccessfully to continue with international cruises, to the best of my knowledge, the entire industry is no longer operational.

It has been three weeks since that historic decision. Since then there has been a lot of press over two issues: 

The one was the cruise lines’ requests for government bailouts. This spark…

While South Africa is famous for its surf beaches, the good ones (like the renowned Jeffrey's Bay) tend to be in the Eastern Cape. The east coast near Kwazulu Natal offers some decent surfing conditions too, with the added bonus of a year-round warm tropical climate. The Western Cape on the southwest point of South Africa has neither warm water (you will have to wear a wet suit and the water will still give your feet an ice-cream headache) nor perfect conditions, but it is definitely up there in the top three places to surf in South Africa! The sharks in these waters also tend to be the 'Great White' variety BUT, other than that, if you're into surfing - or you're a complete novice and you feel like giving it a bash - and you happen to be in Cape Town anyway, Muizenberg Beach is DEFINITELY the place to go. 

Truthfully, with a sandbank and gentle waves, Muizenberg in Cape Town is considered one of the best places in the world to learn how to surf. And if you already …

There was a time when cruises were associated with the elderly, most likely because they were expensive and people could only afford to go on them when they retired. Then the likes of Royal Caribbean, Carnival and NCL made cruising less expensive, more relaxed and transformed it into a middle-class family vacation. So, now they’re associated with kids clubs, unruly brats, their parents and the elderly. And while that image is still evolving (like with the launch of Richard Branson’s super trendy adults-only Virgin Voyages this year), what many people don’t know is that cruise ships have also long been a safe-haven or a temporary retreat for many of society’s misfits and special interest enthusiasts. A range of charter and group cruises have been drawing a variety of unusual cruisers for decades, from the most die-hard fans of mainstream pop culture to alternative subculture freaks. 
So, while you may think that cruising is ‘not for you’, I am 100% certain that whatever you’re into, the…

20 top attractions as recommended by 20 top local bloggers
After years of exploring other countries, my travel goal for 2020 is to see more of my own. When putting together a travel bucket list for myself, I decided to ask other travel bloggers what destinations or attractions they would most recommend to foreign visitors to South Africa (as I often feel like one) in 2020. From new and exciting attractions to old classics and some locations off the beaten track, I received an array of answers. 

This is what they said: