Flying lost its charms? What about an Arctic Cruise at Half Price

The dust (or possibly ash) is settling on the paralysis of the aviation industry in most of Europe caused by the eruption of an unpronounceable volcano in Iceland. Thousands of stranded tourists are at last making their way home – most of them by sea! – and many people will be a bit wary of relying on air travel as a way of getting to and from their vacation destination in future.

Over the last few decades, it’s been taken for granted that you can hop on a plane and fly to some far distant location with never a worry about getting home again in good time. But with volcanoes being so unpredictable, it wouldn’t be surprising if this attitude undergoes a marked transformation – particularly with those who were the victims of unscheduled extensions to their journey.

All is not lost, however. Even if air travel seems less attractive, that doesn’t put exotic holidays out of reach. There’s always a cruise – and this doesn’t have to be confined to Greek islands or Dutch canals, either. One possibility which has just been brought to my attention – and at a bargain price – is the Arctic cruise.

Gap Adventures, the Great Adventure People, are currently offering their Arctic Adventure Cruise for 50% off! This stunning opportunity is guaranteed to sell out fast, so don’t miss out. Use the code “Arctic50″ to get your discount.

Take this chance to visit areas still unspoilt by man – see polar bears in their natural habitat instead of loping sadly around your local zoo. Other land animals you might get a glimpse of include the Arctic hare, lemming, musk ox, caribou, Arctic fox, wolf, wolverines, ermines, and Arctic ground squirrels. There are also many birds and marine species including baleen whales, narwhals, killer whales and belugas. Narwhals are particularly interesting as the males have a long tusk – up to 10 feet long! – which in medieval times was thought to be a unicorn horn (as it was generally found without the creature). They tend to gather in groups of 5-10, so if you are lucky enough to come across a group, you may even see them tusking!

This is quite definitely the chance of a lifetime, and not to be missed at this price.