Meerkat Prompts: Ferry Crossings, and why I Hate Them
I am largely a land animal, as meerkats generally are. I don’t mind flying, even though I am always a little anxious before a flight. I enjoy train rides, and will accept bus rides and car rides as reasonable options, subject to the length of the journey. What I will actively seek to avoid is a ferry crossing.
Now, I am not against boats, but one of my grand ambitions is to experience a big luxurious cruise ship, which would be a very different ball game to the typical English Channel ferry ride. Ferries are relatively small, usually half the size of a cruise liner, and with considerably less mass. They therefore feel the motion of the ocean a lot more, and that motion tends to ruin me.
I get seasick, and I get seasick very easily. Where possible, I cannot be below deck on a ferry, because that constant unnerving swaying will set me off. Unfortunately, weather conditions will often make staying above deck for the entire trip (Dover to Calais is around 90 minutes) impractical.
The only conceivable upside to a ferry trip is that… well… I’m really struggling here. Can you take more luggage? Well, I don’t know. You can take a reasonable amount of luggage on a plane, enough to cover a family of four for a two-week holiday. Via the Channel Tunnel and the Le Shuttle service, you can take a car and load that up with luggage. It’s also quicker than a ferry. You can take the Eurostar and go from London to Paris in a few hours, and whilst you may not be able to carry as much luggage, you can usually take enough for a city break.
Is a ferry ride more comfortable? I guess in some ways, it is. You have more freedom to walk around than on a plane or train. However, the nausa-inducing swaying would tend to make me feel extremely uncomfortable, thus ruining any conceivable advantage. Besides, with trains, you’ll have a better view, at least on most journeys.
Each to their own, but for me, I will always seek any form of travel that does not involve the vomit-inducing rocking of a ferry across the sea!
‘Kat Comments