I've been the designated trip planner in my family and friend group for as long as I can remember — the one with the color-coded itinerary, the backup restaurant reservations, and strong opinions about which cabin deck to book. A few years ago I decided to make it official, and now I get to do my favorite thing for other people: take a trip you've been dreaming about vaguely and turn it into a real itinerary, with the right ship, the right cabin, and none of the tourist traps.

Cruising is my specialty because it's what I know best from the passenger side. As I write this, I'm somewhere in the Pacific between Hawaii and Alaska with my husband, doing the field research firsthand. I've learned which cabins are worth the upgrade, which excursions to book early, and why the itinerary matters more than the brochure photos suggest. I also love planning land-based trips — recent projects include a winter writing retreat in Bath, England, and a friends' getaway to Cancún.