Adventure of the month

A recent listing on Travelzoo's top 20 caught my eye for a number of reasons. The days of the advertised deal corresponded nicely with my vacation. It was cheap. The itinerary would take me to three countries I had yet to visit. There would be penguins involved. It was really, really cheap. There would be chance to see glaciers. It required minimal planning and I was running out of time to make a decision. But principally, it was the penguins and the cheapness which won me over! Of course, there is always a trade-off. In contrast to all these appealing pluses was the fact that this was a cruise. A 14-day South American cruise, to be exact. I have never regarded myself as a cruise person, preferring independent travel to being stuck on a floating hotel with bad lounge acts and bland food. However, $399 (before taxes) for 14 days accommodations, meals and transportation through some amazing (and very hard to reach) landscape tipped the balance way too much for me to pass ...