Johan Ramakers

Author's posts

Port of Call Cadiz, Spain

The message from the Captain came the evening before, while departing Madeira: a weather system in the southwestern Mediterranean forced the ship to set course for Cadiz, rather than Malaga. Perhaps because of its out-of-the-way location, Cadiz is a hidden gem that not everyone seems to know and visit, so we were happy with the …

Continue reading

Port of Call Madeira, Portugal’s Year-round Resort Island

After  seven days on the Atlantic, the time had arrived for a day at Port of Call Madeira, Portugal’s Year-round Resort Island. The weather had been pretty good, so the island of Madeira was on the schedule. A great indicator on a cruise ship that you’re nearing land is that you all at once see …

Continue reading

A Fourteen Day Trans-Atlantic Princess Cruise

A Fourteen day trans-atlantic Princess cruise was on the menu, now that a land vacation seemed out of the question because of Covid concerns and different international procedures. Beyond a 5 days Bahama’s cruise on Carnival in 2016, we had not done much cruising except for some Caribbean Tallship Trips when Windjammer Barefoot Charters operated …

Continue reading

Caught on Beaver Island as Covid 19 becomes a global pandemic

After a couple of years globetrotting as interim innkeepers, we decided in 2019, to reply to a job offer on the website workingcouples.com, for a seasonal management job on Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan. Boutique Hotel Beaver Island Lodge with 14 rooms and suites and a separate log cabin was looking for operational managers …

Continue reading

AirBNB’ing Our Stomping Grounds on St.Martin

For our winter travels we decided this year on a monthlong Airbnb’ing our Stomping Grounds on St.Martin in the West Indies. We left our life on St.Maarten where we had met in 2004, during the Great Recession in 2008/09 as the economy had decimated tourism and consequently our internet related marketing and promotion businesses. Han …

Continue reading

Load more