Edwina Lonsdale: The authenticity trend in cruise

Like luxury, ‘authentic’ varies according to who you are. For me, it’s about immersing yourself in someone else’s home country and trying to comprehend its culture, food, language, music and traditions, while investing in local people and infrastructure.

Many travellers categorically deny that cruising can provide such an experience.

Yet plenty of cruise lines steer guests away from commercial tourist hubs and towards underdeveloped areas, where investment from tourists has the most impact.

They also create opportunities for travellers to come face to face with local people and understand more about their lives – by making and sharing food, for example.

As I look back over my last year of cruise travels, some amazing authentic moments stand out for me.

The face-mask seller on the main square in old Quito who woke us every day at 5am with her morning chorus; the pre-dinner game of pétanque in the village square on our Canal du Midi cruise in France; Keelung’s night market in Taiwan, which thronged with locals eating the weird and wonderful, hot off the grill.

May all our future travels be packed with such experiences.