This past Thursday, I had the pleasure of participating in not one, but two Cruise Mastery panels focused on helping newer travel advisors become more confident selling cruise travel.
Somewhere between the morning session and the evening discussion, I found myself returning to one of the most powerful lessons I discuss with clients planning meaningful travel experiences:
Put the Big Rocks in first.
It comes from Stephen Covey’s famous “Big Rocks” analogy.
Imagine a large glass container sitting empty on a table.
First, someone places several large rocks inside.
They ask the audience:
“Is the container full?”
Most people say yes.
Then they pour in gravel.
The gravel settles into the spaces between the rocks.
Again:
“Is it full now?”
People nod.
Then comes sand.
The sand fills the smaller spaces still remaining.
Again:
“Full?”
And finally, water is poured in — soaking into all the tiny remaining gaps.
The point is simple:
if you put the big rocks in first, everything else can still fit around them.
But if you start with the sand, gravel, and water first — the big rocks may never fit at all.
And honestly, modern life often feels like we’re drowning in sand and gravel:
emails,
meetings,
notifications,
stress,
deadlines,
endless busyness.
Meanwhile, the truly important things keep getting postponed.
The Big Rocks are different.
They are:
✨ your health
✨ your relationships
✨ meaningful experiences
✨ personal growth
✨ time with people you love
✨ the memories you want to create while you still can ❤️
COVID reminded many of us how fragile time really is.
Borders closed.
Travel stopped.
Health changed.
People were lost.
Years we thought we had simply disappeared.
And ever since then, one question has stayed with me — both personally and professionally:
“If you knew your health was going to change in a year, what is the one trip you would most regret not taking?”
That’s probably your Big Rock.
For some people, it’s Antarctica — standing quietly among penguins on the White Continent while glaciers crack in the distance.
For others, it’s Africa.
Australia.
The Galápagos.
A Danube river cruise through Europe’s storybook towns.
A meaningful multigenerational trip with family while everyone is still healthy enough to go.
The urgent things will always exist.
There will always be more gravel to pour into the jar.
But the Big Rocks?
Those become the stories of our lives.
And interestingly, that philosophy is deeply connected to why I specialize in the kinds of travel I do.
During the Cruise Mastery panels, one of the things I shared with newer advisors was this:
Many people who love cruising don’t actually think of themselves as “cruise people.”
Some are food and wine lovers.
Some are hikers and wildlife enthusiasts.
Some are history buffs.
Some are busy professionals craving restorative, effortless travel.
Some dream of Antarctica or the Galápagos — but have absolutely no interest in a 5,000-passenger megaship experience.
That distinction matters.
Because successful travel planning isn’t really about “selling a cruise.”
It’s about understanding someone deeply enough to match them with the right experience, pace, destination, and style of travel.
That’s why I love river and expedition cruising so much.
I’ve watched clients stand on the Normandy beaches on Remembrance Day alongside Canadian peacekeepers who served in Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Somalia — some wearing their medals and peacekeeping uniforms as we observed the 11 a.m. moment of silence together.
I’ve watched travellers see Antarctica for the first time and fall completely silent at the scale and beauty of it.
I’ve watched exhausted professionals rediscover joy through the simple luxury of unpacking once and waking up somewhere new every day.
That’s what meaningful travel can do.
And it’s also why relationships within this industry matter so much.
Earlier this week, I took the train from Ottawa to Toronto for an evening at the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel Toronto with cruise partners, tourism boards, hotel brands, expedition companies, and travel industry colleagues from across Canada at the TravelPulse Canada awards.
I was honoured to sit with the Lindblad Expeditions team as National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions received the award for Best Small Ship Cruise Line — incredibly well deserved for a company that truly understands expedition travel, education, and meaningful exploration.
It was also wonderful to see AmaWaterways recognized with:
✨ Best River Cruise Line
✨ Best River Cruise Line – Culinary
And to watch my friend Neil Dudley named River Cruise Sales Rep of the Year. ❤️
Other well-deserved winners included Tourism Australia, Rocky Mountaineer, G Adventures, Globus, and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts — all companies that continue to create exceptional travel experiences in very different ways.
You’ll actually see several of these award-winning partners featured in the travel offers and inspiration section of this week’s newsletter below, because one of the advantages of being deeply connected within this industry is understanding not just who wins awards — but why they do.
Evenings like that are about far more than awards.
They’re reminders that behind every extraordinary trip are real relationships:
the people who advocate for clients,
the cruise directors who create unforgettable onboard experiences,
the expedition leaders and naturalists,
the executives shaping new itineraries,
the supplier partners who help advisors solve problems when things don’t go perfectly.
Those relationships matter enormously to my clients.
Because when I recommend a river cruise line, an expedition company, or a destination, I’m not choosing from a brochure alone.
I’m choosing based on:
ships I’ve personally toured,
rivers I’ve sailed,
expedition teams I’ve travelled with,
executives I’ve spoken with,
and years of firsthand experience helping clients find the right fit.
Independent by design, Ottawa-based, globally recognized — but still deeply connected to an industry built around curiosity, storytelling, education, and helping people experience the world in meaningful ways.
At the end of the day, luxury travel isn’t really about luxury.
It’s about return on life.
And sometimes the greatest investment we ever make is finally deciding to put the Big Rocks in first. ❤️