Meet Our Experts: Michelle Charles

Years of travel industry experience

14 years of travel industry experience

Top destinations to pick your brains on

• The Caribbean: Grenada, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Antigua & Jamaica
• The Americas: New York,  Washington & Orlando 

What Celebrity ships have you sailed on?

• Celebrity Silhouette
• Celebrity Summit

Best port you’ve sailed to, and why?

Charlotte Amalie in  St Thomas. Magens Bay beach is stunning and it is duty free shopping galore!

Top Cruise Tips

When looking for your perfect cruise, rather than searching by destination you could search by ship. Accommodation can be more important than destination if you're planning to have a relaxing break. Consider cruising closer to home to save yourself time and money. If you're going to spend your holiday in the spa, wrapped in a fluffy robe while you are pampered from head to toe, it doesn't matter where you are in the world!

Packing tip: Roll, don’t fold! Starting from the bottom up, roll your trousers, jeans, shirts, dresses and tops so you can neatly stack them in your suitcase without creasing.

What you couldn’t travel without in your suitcase?

Shawls, scarves, and canvas bags. Shawls and scarves are great space savers that make a good alternative for jackets and cardigans - you can even dress them up a bit for a night out! Canvas bags flat pack nicely and you can use them for shopping on your travels.

I also could not travel without my travel journal for:

• Recording special moments - like when we were driving to Grand Etang in Grenada on an island tour, my children decided to make up their own chant when passing the mountains.
• Capturing emotion - when I visited the 9/11 Memorial in Manhattan, NYC. 
• Documenting what I did - zip lining in Saint Lucia!