Now that the world is opening back up post-Covid, many of us are looking to fill our travel calendars with new adventures. Surely, many of you are considering hitting the open seas and booking a cruise to a gorgeous destination – Alaska, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Iceland, Galapagos. The list goes on and on.

But, being the savvy traveler that you are, I know you’ve heard about the many environmental and sustainable problems that plague the cruise line industry; gargantuan ships the size of hotels that overwhelm small port towns to give their guests “cultural experiences”, oil spills, and insane carbon emissions to name a few. With all of these problems in mind, you might be inclined to skip a cruise altogether and book a safari or visit your state’s national park.

While these aren’t bad ideas, today I want to offer you a story of hope – that, yes, it is possible to book a cruise that is sustainable and with a company that is leading the pack in green sailing.

To teach us about sustainable cruising, today we are sitting down with Daniel Skjeldam, CEO of the Hurtigruten Group based in Oslo, Norway. Daniel’s love for travel and sailing began at an early age when his father would take him to the docks in Oslo to see the famous Hurtigruten ships come into port. After serving in the army, Daniel began working for a local airline to make ends meet, and realized he had a strong passion for travel. After several years in the industry and with a huge dose of courage, Daniel approached the Hurtigruten Group’s board and asked to be the CEO. After some deliberation, he was chosen as the company’s CEO and has been leading the charge in green cruising practices for over a decade.

Daniel and I have such a fun and insightful conversation exploring:

• Why he decided to pursue becoming the CEO of this particular cruising company
• Why the company made sustainable practices one of their top priorities
• Innovations his team is leading for sustainable cruising
• Science that is being performed aboard their ships to learn about the environment (complete with a shoutout to a former guest on the show!)
• What to look for when booking your own cruise

And so much more! Being in the conservation tourism industry myself, I was very grateful to finally sit down with someone that could show me that cruising can indeed be sustainable. I have so much more faith in the future of the cruise line industry and I hope that today’s conversation will do the same for you.

Alright, friends. Here is my conversation with Daniel.