Take a Cruise, Gain a Stone

A nationally recognized reporter, writer, and consumer advocate, Ed Perkins focuses on how travelers can find the best deals and avoid scams.

He is the author of "Online Travel" (2000) and "Business Travel: When It's Your Money" (2004), the first step-by-step guide specifically written for small business and self-employed professional travelers. He was also the co-author of the annual "Best Travel Deals" series from Consumers Union.

Perkins' advice for business travelers is featured on MyBusinessTravel.com, a website devoted to helping small business and self-employed professional travelers find the best value for their travel dollars.

Perkins was founding editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter, one of the country's most influential travel publications, from which he retired in 1998. He has also written for Business Traveller magazine (London).

Perkins' travel expertise has led to frequent television appearances, including ABC's "Good Morning America" and "This Week with David Brinkley," "The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather," CNN, and numerous local TV and radio stations.

Before editing Consumer Reports Travel Letter, Perkins spent 25 years in travel research and consulting with assignments ranging from national tourism development strategies to the design of computer-based tourism models.

Born in Evanston, Illinois, Perkins lives in Ashland, Oregon with his wife.

See recent posts by Ed Perkins

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Go on a long cruise and you might come home with more than just vacation photos and a sun tan. You’ll likely gain a stone, says a new study. A stone equals 14 pounds; according to Travel Daily News, that’s how much weight the majority of U.K. cruisers gained on average during a two-week sailing.

A survey of more than 1,500 British cruisers, conducted by the British online cruise agency Bonvoyage.co.uk, showed the following:

The average British cruiser gained 12 to 14 pounds on a two-week cruise.
An additional 6 percent gained 16 to 18 pounds, and about 9 percent gained two to four pounds. The survey apparently didn’t find anyone who lost weight.
Some 31 percent admitted to eating “double” their usual caloric intake while at sea.
More than half said they dieted before going on their cruise—and 31 percent said they did this so they could indulge while at sea.

Does any of this apply to American or Canadian cruisers? I haven’t seen any comparable study for this side of the Atlantic, so I can’t say for sure. But my sense is that a similar survey here would develop similar results. No conclusions to be drawn—but cruiser beware!

Do you gain weight when you travel?

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