Water transport

Modes of water transport:

· Ocean liners: Port to port transport, as from 1950 their passenger sections were almost totally replaced by air transport, fit for transatlantic routes

· Cruise liners:

· Ferry vessels: For short distances within a country or between two countries, used both as a means of day-to-day transportation and pleasure trip (like ferries between New York and Manhattan)

· Inland waterway vessels: Mainly found in lakes (like Switzerland), rivers (like Nile in Egypt) and canals (like Amsterdam-Holland)

· Pleasure crafts: Privately owned/chartered boats. Specially fit for island-hopping (like The Caribbean)

Unlike aviation, transport over land or water has developed since the dawn of civilization. Until the nineteenth century; animal or even human muscle was the motive power for vehicles, and this, together with the primitive state of the roads, explains why water transport was used wherever possible. Even today the 'freedom of the high seas' is internationally respected.

A distinction must be made between the long-haul or line routes plied by shipping and the short sea routes especially those of Europe and the Mediterranean, where ferries provide vital links in the international movement of travellers by road and rail. Cruising needs a separate category here since it is essentially water-borne tourism rather than a point-to-point voyage.

Sea travel is normally on a ferry, and the journey is called a crossing, but you can have a holiday on the sea if you go on a cruise. For some people a luxury cruise is the holiday of a lifetime [one you will always remember]. You may decide to book a berth in a shared cabin [a bed in a cabin with other people], or to have a single or double cabin. For more money, you can often get a deluxe cabin, perhaps on the upper deck [the higher part of the ship, which is often bigger and more comfortable]. Cruises often go to exotic [unusual or exciting] islands where you can get away from it all [escape your daily life and routines].

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16