By Melissa Karpel

When I was growing up, my family enjoyed going on cruises. We loved seeing beautiful ports, being out on the ocean, and, of course, eating from the endless buffets. I went vegan 11 years ago, and my parents and two sisters did, too, immediately after I showed them PETA’s “Meet Your Meat” video. We thought that was the end of our cruising days—that is, until my parents saw an ad for Holistic Holiday at Sea in a vegan magazine.

Holistic Holiday at Sea is an all-vegan cruise that allows you to be on the open ocean, visit exotic ports, and eat beautifully prepared, multicourse, all-vegan meals three times a day. There are even vegan pizza and ice cream parties on the decks, under the stars. It was at one of these late-night gatherings that I met my fiancé seven years ago. Amazingly, my sister also met her husband on this cruise nine years ago, and I know of at least two other couples who met on Holistic Holiday at Sea trips. It’s such a great gathering of like-minded people from around the world that it’s even been called the “Vegan Love Boat.” In addition to enjoying healthy and delicious vegan meals, you can fill your days on board with lectures by leading doctors in plant-based nutrition and experts on meditation and mental health as well as with yoga or qigong classes out in the ocean air.

I was so excited to hear that PETA President Ingrid Newkirk would be one of the keynote speakers this year. If you mention PETA or Ingrid Newkirk when booking a cruise, you’ll get a $50 onboard credit to use on any products or services that Holistic Holiday at Sea offers, and PETA will receive a $100 donation (applicable only to first-time guests). Every time I come home from one of these trips, I have new knowledge of self-care, tips on healthier plant-based eating, and the feeling of rejuvenation that can only come from mingling with so many people who share my values. I highly recommend this cruise, and the company’s 15th anniversary voyage featuring Ingrid is not to be missed!