Travel Articles

Alissa Musto is a musician, singer and songwriter who has entertained audiences around the world as a guest entertainer on luxury cruise ships. She is a former Miss Massachusetts and Miss America finalist and has a master's degree in music business and entertainment industries from the University of Miami's Frost School of Music...Read more

Some 30 million people board cruise ships every year to hit the high seas in style. If you’re thinking about becoming one of them, first, congratulations, and second, there are a few things you should know. But not just from us. Here are 21 cruise tips and tricks from insiders to help you have the best sailing of your life...Read More

There were only 3,300 American trips to Tasmania last year, according to tourism officials. But more are on the way in 2023, predicted Sarah Clark, CEO of Tourism Tasmania. "We've seen more interest in Tasmania from North America than we have in years," she said.

One of them is Alissa Musto. She made the one-day trek from Boston to Hobart, the capital city, in December. That's midsummer in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the best times of the year to explore the city's vibrant culture and restaurant scene...Read More

"Many people assume that when the ship docks, they'll immediately have entertainment and/or transportation options waiting for them. This is not always the case," said Alissa Musto, a traveling musician, singer, and performer with two years of experience working on cruises. "Especially in Central America, attractions are not accessible immediately off the ship and some sort of tour needs to be arranged ahead of time. By waiting until your cruise to get a game plan for your port days, you'll have to rely on ship Wi-Fi, which [can be] slow and expensive, to do research on what to do, or rely on the excursions the cruise line offers, which can sell out quickly."...Read More

Some habits you think are polite don’t go over quite the way you’d expect. They may even affect cruise worker’s pay rate and the opportunity for them to be offered a future contract, according to Alissa M., a performer who’s worked on some of the world’s top cruise lines, including Holland America, Princess and Norwegian. And other seemingly kind gestures may actually be awkward or get in the way of an employee doing his or her job...Read More

The cruise industry has been on lockdown since the start of the pandemic, but there is hope that ships will be able to set sail by the weekend of July 4. The TEN takes a look back at the year cruise lines lost to COVID-19 and the prospects for the future...Read More

Turndowns and emptied wastebaskets are not the only things missing from the hotel experience. Alissa Musto, a musician from Boston, has noticed the disappearance of coffee in the lobby. “I didn’t realize how much I’d miss it,” she says...Read more

"Alissa Musto is a singer-songwriter on the MS Rotterdam, performing in a dueling piano show called Billboard Onboard. Early into her cruise ship contract, Holland America announced it was suspending operations and sending home all passengers and non-essential crew. At the time, she was three days into a two-week Panama Canal crossing. When we caught up with Musto last week, she was hunkering down at her parents’ house in the Boston suburbs. She is eager to return to ship life, but when that will happen is anyone’s guess..." Read more

"Audiences at cruise ship shows may have more of a say in the entertainment, says Alissa Musto, a professional cruise ship entertainer. "As a piano bar entertainer, longer cruises will consist of more 'all-request' performances rather than standard, themed shows with definite setlists," to ensure guests don't hear the same songs over and over again...” Read more

"Traveling has enriched my life in ways I could have never imagined, and the fact that performing music, my true passion, has brought me these opportunities is a dream come true. Visiting over 30 countries, I have been exposed to so many amazing cultures, languages, foods, historic landmarks and natural phenomenons...” Read more

"Alissa emphasises that we aren’t travelling to look for love: “Although randomly meeting a solo foreign female traveler is a great start for a rom-com, we’re not all traveling by ourselves because we’re single.” In fact, for 42% of women, the primary reason to travel solo is to gain independence and freedom — not a date...” Read more

"Audiences at cruise ship shows may have more of a say in the entertainment, says Alissa Musto, a professional cruise ship entertainer. "As a piano bar entertainer, longer cruises will consist of more 'all-request' performances rather than standard, themed shows with definite setlists," to ensure guests don't hear the same songs over and over again...” Read more

To find out what it's really like to work and live on a cruise ship, we spoke to seven current and former employees. We talked to a dancer, a pianist and vocalist, a fitness instructor and spa manager, a wig designer and stylist, a groups and event manager, an English hostess, someone who worked with the kids' program and in future sales. Ahead, these women share the best and worst parts about the job and even spill some juicy stories from their time on board...Read more

"Alissa Musto, a professional musician who travels about 10 or 11 months out of the year, says she usually waits until she's already at the airport to check in rather than checking in early. "When you check in, the airlines are hoping you're going to pay extra to sit by the window or where there might be a few empty seats next to you, so they're going to assign the less desirable seats first," Musto says. "If you wait to check in, you have a better chance of getting assigned a more desirable seat, which they're hoping someone would pay for..." Read more

"Great, did you just sprint all the way to your gate only to find out it was switched to one much closer to where you started? “Sign up for flight updates on your phone,” says Alissa Musto, a professional travelling musician and singer-songwriter. “If your flight is delayed or security lines are long, you’ll get updates in real time so you know what to expect when you arrive at the airport and can plan accordingly..." Read more

"Miami tends to get a lot of love, but traveling musician and blogger Alissa Musto said we shouldn’t forget about another Florida city: Fort Lauderdale. “I’ve flown to Fort Lauderdale for $100 round trip,” she said. In addition to sandy beaches, you can’t miss attractions like the Instagram-worthy Bonnet House Museum & Gardens or the Everglades..." Read more

“I’m frequently traveling for work, and my favorite way to alleviate stress is getting in a good workout,” says Alissa Musto, a professional musician. Among her stress relief tips..." Read more

Frequent traveler and musician Alissa Musto said she's had things taken before despite not purposefully violating the regulation. "I'll definitely estimate and take a chance if I believe one of my liquids is slightly oversized," she says. "There have been times my bags have been pulled for a questionably sized liquid."...Read more

"In some areas, you can still use cash to pay for a toll road. “Tolls in Florida have not gone completely electronic, so there may still be the option to use a cash lane and avoid the car rental toll fees altogether,” says Alissa Musto, a musician from Boston who travels frequently. Make sure you carry enough cash when you travel on toll roads...Read More