Q & A With Carrie Finley-Bajak (@CruiseBuzz)
Posted on 02. Jun, 2010 by Nancy Schretter in Blog, Cruise Details
The Cruise4Haiti is generating lots of excitement and interest from the travel and social media communities. We’re hearing from people who want to help with the event, cruisers who want to come along, and many who want to do both. Thanks for all your support. Together, we can raise much needed funds for the people of Haiti and have a great time doing it.
Today, I’m spending some time talking with Carrie Finley-Bajak (www.cruisebuzz.net). Carrie and her husband, Ben, own Cruise Holidays of Mission Viejo. She is very involved with non-profits and is one of the key organizers of Cruise4Haiti. A cruise industry leader in social media networking, Carrie has years of experience in booking all types of vacations for new and avid cruisers.
In a recent blog post, Carrie explains how she became interested in helping to develop and launch Cruise4Haiti. I wanted to ask her more about her thoughts on the Cruise4Haiti experience and how people can help:
Q. Who should come on the Cruise4Haiti?
A. Cruise4Haiti is perfect for anyone who would like to express their support for Haiti. Using a cruise ship as our vehicle to transport our in-kind donations and good intentions, we are planning on making a difference. This could be just the right cruise for someone who has never cruised before, maybe someone who has a desire to get a taste for voluntourism. Cruise4Haiti will also appeal to veteran cruisers. Children are welcome to participate, as we will be doing some activities and projects on sea days that will be appropriate for them.
I think this is a great cruise for church groups, community organizations (such as Lions Club, Rotary Club, etc.), homeschooling families,and others who want to give back. One of the appealing aspects of the cruise is that people will be able to interact with leaders from Airline Ambassadors and other voluntourism groups – and that they will be able to get a sense of completion for their fundraising events by actually “bringing” their donations to Haiti. In addition, the available activities on sea days and in San Juan will add to the voluntourism experience.
Q. Why is this a cruise that should not be missed?
A. Cruise4Haiti is going to generate much needed support for Haiti’s relief efforts. I am very confident that with the great value of the cruise and the added benefits we have designed to supplement the cruise experience, we are going to able toprovide much needed aid to the people of Haiti and also create an event that is not to be missed.
In addition, we’ve scheduled the Cruise4Haiti right before Thanksgiving and the December holidays. All of us have so much to be thankful for and the holiday season is a time for giving. The Cruise4Haiti is a great way to kick off the holiday season by assisting Haiti and helping those in need.
Q. What can the travel and cruise community do to support this effort?
A. The travel and cruise community have already been very eager to show support. Helping us through retweeting on Twitter and posting comments to #Cruise4Haiti will announce the project and help us get some relief to Haiti. Travel agencies are encouraged to bring their groups to join in the cruise. Referrals are also greatly appreciated. In addition, we are looking for sponsors and volunteers to help.
Carrie is making a difference in the cruise and social media communities – and you can, too. We look forward to your help and participation in the Cruise4Haiti event.