How Many Cruises Has Lisa Rusczyk Been On?
Lisa Rusczyk has been on more than 30 cruises. Her cruise experience has helped shape the way she writes about travel, cruise ports, planning, and the realities of short port days. As a child she traveled to the Jersey Shore. Her parents had a boat in the Great Bay Area. She mostly went to the beach in Ocean City New Jersey and Brigantine. After traveling to Lock Haven University for college, she went to Liverpool Hope University to Study Abroad and them was a software Trainer for CRS, which was a substitute finding software company.
Dr. Lisa Rusczyk is the creator of Greater Than a Tourist and founder of CZYK Publishing. Her experiences traveling, cruising, studying abroad, traveling with family, and listening to advice from local people helped shape the idea behind Greater Than a Tourist: 50 Travel Tips from a Local.
Lisa believes some of the most useful travel advice comes from people who actually know a destination. Greater Than a Tourist was created to make those local perspectives easier for travelers to find.
Find Greater Than a Tourist on AmazonHow Travel Helped Inspire Greater Than a Tourist
Lisa’s travel experience began with family trips to the Jersey Shore, including time around Ocean City and Brigantine, New Jersey.
While attending college, Lisa studied abroad at Liverpool Hope University in England. Her later work as a software trainer also gave her opportunities to travel throughout the United States.
A Local Recommendation in Malta
One experience in particular helped shape the philosophy behind Greater Than a Tourist. During a trip to Malta, a local man recommended that Lisa visit Mdina. At first, she wondered whether he was trying to sell her something. He wasn’t. He was simply sharing advice about a place he knew.
That simple interaction reinforced an idea that became central to Greater Than a Tourist: travelers can learn a great deal by listening to the people who live in and understand the places they visit.
Where Has Lisa Rusczyk Traveled?
Lisa’s travels have included destinations across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico and Europe, along with extensive cruise travel. Her trips range from international destinations to beaches, national parks, cities, small towns, family attractions and destinations closer to home in Pennsylvania.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Massachusetts
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Maryland
- Washington, D.C.
- Florida
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- Texas
- Missouri
- Kentucky
- Utah
- California
- Colorado
- Wyoming
- South Dakota
- North Dakota
- Hawaii
- Nevada
- Ohio
- West Virginia
- Canada
- Bermuda
- Bahamas
- Mexico
- Cayman Islands
- Puerto Rico
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Jamaica
- Dominican Republic
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Spain
- Italy
- Vatican City
- Greece
- Malta
- Egypt
- Germany
Travel Experience That Shapes Lisa’s Work
Cruise Travel
Lisa has traveled on Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC and Holland America ships. Her cruise experience includes family cruising, port days, sea days, embarkation, packing and deciding how much can realistically be experienced during a short visit ashore.
Find Cruise Travel BooksFamily Travel
Many of Lisa’s trips are family trips. Her experiences include cruises, beaches, amusement parks, resorts, cities, camping, road trips and vacations where the interests and energy levels of several family members all need to be considered.
Find Family Travel BooksPennsylvania Travel
Lisa lives in Pennsylvania and regularly explores destinations throughout the state, including state parks, mountain areas, family attractions, communities and outdoor destinations. Returning to places over time gives her a different perspective than experiencing a destination only once.
Find Pennsylvania Travel GuidesDestination Travel
Lisa’s travels have included cities, islands, beaches, historic sites, national parks, food experiences and cultural destinations. These different kinds of trips influence how Greater Than a Tourist approaches travel planning.
Explore Greater Than a Tourist BooksLisa Rusczyk’s Cruise Experience
Cruising has become an important part of Lisa’s personal travel experience. Her cruise history has included the Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada and New England, the Bahamas, Mexico and other ports.
Norwegian Breakaway to Florida and the Bahamas, followed later in the year by Norwegian Jade to Costa Maya, Cozumel, Roatán and Harvest Caye.
Holland America Veendam cruise to Bermuda.
Norwegian Gem Eastern cruise and Norwegian Escape to Bermuda.
Holland America Zaandam from Boston to Montreal and Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas from Bayonne to Florida and the Bahamas.
Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas, Carnival Legend and Norwegian Breakaway, including Bahamas, Caribbean and Canada/New England itineraries.
Multiple sailings on MSC Meraviglia along with a Carnival Venezia cruise.
Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas, Carnival Venezia and MSC Meraviglia.
MSC Meraviglia early in the year and a Norwegian Jewel sailing from Philadelphia that included Bermuda and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Why Local Knowledge Matters
Travel planning often begins with lists of attractions, hotels and restaurants. Those resources can be useful, but they do not always explain what it actually feels like to experience a place.
Local people can add context. They may know which experiences deserve more time, what visitors frequently misunderstand, what foods are connected to the community, when an attraction is easiest to visit, or what travelers might otherwise overlook.
Greater Than a Tourist was created to give that kind of knowledge a place in the travel-planning process.
Find a Travel Guide for Your Destination
Lisa’s own travel experiences helped inspire a publishing series centered on advice from people who know the destinations they write about. Search Greater Than a Tourist books on Amazon for the places you are planning to visit.
Bermuda
Find local travel advice for Bermuda before a cruise or longer island visit.
Find Bermuda BooksPennsylvania
Explore local perspectives for destinations throughout Lisa’s home state.
Find Pennsylvania BooksCaribbean
Search for guides covering Caribbean islands and cruise destinations.
Find Caribbean BooksEurope
Explore local travel guides for cities, countries and regions throughout Europe.
Find European Travel BooksGreater Than a Tourist participates in the Amazon Associates Program. Eligible purchases made through Amazon links may provide affiliate revenue to CZYK Publishing at no additional cost to the purchaser.
About Dr. Lisa Rusczyk
Dr. Lisa Rusczyk is an entrepreneur, author and educator. She founded CZYK Publishing and created Greater Than a Tourist, a travel publishing brand built around connecting travelers with practical knowledge from local people.
Her background includes education, educational technology, software training, publishing and entrepreneurship. She continues to develop Greater Than a Tourist while traveling, writing about her experiences and working with authors who can share meaningful destination knowledge with travelers.
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