Conversations with Andrew Johnson

11/06/2026

Friday is the final sea day of the current Seabourn Quest cruise.
I will have 2 talks continuing my theme of the Geography of People.
In the morning I will address language and cultural differences in a light hearted topic “Divided by a Common Language”.
Then mid-afternoon I will look at Yugoslavian Legacies in Montenegro and Croatia.

09/06/2026

Early tomorrow evening, onboard Seabourn Quest, I will present the next in my series of talks based on the theme of Human Geography. This one looks at the influences of Pilgrimage and the Crusades, focussing on the islands of Malta.
I will tell the story of the Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (The Knights Hospitaller, or the Order of St John). The present day headquarters of the Order are at St. John’s Gate in the City of London. But they are central to the history of Rhodes and Malta, after being thrown out of the Holy Land in the late 13th century.
I will try not to confuse my audience with explanation of the differences between the Roman Catholic Co-Cathedral of St John in Valletta, the archdiocesan Cathedral of St. Paul in the ancient capital of Mdina, and the Anglican Pro-Cathedral of St. Paul in Valletta. 🤔
And I will make passing reference to the appeal of Mdina for fans of the Netflix series “Game of Thrones” (which I have never seen!)

07/06/2026

Tomorrow on Seabourn Quest I will be talking about the development of travel for pleasure, from the Grand Tour of the 18th century to the grand voyages of today. This is part of my series of topics in the “Geography of People” genre. This voyage we have some anthropology, some history, some geography, some pilgrimage, some crusades, some exploration, some emigration and more still to come.

26/05/2026

I join Seabourn Quest next week, with Kathy. The ship will be fresh out of dry dock. The guests will all be boarding that day.
My topics all revolve around my core of the Geography of People. I will look at the impact of historical movements of people and changes in politics over time in the world today.
We will cruise from Nice to Dubrovnik and my talks will look at the impacts of these changes and migrations on Italy, France, Malta and Croatia.
And to tempt, here is a photo of the magnificent harbour of Valletta.

22/05/2026

I am saddened to hear that Judy Chalmers has passed away. She was a good friend and always encouraging. Rest in peace, dear lady.

03/05/2026

Seabourn Ovation is in Portland today, for Weymouth, Stonehenge, Jurassic Coast etc.
Seabourn has brought in a fish & chip van as a treat for the crew.
They are serving fast. In the few minutes it took me to get from dockside to my suite the line that was there has been served. Another rush expected shortly.
Tomorrow I shall be focussing on my interest in human geography. I will talk about the great days of the ocean liners and about migration from Europe to the new worlds, often in far from ideal conditions on board these grand dames of the oceans.

29/04/2026

Looks like I’m joining Seabourn Ovation in Dover on Saturday 🎉

21/04/2026

Our current Seabourn plans look like this -
2026
4th to 14th June - Nice to Dubrovnik. On Quest
20th September to 4th October - Athens to Dubrovnik. On Quest
25th October to 10th November - Athens to Lisbon. On Quest
2027
30th January to 20th February - Caribbean, St Marten return. On Ovation
19th June to 3rd July - Midsummer in the Land of the Midnight sun, Dover return. On Quest
9th to 23rd October - Venice to Istanbul. On Ovation
2028
21st April to 6th May - the final leg of the World Cruise, from Gran Canaria to Dover. On Quest
We have some great talks planned for all these exciting itineraries. Looking forward to meeting up with many friends, both existing and new.
With Kathy Johnson and Andrew Johnson.

05/02/2026

17/01/2026

A good audience, but more importantly great feedback.
Tomorrow I have an “Up Close” discussion session in the Bright Lights Society for guests to ask questions and offer their insights related to my talks about exploration, trade, empire and cultural diversity.