I took a cruise with my mom and aunt. I loved it, but I made 3 mistakes.

The author went on a cruise with her mom and aunt.

Courtesy of the author I took a Royal Caribbean cruise around northern Spain with my mom and aunt.

Our different fitness levels and travel habits created some unexpected challenges.

Next time, I'd book another room, walk less, and plan transportation differently.

Back in October, I embarked on a seven-night Royal Caribbean cruise across northern Spain with my mom and aunt.

It had been a while since I'd vacationed with my family .

Until recently, I'd prioritized traveling with my husband and friends in their late 20s, like me.

But I'm extremely close with my mom and aunt — both in their mid 50s — and I figured we were long overdue for a girls' trip .

We had an amazing time, but having an age gap with my cruise companions came with challenges, from technological mishaps to differing health and fitness levels.

ChatGPT made an itinerary in the wrong continent Our cruise departed from Southampton, England, on Independence of the Seas and ported in Bilbao, La Coruña, Vigo, and Gijon — all in northern Spain.

Although I had been to Spain before, I hadn't visited these cities.

I was excited to experience something new.

My mom was also excited.

She even used ChatGPT to make itineraries for each port, which she printed out so that we would each have a copy.