• I love cruises, but I was hesitant to go on them alone because I thought I'd be lonely.
• I was lonely at first but less so once I did what I wanted and stopped worrying about socializing. 
• I love that cruising solo allows me to relax and see the world on my terms.

I'm in my 60s, and I've been fortunate to take over 30 solo cruises over the last 15 years.

I started doing so after I discovered that I love going on cruises, but my wife did not. Fortunately, she's fine with me taking off by myself — I'm not sure if it's because she wants to make me happy or just likes to periodically get rid of me for a while.

Either way, my choice was to cruise solo or not at all. I opted for the former.

My first few cruises were lonely until I freed myself of solo-travel expectations

The first few times I cruised solo, I took three- and four-night cruises to see if I could handle being alone on a ship.

I was a little lonely on those first few cruises, primarily because I didn't know what to do with myself or what was expected of me as a solo traveler.

I felt like I had to attend tons of ship events and have my meals at shared tables with other people, but it didn't actually make me feel less lonely. I didn't enjoy doing things just for the sake of being around other people, either.

Finally, I asked myself an important question: What was I actually looking to get out of the cruise experience?

I wanted to relax and do what I wanted, not what others expected me to do on a cruise.

So, I stopped prioritizing socializing and started only doing things that furthered my own enjoyment. I found these things weren't dependent on being with others, and I became more at peace with being alone.

Eventually, I increased the length of my cruises to seven, 10, and even 16 nights. I'm still amazed at how fast time seems to pass on a ship.

I love getting to do what makes me happy without worrying about others

Turns out, it's OK to do absolutely nothing on vacation. And I don't need company to enjoy the benefits of being on a cruise.

I found that I like spending meals alone with a book, free from feeling obligated to converse or wait for others to finish eating before enjoying my next course.

Going to the nightly onboard shows is still fun for me, but I stopped doing on-shore excursions that don't further my relaxation. Sometimes, I just watch movies on the television in my cabin.

Although I no longer prioritize socializing, I still strike up conversations with people often, and I welcome those who ask to join me when they see me sitting alone.

But above all, cruising solo has taught me to be more comfortable in my own skin and more confident in myself. It's also allowed me to see the world without waiting for others.

I've now traveled throughout North America and made bucket-list trips to Antarctica and Iceland.

These days, the one downside of being alone is having to pay the dreaded single supplement, which usually doubles a cruise's base fare. But by booking an inside cabin, I can somewhat mitigate this cost of traveling solo.

• I was a Starbucks barista for nearly a year, so I've tasted a lot of the iced drinks on the menu.
• I love ordering refreshing coffee drinks like the salted cold-foam cold brew.
• Some customers don't know that you can now order frozen refreshers that are kind of like slushies. 

I always recommend the chain's salted cold-foam cold brew.

This is a personal favorite. But trust me, as long as the barista doesn't forget to add the caramel pumps, it's sure to become one of your top iced drinks, too. 

The salted sweet foam perfectly combines with the strong black cold brew. It's basically a fancier and tastier version of your basic coffee with sugar and milk.

You can't go wrong with any of the Frappuccinos, but the mocha cookie crumble is a highlight.

I've always been a huge fan of Starbucks' Frappuccinos — they're basically a milkshake-like dessert. But one standout is the mocha cookie crumble.

If you're looking for a chocolaty flavor that's not too rich, this one's for you. It's basically the equivalent of a McDonald's Oreo McFlurry with caffeine.

An iced peach green tea is the perfect alternative to coffee when you're still in need of a caffeine boost.

There are some days when I can acknowledge that my caffeine intake is a bit high. In these cases, Starbucks offers a wide variety of lower-caffeine and caffeine-free teas that are a pretty decent alternative. 

I typically live by the chain's black iced tea. But in the summer, the seasonal iced peach green tea is a must.

It's quite a light tea, and you can still adjust the added sweeteners to your liking. Plus, it has a hint of mintiness, which is always a welcomed surprise.

If you're lactose intolerant, the iced brown-sugar oat-milk shaken espresso is a delight.

You can already swap nondairy alternatives for any of Starbucks' milk-based drinks, but the chain specially crafted the iced brown-sugar oat-milk shaken espresso.

And as a nondairy milk enthusiast, I can assure you that oat milk is the perfect choice for this drink. It's creamy and pairs wonderfully with the blonde espresso and brown-sugar syrup. The end result almost tastes like graham crackers or s'mores. 

Starbucks' refreshers have been popular for years, but now there are frozen versions.

I've always been a slushy advocate, and now Starbucks has finally agreed that the popular refresher drinks would be better blended. 

This summer, I highly recommend trying a frozen refresher. You can order three flavors, frozen pineapple passion fruit, frozen strawberry acai, or frozen mango dragon fruit, with or without lemonade.   

I personally don't like adding lemonade to drinks, so I recently tried the frozen mango-dragon-fruit option without it, and it was heavenly.

This story was originally published in July 2023 and most recently updated on July 17, 2024.

• I took two ferries to get from Bremerton to Bainbridge Island in Washington.
• Both ferries were clean, spacious, and comfortable, so I enjoyed the journey. 
• I loved downtown Bainbridge Island's independent stores and restaurants.

Since I moved to Washington, I've been trying to explore my area more. Recently, I took two ferries to Bainbridge Island, a popular spot for daytrippers.

Bainbridge Island is home to about 25,000 people, and the downtown area is full of independent stores, museums, restaurants, and bars. The island, located only a few miles from Seattle, is also known for its natural beauty and scenic nature trails.

Like many excited visitors, I looked forward to seeing the beautiful waterways and shops on the island, which USA Today readers named one of the best small towns in the West.

I took a day trip to the island from my home in Bremerton, which is about 16 miles from Seattle. For this trip, I took two vessels through the Washington State Department of Transportation, which operates the largest ferry system in the US.

Here's what the journey was like.

I started my journey to Bainbridge Island in Bremerton, the city where I live.

Despite being separated by less than a mile of water, it takes about an hour to drive from Bremerton to Bainbridge Island. I didn't want to drive, so I figured the ferries would be the best option.

For the first part of my journey, I headed to the ferry terminal in Bremerton and boarded the Walla Walla Ferry.

The ferry from Bremerton to Seattle took about an hour.

Traveling via the Washington State Ferries from Bremerton to Seattle was free, and no ticket was required for a single ride.

The ferry was pretty large and could carry up to 2,000 passengers, with a maximum of 188 vehicles able to fit on board. I didn't want to bring my car along on this journey, but it's good to know I have the option for future trips.

The Walla Walla ferry had plenty of seating and other amenities.

I noticed plenty of seating options inside and outside the cabin, including booths and individual seats.

The ferry was accessible with ramps and elevators, and had an outdoor deck, restrooms, and vending machines. However, there was no WiFi.

I enjoyed the views from my booth.

My favorite part about taking the ferries in Washington is the scenery. On a previous journey from Bremerton to Seattle, I spotted a pod of orcas.

This time, I chose a window seat in a booth and admired the view throughout the hourlong journey. I even thought the large cushions were quite comfortable for a commuter ferry.

Though it was a long journey, it was a peaceful and relaxing ride thanks to the slow speed and the views of glistening water, evergreen trees, and, eventually, the Seattle skyline.

I needed a ticket to board the next ferry for the second part of my journey.

When I arrived in Seattle, I disembarked the Walla Walla ferry and went inside the terminal building to wait for the next vessel.

Tickets for walk-on passengers could be purchased online or at the terminal booth. They cost about $9.90 for adults and $4.90 for those 65 and older, though they were free for passengers under 18.

There was a 20-minute wait between the ferries, so I sat in the terminal lounge, which had lots of seating, visitor information, vending machines, and restrooms.

The ride from Seattle to Bainbridge Island took 35 minutes.

My journey from Seattle to Bainbridge Island was aboard the Tacoma vessel, which frequents this route along with the Chimacum ferry.

The Tacoma is slightly larger than the Walla Walla and can fit 2,499 passengers and a maximum of 202 vehicles.

The Tacoma ferry featured a full-service restaurant, bar, and coffee shop. 

Both ferries were similar, but this vessel had more amenities, including a coffee shop, bar, and restaurant. I noticed many tables, booths, and armchair-style seats.

Like the Walla Walla, this boat had an outdoor deck and was accessible with elevators and ramps. Unfortunately, this ferry didn't have WiFi either.

I grabbed a coffee and enjoyed the comfortable ferry ride.

I decided to grab a cappuccino at the on-board café before sitting down. Like my first journey, I opted for a window seat in a booth — but this time, I had a table.

Despite the shorter journey, this part of the trip was more comfortable due to the ferry's amenities, like the table and coffee shop.

Once we arrived, I spent four hours exploring Bainbridge Island's downtown area.

Downtown Bainbridge Island, also known as Winslow, seemed very walkable. The area is home to many independent stores, cafés, restaurants, bars, and the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.

Pickleball was invented on Bainbridge Island, so many of the local shops played into this theme.

Most gift stores I visited carried pickleball-themed goods, like paddles, clothing, homeware, and stationary, because Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum invented the game on Bainbridge Island in 1965.

I stopped for a tasty lunch, too.

After checking out some stores, I headed to a seafood restaurant called Proper Fish for lunch. I ordered the British fish and chips, which closely matched the dish I would enjoy in my native England.

Overall, the ferries were a great way to explore Bainbridge Island.

Although the journey times were long, the ferries were a great way to explore Washington, especially without a car.

Both ferries were clean and comfortable, and the free Walla Walla ferry and low prices for the Tacoma made them accessible for many budgets. Depending on the season, passengers may even get lucky and spot some wildlife on the rides.

I can't wait to take the ferry and see more of my state again.

• I tried eight brands of whipped cream from the grocery store to see which one is best.
• The lone nondairy option held it's own, but it didn't make it to the top of my list. 
• My favorite brand, Cabot, was a classic, and it had the coolest-looking can.

I've never once thought about if I wanted whipped cream on ice cream, hot cocoa, or pancakes. But I don't think I've ever said no, either. 

It's like an extra in a movie — you barely notice it, but things don't feel right when it's missing.

I decided to try eight store-bought brands of dairy and nondairy whipped cream and rank them from worst to best. I tasted each product on its own and with strawberries for a fair comparison. 

8. Foodtown sweetened light whipped cream

First Impression: Everything about this feels generic, but I still want to try it.

The packaging has a classic but uninspired feel, like someone recreated it from their hazy childhood memory of a whipped-cream can.

I didn't like this at all.

I didn't like the flavor of the whipped cream's artificial sweetener. And there was a bit of a funky aftertaste that didn't make things much better. 

Trying it on a strawberry didn't mask anything, either. I felt like I was eating a lousy fruit salad.

7. Whole Foods whipped topping

First Impression: I don't love the look of this can at all. It's bland, and the 365 logo seems out of place.

I understand that whipped cream is white, but a bland can isn't exciting to look at.

It was pretty good but much lighter than I prefer.

I thought the whipped cream melted in my mouth a little too quickly.

The use of cane sugar was a nice touch, and I certainly tasted the difference from the Foodtown brand, but it wasn't immense.

I put a bunch of this on a strawberry and the consistency left a little to be desired. I think good whipped cream enhances the flavor of fruit, but this struggled not to get lost.

6. Dairy Star original dairy whipped topping

First Impression:  I don't expect to like this one too much. The can looks a little too sterile for my taste.

But all the other red, cow-themed cans were good, so I'm keeping an open mind.

This is delicious.

All I could think about was how this one would be especially good with coffee. It tasted like there was a little hint of cinnamon, which I knew was just in my mind. 

It was also very good with the berry.

But it wasn't my favorite overall because I lost a little of the unique flavor when I used it as a topping — the berry was slightly overpowering.

5. Coconut whipped topping

First Impression: The can is unassuming, but I've actually had this before and remember loving it.

To further the hype, the Trader Joe's cashier couldn't stop raving about this product when I bought it. 

I'm not sure I'd want to eat this on its own, but it was delicious.

I tasted a very fresh coconut flavor, and I love how fluffy it is. It's a great alternative and holds its own against dairy whipped cream. 

Coconut and strawberry isn't my go-to flavor combination, but I thought they also paired nicely without canceling each other out.

I think the lightness of the coconut cream gives it great versatility and allows it to work with many flavors.

4. Original Reddi-Wip

First Impression: The can here is lovely — sleek and beautiful. It stands out among all the others on the shelf.

I don't know if this is actually the "original" canned whipped cream, but the design makes me feel that way, which I'd say is an accomplishment.

(I looked it up, and it actually was the first aerosol whipped cream.)

It's so good.

The cream is light, fluffy, and perfectly sweet. I could eat this out of a bowl with a spoon. 

I wasn't sure I even wanted to try it with the strawberry. It just melts away so quickly and leaves you with a milky-sweet taste. 

But the sweetness of the fruit went well with the cream. If the cream was a little thicker, I would've been even happier.

3. Krasdale original dairy whipped topping

First Impression: I don't have a great feel for this one.

The can looks like a nicer version of the other generic products I tried. But the cream looked great coming out of the can. 

This was the closest thing to the whipped cream I remember eating as a kid.

The cream was light and airy, with a sweet but not overpowering taste.

It got a boost in my ranking for the nostalgia factor.

The whipped cream also went perfectly with the strawberries. There was enough sweetness to prevent the flavor from getting lost, but I didn't feel like it was overpowering the fruit. 

2. Farmland real whipped light cream

First Impression: The can looks great. I like the cow logo and the spots.

It reminded me a lot of the Cabot can. 

This was very milky and had a richer flavor than most.

It actually did remind me a little of Cabot, though less textured and vanilla-y. It kind of tasted like Cool Whip without the tang.

This whipped cream brought a bolder flavor than most to the strawberry, but it worked just as well, if not better.

The topping felt fresh instead of just like an accent, like some of the others.

1. Cabot premium natural sweetened light whipped cream

First Impression: Now this is a can of whipped cream. I love the pink — it really stands out — and you can't get any more classic than cow spots.

I can't wait to try it. 

This felt like the closest I'll ever come to drinking milk straight from a cow on a farm.

I know the can says light, but this had a thickness to it that I appreciated.

It was also far milkier than the others, and though it could have been a little sweeter, I was eager to eat more.

The cream and strawberries genuinely went together. The richness of the fruit didn't outmatch the creaminess of the topping.

I liked Reddi-Wip more on first taste, but I kept going back for more of Cabot's whipped cream.

Foodtown is the only brand I wouldn't buy again, mostly because I didn't love the flavor. But I probably wouldn't get the Whole Foods brand again, either, unless I was in a pinch.

I preferred the thicker whipped creams like Reddi-Wip, Krasdale, and Farmland. 

Cabot was easily my favorite one of the bunch. It was so simple and rich, making the strawberries an experience to eat.

I felt like I was enjoying a full-fledged dessert rather than just some berries and cream.

This story was originally published in July 2023 and most recently updated on July 17, 2024. 

• Bernie Sanders conceded Biden has trouble speaking — but argued that his agenda is more important.
• "Sometimes he doesn't put three sentences together. It is true," said Sanders.
• The top progressive also said he believes Biden still "has a very good chance to win.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who remains a key progressive power-player in the Democratic Party, is sticking firmly behind President Joe Biden amid questions about his viability.

That's even as he admits that Biden has issues effectively delivering his own message.

"I'm not aware that anyone thinks that Joe Biden is the best candidate in the history of the world, or that he's an ideal candidate," Sanders told The New Yorker. "Sometimes he gets confused about names. You're right—sometimes he doesn't put three sentences together."

But the Vermont senator insists that he remains the best candidate Democrats have, and that "trying, in an unprecedented way, to take him off the ticket would do a lot more harm than good."

In the interview, Sanders argued that Biden has been the "strongest record of any President in modern American history," and that both the media and his Democratic colleagues — 20 of whom have publicly called on Biden to drop out — are not focused enough on the substance of the president's achievements.

"I would much prefer to have somebody who can't put three sentences together who is setting forth an agenda that speaks to the needs of working-class people," said Sanders. "Given these really horrific several weeks that Biden has had since the debate, where Democrats are busy attacking him, the media is busy attacking him, if he's not any worse off today than he was before the debate, I think that he has a very good chance to win."

Sanders's approach in the wake of Biden's disastrous debate performance has differed significantly from his fellow Vermont lawmakers.

Sen. Peter Welch, the other Vermont senator, is the sole Democratic senator who has called on Biden to drop out.

Rep. Becca Balint, the state's sole House member, told VT Digger that her constituents "overwhelmingly" want Biden to drop out, though she's stopped short of calling for it herself.

• Since law school, JD Vance's wife has been tight-lipped about her political beliefs.
• Usha Vance was a registered Democrat until 2014 and worked at what some viewed as a progressive law firm.
• Though she hasn't seemed thrilled about the national spotlight, she is speaking at the RNC tonight.

Usha Vance's classmates at Yale Law School didn't know much about her politics.

"She was more tight-lipped, at least in my experience, with her political views," said Marvin Lim, a Democrat in the Georgia House of Representatives who also graduated in 2013. He wasn't close with either of the Vances, but said that they "certainly communicated a great deal."

"I don't remember ever having a political conversation with Usha," Elliot Forhan, a Democrat representative in Ohio who took a small class with Usha but wasn't close friends with her, said. "She just didn't really show her cards with respect to the political stuff."

Usha Chilikuri met JD Vance while at Yale Law Cchool. The two were in the same small group of approximately 15 students who take all of their classes together, the New York Times reported. They got married in 2014, one year after graduating, and Lim said that their affection for each other was obvious. Less obvious, however, is Usha Vance's political orientation and relationship to the newfound national spotlight.

Usha Vance grew up in a suburb of San Diego, raised by a mechanical engineer and a biologist. One of her family friends, Vikram Rao, told The Times that she was a natural and kind leader, selecting what games they played and setting the rules by age five.

After getting her undergraduate degree from Yale, she studied copyright law at Cambridge. One of her friends there, Gabriel Winant, said that her social circle was left of center and even dotted with the occasional leftist, The Times reported.

While her political views weren't recognizable to casual peers at Yale Law School, her leadership was evident. Both Forhan and Lim said that she was not particularly loud in class, but did not fade into the background, either. Her drive didn't seem to extend to politics.

"She didn't express political ambitions, but she did have ambition," Lim told Business Insider, noting that she went on to have prestigious judicial clerkships after graduation. "We knew those were things she wanted to do, but not political ambitions."

JD Vance's spokespeople did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

From a "woke" law firm to conservative clerkships, Vance's political orientations remained murky after law school.

After graduating from law school, Vance clerked for a pre-SCOTUS Brett Kavanaugh from 2014-2015 and Chief Justice John Roberts from 2017-2018. In addition, she worked at the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson, but resigned on Monday when her husband became the GOP nominee for vice president. The law firm has since removed her biography, and with it all of her past cases, though the website used to describe her as "a skilled litigator specializing in higher education, local government, and technology sectors."

The magazine The American Lawyer described Munger, Tolles & Olson as "cool, woke" in 2019, with a "radically progressive" policy on gender and racial diversity in hiring, Vanity Fair reported. Despite his wife's workplace environment, JD Vance championed the "Dismantle DEI Act" in June, 2024, calling the DEI agenda "destructive." In 2022, two colleagues at the firm described Usha Vance as liberal or moderate to The Times.

To make her political affiliations even murkier, Vance was a registered Democrat as of 2014, The Times reported. Yet she shifted to the right alongside her husband — in 2021, Federal Election Commission records reveal that she donated to Blake Masters, a conservative Senate candidate in Arizona.

Vance hasn't always seemed eager to be center stage.

When JD Vance was himself running for Senate, Usha Vance appeared in his very first campaign ad, sitting in front of a bookshelf and talking about their three children. In an interview with Newsmax during the campaign, she said that her husband has not changed in the many years of their relationship.

After her initial appearance, Vance largely faded out of her husband's campaign, but became more active as voting day neared. In a recent interview on Fox & Friends, Usha Vance seemed ambivalent about taking on a public political role. During the conversation in June, she didn't wholly embrace the possibility of becoming the Second Lady.

"I don't know that anyone is ever ready for that kind of scrutiny," she said. "I'm not raring to change anything about our lives are right now, but I believe in JD and I really love him, so we'll just sort of see what happens."

She declined to specify what issues she would tackle should she end up in the White House, saying that "we might be getting a little ahead of ourselves."

While Usha Vance's political orientations and interest in life as a national figure remain foggy, her devotion to her husband has seemed strong since her days at Yale Law School.

"In terms of political beliefs, she held that close to her chest, but in terms of being supportive of JD, that does not surprise me," Lim said.

Usha Vance is scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention tonight, just before her husband. As he has moved into the spotlight, it seems that she is starting to, quite literally, as well.

• The Biden campaign accused Elon Musk of using his vast wealth "to try to control our democracy."
• In a fundraising missive, the Biden campaign said Musk "ruined Twitter."
• Musk has reportedly pledged millions to a pro-Trump super PAC.

President Joe Biden is trying to spin Elon Musk's full-throated endorsement of Donald Trump in his own financial favor.

The Biden campaign blasted out a fundraising email Tuesday, warning "Musk is using his vast fortune to try to control our democracy."

In a bid to solicit donations, the Biden campaign referenced Musk's reported $45 million monthly pledge to a pro-Trump super PAC, America PAC.

"The richest person in the world is now on Team MAGA," the email reads.

It took another jab at the billionaire, adding that "Musk already ruined Twitter by allowing hate speech and disinformation to flood the platform."

Neither reps for Musk's X nor the Trump campaign immediately responded to Business Insider's requests for comment ahead of publication.

Musk "fully" endorsed Trump after an assassination attempt on the former president at his campaign rally Saturday in Pennsylvania.

And the Biden campaign had previously slammed Musk for making a "sizable" donation to America PAC, Bloomberg reported.

"Arrogant billionaires only out for themselves are not what America wants or what America needs," a Biden campaign spokesman told the outlet. "Elon knows Trump is a sucker who will sell America out, cutting his taxes while raising taxes on the middle class by $2,500."

Musk has said he voted for Biden in 2020, though his biographer Walter Isaacson later wrote that Musk never made it to the polls on election day. Since then, Musk has been a frequent critic of the President after Tesla was left out of an electric-car summit in 2021.

• Rep. Adam Schiff of California called on Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 race.
• Schiff is the highest profile Democrat to call on the president to step aside.
• Biden has repeatedly declared that he will remain in the race.

Rep. Adam Schiff of California on Wednesday became the most notable Democrat to publicly call on President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 race.

"[O]ur nation is at a crossroads," Schiff said in a statement first reported by The Los Angeles Times. "A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November."

Schiff, who rose to fame leading then-President Donald Trump's first impeachment, is widely favored to win his US Senate race this November and hold onto the seat once held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein. He is also a close ally of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Twenty Democratic members of Congress have now publicly called on Biden to drop out. More lawmakers have expressed concern that Trump will win in November. Trump is currently in the best position in national polling of any Republican presidential nominee in over two decades. Some Democrats are fearful that the former president could even be on the path to a blowout win, which could harm Democrats down the ballot.

Like other Democrats, Schiff praised Biden's leadership and said the final decision ultimately rested with him. The California Democrat also made clear that his party should be focused on one goal: beating Trump.

"Joe Biden has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation's history, and his lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now as President has made our country better," Schiff said.

Schiff's statement underlines that the push to get Biden to step aside remains ongoing. Democrats remained mostly silent in the wake of the assassination attempt on Trump. The party has also been trying to project a unified front during the Republican National Convention.

Pelosi has reportedly continued to hear out House Democrats who are concerned about Biden's standing. She raised eyebrows when she suggested during an interview that the president hadn't made a final decision. At that point, Biden had repeatedly declared that he was staying in the race.

"It's up to the president to decide if he is going to run," Pelosi said on July 10 on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "We're all encouraging him to make that decision. Because time is running short."

Schiff is very close to his fellow Californian. Pelosi endorsed Schiff over other House Democrats to replace Feinstein. Her support, as The San Francisco Chronicle pointed out, has helped Schiff deflect criticism about replacing an iconic woman when other women were also on the primary ballot. Pelosi also made sure that it was Schiff who helped lead Trump's first impeachment even though such powerful has historically gone to the House Judiciary Committee.

Amid the continued dissension, the Democratic National Committee indicated that it would proceed with a controversial plan to crown Biden the nominee before the party's convention kicks off in Chicago next month.