Newt Gingrich: Luxury Cruise Vacation Led To Better Understanding Of Greek Debt Crisis

Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich said his luxury cruise vacation through the Greek Isles in June gave him a better understanding of Greece's debt crisis.

While speaking at an event in Iowa, Gingrich said he was heavily influenced while visiting Greece with his wife Callista, according to MSNBC.

"An observation strategically about where we are ... was very much influenced when I visited Greece in June and talked to people what they were faced with in Greece," Gingrich said. "And I listened to them."

Gingrich's two-week vacation was a low moment for his then-budding presidential campaign, with his entire senior staff resigning en masse while he was away.

The former Speaker of the House persisted with his campaign despite the setback, and it seems the work is starting to pay off. According to polls released this week, Gingrich is experiencing a surge in Republican primary race as challengers Rick Perry and Herman Cain lose ground.