Viking Becomes the First River Cruise Line to Sail Year-Round in Europe
Viking has announced a new river cruise itinerary, debuting in December, 2023, making it the first river cruise line to operate year-round on Europe's rivers - which comes with some benefits for travelers opting into river cruising at that time of the year. Viking's new 'Treasures of the Rhine' cruises will allow guests the opportunity to experience Europe’s rich culture during winter, even after the region's famous Christmas markets have closed. In 2022, Viking already dedicated more ships to late November and December Christmas...
The Wine Region You Can’t Miss on a Danube River Cruise in Hungary
King Louis XIV of France called it the ‘wine of kings, the king of wines,’ but remarkably, this Hungarian wine remains under the radar for many wine lovers today. For over a thousand years, Tokaj wines were served to royalty, and now, they are a treasure for modern travelers to Hungary to discover. A perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in Hungary’s Tokaj wines may be before or after a Danube river cruise beginning or ending in Budapest. The wine region...
This is How One River Cruise Line is Marking the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, From London to Paris
2024 marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings of Allied troops in France to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation. For travelers with family members who served in Normandy, as well as those keen to immerse themselves in history, one river cruise line has created an itinerary to commemorate the milestone with perspectives from both sides of the Channel. I've made a river cruise pilgrimage to Normandy and visited the American, British and Canadian D-Day Landing Beaches. It was not...
American Cruise Lines Marks a Half-Century in Service; Charting New U.S. River and Coastal Waters in 2023
American Cruise Lines is the oldest U.S. cruise line exclusively sailing along the rivers, waterways and coasts of America, with 2023 marking a half-century of operations. The cruise line visits only domestic ports of call along both the U.S. East and West Coasts, Alaska to Florida, and the major rivers in-between, from the Hudson to the Mississippi to the Columbia and Snake. Mississippi itineraries also explore along the Ohio, Cumberland, and Tennessee Rivers.As American Cruise Lines celebrates its 50th anniversary,...
Why You Should Book a Trip to Egypt During the Centenary of the Discovery of King Tut's Tomb
A hundred years after the discovery of the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, “King Tut” remains the most famous of all of ancient Egypt’s rulers – and one of the biggest attractions on a trip to Egypt. Tutankhamun only ruled for 10 short years until dying at the age of 19 in 1325 BC. But he became a celebrity again, thousands of years after his passing, in November, 2022. That's when British Egyptologist Howard Carter and his team discovered...
The Christmas Markets You Can't Miss on a Viking 'Christmas on the Rhine' River Cruise
Viking has debuted a new river cruise that would make even the Grinch burst with Christmas spirit! And if you already love Christmas like I do, Viking’s new ‘Christmas on the Rhine' river cruise may be the ultimate way to immerse yourself in the beloved and authentic European Christmas traditions right at their source. From March until November every year, Viking operates river cruises on the Rhine, but in late November, for the four weeks leading up to Christmas, the...
Trick or... Travel: Top Hallowe'en-Inspired Trips
Supernatural and macabre films, TV series, and novels feed our gathered-round-the-fire love of a scary story. But there’s nothing like the real-life thrill of visiting in person places around the world whose histories of hauntings, bone-chilling tales and ghostly sightings get our primal senses tingling while we’re standing right there!We’ve rounded up some of our favorite spook-tacular trips:London, EnglandLondon’s long history of royal intrigues and political skulduggery – as well as its wealth of ancient towers, dungeons, prisons and places...
Belmond Debuting New 'Barge' for Luxury Micro-Cruises in Champagne, France
This may be the smallest type of cruise possible. Luxury travel company Belmond is building another mini-river cruise ship. This one will sail just 6 guests through the legendary Champagne region of France. Part of its French collection, Coquelicot, A Belmond Boat, Champagne, launches in spring of 2023. It joins a fleet of so-called ‘barges’ in France called Les Bateaux Belmond. The fleet includes intimate vessels sailing in France’s Du Midi, the Camargue, Provence, two in Burgundy, and one in...
Another River Cruise Line to Begin Sailing on the Douro in Portugal
Douro river cruises are among the fastest-growing itineraries in European river cruising, and one river cruise line is building a new ship to join the rush to Portugal. Beginning in 2024, Avalon Waterways will be the latest river cruise line to embark on this increasingly popular route, joining Uniworld, Tauck, AmaWaterways, Scenic, Emerald Cruises and others on this western-most European river cruise route.Calling its new itinerary “a new view on the Old World,” Avalon Waterways says the new route will...
The Safest Countries for Solo Women Travelers - Plus Other Top Tips
Never before have more women been traveling solo! Singletons of all ages and stages in life: never-been-married, divorced, widowed… all kinds of women are deciding not to wait to be paired up or until a friend can be a travel companion to embark on dream journeys. They’re making plans to travel now. Does that sound like you? If so, you’re part of one of the top travel trends, and the great news is that the world has never been more accessible...