My clients often inquire whether a time-limited, “must buy now” River Cruise offer is an especially good deal, and whether they should jump at the current promotion so they don’t miss out.

Normally, I answer that while the current promotion will finish at the end of this month, the first day of the next month will likely have an equally compelling offer.

The river cruise companies frequently offer “free” or discounted air that has dozens of footnotes that explain why it’s not exactly as advertised. They also often advertise 2-for-1, or 50% off cruise fares that are more amazing tricks in math than they are amazing deals.

So my normal advice is to choose the river cruise that is right for you, and book it as early as possible once you’ve made that decision.

However, every now and then I see a promotion that runs contrary to this advice. The current promotion with Viking River Cruises falls into this category.

I don’t normally comment on specific promotions by the cruise lines, but I strongly believe that this one is a deal worth acting on!

Until March 31st, Viking is offering a 50% early booking discount for its 2018 Grand European Tour sailings that is well worth considering if you’re contemplating such a trip. It includes free air that IS actually FREE from over 150 airports in the United States.

Also, normally you are required to make payment in full by the end of the month in which you book (essentially, payment in full at time of booking).  With this promotion, after your deposit is paid, the balance is not due until a much more reasonable 9 months prior to departure.

As always, you can save an additional 3.3% if you don’t use your credit card to pay, and use Viking’s E-Check option instead (this is basically a direct withdrawal from your bank account).

The Grand European Tour is the most popular itinerary for European river cruises, travelling between Amsterdam and Budapest over 14 nights.  Click here to read more about Viking’s Grand European Tour.

Here’s an example of the cost breakdown:

Viking’s Grand European Tour (14 nights, Amsterdam to Budapest):
• French Balcony: $5899 including taxes and fees
• Air: FREE!
• Optional Insurance: $619
• Optional 2-day pre-cruise package: $549
Total per person: $7067
(Note that pricing will vary depending on the date you select)

If your bucket list includes a 2018 river cruise on Europe’s Danube, you won’t get a better price than this. You’ll want to act quickly, as Viking’s 2-For-1 Cruise and FREE Air promotion ends on March 31, 2017.

Planning a Cruise?  I’d love to help!  Click here to get in touch today.

If you’re a traveller, the greatest innovation of the past century isn’t space travel or insulin, but rather wheels on luggage.

This has changed everything.

No longer are you restricted by your own ability to lift and manage your own bags. You can now bring just about everything you own, and simply be able to push it along a sidewalk until someone much stronger than you can lift it on to a conveyor belt.

This is clearly evident in the fact that new luggage comes in the same sized box as a refrigerator. If you don’t believe me, take note next time you’re at an airport or cruise ship terminal. It’s a comedy of errors watching some people attempt to manage their own stuff.

For some, this catastrophe-in-waiting is remedied by packing light. This has always been my preference. However, after travelling with my mother-in-law, I quickly realized this is not a course of action that will work for some people.

I also had to rethink my luggage strategy when I combined a back-packing trip in Europe with a cruise. I didn’t want all the other back-packers to make fun of my garment bag, so I was forced to look at alternatives.

As it turns out, there are a number of services out there that will pick up your luggage a few days in advance of a cruise (or other types of trips), and will deliver it to your embarkation point. Imagine how nice it is to get up on your date of travel, grab your carry-on, and leave for the airport.

One in particular that you may want to check out is Luggage Forward.

No overhead cranes to get your luggage in and out of your trunk; no wheeling through the airport with your half-ton of stuff – it takes away a lot of the pain of travelling.

One of my clients recently travelling from Seattle to Miami for a cruise, was charged $79 for her over-sized suitcase. When you consider the airline was going to charge her $40 to check her bag, it quickly became a no-brainer to send it via a luggage service.

So if you’re a notoriously heavy packer, or even if you just don’t want to be bothered dragging stuff through airports, it’s probably worth checking one of these services out. For a few dollars more you solve a refrigerator-sized problem.

Now… think about how much more stuff you can bring!

Planning a Cruise?  I’d love to help!  Click here to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

It used to be that when you did a tour of Europe, you would fly to Amsterdam, and haul your oversized luggage from the motor coach to a somewhat marginal hotel room, only to be ordered to have your bags outside your door for 6pm so you could do the same thing all over again the next day.

You would work your way from Amsterdam, across the Benelux countries, through France, and then fly home from Rome, completely exhausted, and vowing to throw away your massive suitcase for good.

Needless to say that river cruising is a significant improvement over those days.

Most people going on a European river cruise still fly to Amsterdam, and then hop on one of dozens of potential river ships and take a 7-day trip to Switzerland, or a 14-day trip to Budapest.

These trips are the most popular, but the Rhine and Danube trips are not the only routes in Europe!

• For those with a particular love of the Dutch, you can sail round-trip from Amsterdam on the Rhine, Mosel, and Elbe rivers
• If France is more your speed, you can sail on the Rhone, Saone, or Seine Rivers.
• Italy is also a river cruising destination, often round trip out of Venice on the Po.
• German river cruises are available on the Oder and Elbe Rivers.
• If you prefer to be further south in Europe, you can sail on the Douro River through Portugal and Spain.
• You can even take a river cruise to Russia

There are also river cruises in Asia, South America, and even the United States.

Most of these trips are between 7 and 16 days long, and have a wide choice of itineraries. So, while the Amsterdam to Budapest route is definitely worth considering, don’t feel bound by just one option.

Thinking of a river cruise?  I’d love to help!  Click here to get in touch today.

If you’re like most people, you could hardly wait to finish high school, and then perhaps College or University.

After a few years went by, however, you realized that maybe those days with your head buried in a textbook weren’t so bad after all!

One of the key differentiators between luxury ship cruising and mass-market cruising is the number and quality of celebrity and expert speakers. The nice part about being on a smaller ship is that you tend to run into these fascinating people around the ship.

A few years ago, I attended a corporate event, and the guest speaker was Chris Hadfield, who we now recognize as a celebrity – the singing, social media-ing former commander of the International Space Station. Besides giving a compelling series of lectures about his experience in the military and the space program, he generally made himself available to those of us in attendance for informal casual conversations.

I not only got the benefit of Chris Hadfield’s enriching talks, but also a real sense of the man himself. It was truly a memorable experience both in terms of learning, and a great vacation.

If a similar experience is of interest to you, most of the luxury lines have an impressive roster of destination experts and guest lecturers. Some you would recognize, while others have less star appeal… but just as much to offer in terms of learning and enrichment.

Scientists, former politicians, diplomats, athletes, business personalities and artists are all accessible to stimulate your curiosity.

Browse through Silversea’s enrichment programs and you’ll see what I mean:  http://www.silversea.com/onboard/enrichment/

Similarly, river cruise lines often have ‘themed’ voyages, where you can experience your destination from the perspective that interests you most, in the company of others who share you passion.

Examples of special interest cruises include:

• Art & Impressionist Cruises
• Beer Tasting Cruises
• Culinary Cruises
• Festive Time Cruises (e.g. Christmas markets)
• Golf Cruises
• History Cruises
• Jewish Heritage Cruises
• Music Cruises
• Wellness Cruises
• Wine Appreciation Cruises

The opportunities for learning while travelling are unlimited!

Planning a Cruise?  I’d love to help!  Click here to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Sue Bradley