How many days you need in Normandy, where to stay, and how to plan the D-Day beaches, Mont-Saint-Michel, and the coast, from a France travel advisor.

The sneaky trip planning mistakes that cost travelers time and money in Europe, from tight connections to paying in dollars, and how to avoid them.

Some people pick a trip by the destination. You pick it by what the food options are! You enjoy the bakery more than the cathedral. You'd rather sleep in a beautiful hotel than a functional stay or big brand name hotel. You like to linger. And a river cruise sounds lovely, right up until you picture buffet lines and a cabin the size of a closet. If that sounds like you, Riverside Luxury Cruises deserves a closer look. Riverside's Debussy Suite When I stepped onboard myself, I

Explora Journey's is often described as a "disrupter" in the ultra-luxury space.

Your cabin matters...

Your fall and winter river cruise packing list, built for Christmas markets, chilly decks and cozy dinners onboard.

Backpacks are bought. Lunches are packed. The sports schedule is on the fridge, play practice is already taking over weeknights, and someone still needs poster board by tomorrow morning. Somewhere between first day photos and the first soccer practice, next year’s vacation feels far away. Here's the problem. By the time most you start thinking about spring break...

The Danube River has inspired composers for centuries, and its gentle flow invites travelers to experience a unique journey through Europe’s heart. Unlike your traditional European travel, this river moves at a calm pace, allowing you to wake up in a new capital city almost every day without the hassle of packing and unpacking. Sailing from Budapest to Bavaria aboard the AmaSofia, AmaWaterways’ newest ship, offers a seamless way to explore iconic cities, historic sites, and s

I Thought Uniworld Boutique River Cruises Was Not for Me. I Was Wrong. I'll be honest with you. Before I attended the 2026 ASTA River Cruise Expo in Amsterdam, I wasn't a Uniworld superfan. I knew the brand. I'd booked them. But I hadn't felt it. Then I walked onboard the S.S. Emile, their newest ship and that was it. I was hooked! So if you've also wondered what Uniworld Boutique Cruise is all about, read more now and check out my stateroom tour videos. The new SS Emile hits

The Big Island has 8 of the 13 climate zones on earth. It's also the youngest of the Hawaiian Islands. Imagine standing at the edge of a glowing volcanic crater as night falls, or floating in the ocean with manta rays silently gliding beneath you. Picture sipping rich Kona coffee in a misty rainforest, then watching green sea turtles surface just steps from the shore. The Big Island of Hawaiʻi offers experiences like no other place on Earth. For a milestone birthday trip that

Next week, I'm packing my bags and my brand new DJI Pocket 3, and heading to Amsterdam for the ASTA River Cruise Expo. My mission is to personally step aboard 14+ luxury river ships, meet the crews in person, and separate the marketing fluff from the true five star experiences. Because the only way to advise at the level my clients deserve is to live it first.

Traveling with friends can be one of life’s greatest joys — or its biggest headaches. Anyone who has ever been the unofficial trip planner knows the chaos: endless group chats, last-minute changes, lost luggage, and the stress of coordinating everyone’s preferences. But what if there was a way to enjoy a group trip without the usual friction? A way to actually relax, connect, and explore together without the usual headaches?

For many travelers, the word "cruise" brings a very specific, and often polarizing, set of images: massive floating cities, thousand-person dining rooms, and the frantic 4:00 PM dash back to the pier to avoid being left behind. If you’ve spent your life prioritizing independent travel, culture and local connection, that "get back on the bus" feeling is the exact opposite of a vacation (I agree, I felt the same for a long time). But this is where boutique luxury cruising in E

Small Ships, Big Soul: Why Windstar Cruise is the antidote for the big ship blues.

The Boutique Ocean Cruise Spotlight: I say “Boutique Cruises” a lot….but what exactly does that mean?

If you want travel to feel exciting instead of overwhelming, it starts with a shift in perspective. In the world of premium travel, the most personalized experienced, the "coveted suites", the villas in Tuscany or Amalfi, or space on small ship expeditions are often claimed 12 to 18 months in advance. To secure what you want, and not what is left available, you don't need every detail. You just need a framework (that’s my marketing strategy background coming in!) The truth? M

A Veterans Day Journey to Normandy: Visiting D-Day Beaches and Tracing Your Family's WWII Story. The Normandy coastline. Today, on Veterans Day, I pause to honor those who have served and sacrificed for our freedom. For me, no place has made that sacrifice feel more real than the beaches of Normandy, France. Standing on the sands of Omaha Beach, where the wind still whispers and the tide ebbs and flows, history stops being something you read about in textbooks or see in the m

There's something about river cruising that just clicks. Maybe it's waking up in a new city every morning without the hassle of packing and unpacking. Or watching the Austrian countryside roll by from your balcony while sipping local wine. I've now booked this itinerary for different clients, and I still get excited every time someone discovers what makes the Danube so special. As a luxury travel advisor and river cruise specialist, I help couples, families, solo travelers an

*Updated June 2025 with the latest Azamara enhancements. As a certified Azamara specialist, I am often asked whether Azamara qualifies as a luxury cruise line. The answer is yes and no. Azamara occupies a unique sweet spot in the cruise industry as a premium small ship cruise line that delivers an elevated experience without the stuffiness often associated with ultra-luxury cruising. Azamara's small ships (just 700 guests) offer access to hidden ports, extended stays in iconi

Basel’s Mittlere Brücke bridge spans the Rhine, offering a perfect blend of historic charm and city views, just minutes from top river cruise embarkations. Why Basel Deserves a Spot in Your Itinerary When I first started selling Rhine River cruises with AmaWaterways, Scenic, Viking (and more), I didn’t know much about Basel. Now? Since my first visit, I’m officially hooked on its culture and charm! Whether it’s your cruise embarkation or disembarkation point, don’t skip out