The AmaStella, AmaWaterways river cruise ship that I am sailing on the Rhine River and Dutch  Canal cruise docked in Amsterdam for three nights; a bonus in my book because I love Amsterdam.  The first morning, there was a canal cruise for those guests who would be departing after the

It was time to board AmaWaterways AmaStella for a two-week river cruise, first down the Rhine River from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam, Holland, The Netherlands and then from Amsterdam through Belgium and back to Amsterdam. It is, for me, a fantastic itinerary where, as I mentioned before, I have the

My European river cruise on AmaWaterways’ AmaStella is to be a low-key, relaxing experience, cruising up the Rhine River for the first week and then meandering through the Dutch canals the second, with a real focus on Belgium. But first, it was flying to Basel, Switzerland for what could be

AmaWaterways invited Goldring Travel to re-experience its European river cruises, so of course I agreed! I will be sailing the Grand Rhine & Dutch Canals itinerary, traveling up the Rhine River from Basel, Switzerland, through France and Germany to the Netherlands, spending two nights in Amsterdam before continuing the cruise

My Ecuadorian nature experience continued after departing Metropolitan Touring’s Mashpi Lodge in the cloud forest with two nights at the JW Marriott Quito before boarding the Santa Cruz II in the Galapagos for a relatively short seven-day (five-and-a-half-day expedition) experience. If you are truly into the wildlife and/or landscapes, a

Is it possible to have a true luxury resort in the middle of the Ecuadorean cloud forest in the Choco region and located virtually in the middle of nowhere and 3.5 hours outside of Quito, Ecuador? The answer is a resounding: Yes, and its name is Mashpi Lodge. It is

Explora Journeys is no longer the “new kid on the block”. In fact, with incredibly beautiful and well-designed ships, Explora Journeys is fast becoming a leader in the luxury market.  In fact, almost every client of Goldring Travel that has sailed on Explora Journeys has rebooked for a second, third,

Many people who visit The Galapagos add a pre- or post-expedition visit to Machu Picchu. This is something I don’t understand because one has nothing to do with the other.  To me, the logic is creating a “nature experience” combining the Galapagos with the Ecuadoran cloud forests and/or the Amazon