In 2025, I traveled to and enjoyed time on all seven continents. While it was, at times, grueling, and a couple of times I wondered if the magic was escaping, overall it was a truly eye-opening, inspiring, and transformative year…both individually and as a travel writer and advisor. When laid

I was fortunate to have been invited to the Naming Ceremony and Shake-Down cruise of the Douglas Mawson expedition ship, sailing from Sydney, Australia to Hobart, Tasmania; the “other” Australia. I figured that since I was flying all that way, I should spend a few days discovering Tasmania after I

Recently I was invited to the Naming Ceremony for Aurora Expeditions’ newest expedition ship, Douglas Mawson, and to spend four days on her on a shake-down cruise from Sydney, Australia to Hobart, Tasmania. It wound up being more than a party and a short cruise. It was an opportunity to

I had not sailed with AmaWaterways since 2014 and was anxious to step back onboard one of its ships to see how things have changed, for better or worse. What I can say with no reservation is that AmaWaterways delivered an excellent river cruise experience in every way: Ship. Service.

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

My Rhine and Dutch Canal cruise on AmaWaterways AmaStella continues with an early evening but overnight stop in Rüdesheim, Germany; the home of Georg Breuer, a renowned Riesling winemaker. His wine cellar was the venue for one of Goldring Travel’s Culinary & Cultural Wine Tasting events in 2014, so I

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