Europe. In relative terms, it is not that big. But the number of things for a traveler to see and do is overwhelming.There are ways, however, to maximize what can be seen but without the “hurry up and wait” mentality that can come along with a packed, multi-country itinerary. We think one of the best ways to see the continent is to see it by boat. Not a cruise ship, but a river boat. Much of Europe was built along important rivers, after all. There are tons of benefits to traveling by river, but here’s three really big ones. Read more...

Part of our irregular Dispatches series, Roger uncovers from his 2003 travel diary a most unusual European train ride.

It had been a long trip to Denmark. An overnight train from Paris, and then another five hours from Hamburg. Running a bit tight on funds, I’d eschewed the somewhat tasty train restaurant for a selection of baguette and cheese from a Paris market just before the train left. It was a tiring trip, but still fairly fulfilling. An early morning stroll to stretch my legs aboard the train turned into a chance encounter with a gentleman named George. A minister from the Midwest, he was hiding out. Apparently, his nonsmoking train compartment contained a somewhat crazy French woman, loose with her hands and possessing a complete disregard for smoking policy on the train. Read more...

We’ve been featuring the travel snapshots of the agents who work in our office. After all, we can talk about a destination til we’re blue in the face, but sometimes its just easier to share what we’ve experienced in pictures. Our travel consultant, Veronica, just got back stateside after an extended stay in Greece, and she fell in love with the country – and after seeing her pictures, its not hard to see why. Read more...

This week, we’re doing something a little different on our blog. We’re sharing places that we’ve been in ways that we’ve seen it. Stories about travel are great, but sometimes the true spirit of a vacation is only visible in pictures. Read more...

Europe, China, Australia, Peru. These are all great bucket list destinations with a lot to offer any traveler. In fact these destinations offer so much that its easy to get overwhelmed and lose track of all the important must-see and must-do moments on these once in a lifetime trips. Sometimes, not having someone to guide the way means missing out on a lot. So when the destination is something new, there are always good reasons to make that vacation a guided vacation by using a company that can set you up with just the right itinerary. Today, we want to share a few great reasons to jump on a tour for that next exotic destination. Read more...

London’s isn’t a well kept secret. Of course, how can one of the world’s most important cities ever be a secret? Hidden treasure or not, there is plenty to see and love in London. And with the 2012 Olympics out of the way, the coming year is a great time to visit the city! Read more...

This Dispatch (part of our irregular series of experiences from folks at the Crown Cruise Vacations offices) recounts Roger’s experiences in Prague back in 2003. Some of the information in this little story may be a bit outdated, but the all the places are still there and ready for your visit! Read more...

Ever wonder where the cheapest places to extend your cruise vacation would be? We know that London or New York isn’t likely to make that list of cities, but the answers of which ones do might actually surprise you!  Trip Advisor recently put together its list of the least expensive and most expensive cities to visit, and we’ve decided to simplify the list for you… and let you know the least expensive and most expensive places to stretch out your cruise vacation. Read more...

Crown Cruise Vacations, preferred provider of PTV at Sea events, and Artful Travelers, producers of PTV at Sea, present four unique public broadcasting educational adventures at sea.

This is a rare opportunity to cruise while meeting and interacting with fascinating experts and their featured guests at panel discussions and presentations in the areas of history, politics, culture, personal finance, health and wellness and more. Read more...