Taking a solo trip can be a bit daunting if you’ve never done so before. If you’re used to traveling with a partner or a group of friends and now find that you’re suddenly on your own, getting back in the proverbial “travel” saddle can seem a bit overwhelming, especially coming off of the pandemic and months of complete or partial lockdown.
Solo travel can present a couple of hurdles that need to be overcome:
The idea of traveling by oneself
Price
Let’s address the former concern first: Traveling alone.
While it may have been easy to make friends when you traveled as a group or a couple before, suddenly the idea of embarking on a ship by yourself takes you back to the darkest days of your childhood where you‘ve just started a new school after moving to a new city.
Perhaps you were an army brat and the new school year meant a new city, a new school, and new friends.
Piece of cake, right?
But what about if you spent your whole life in the same city surrounded by friends and family who you knew basically since the day you were born?
Not such a piece of cake.
Taking that first step can unearth plenty of feelings including anxiety, fear, and a whole lot of stress. You shouldn’t let those feelings stop you from traveling and exploring the world. You have every right to travel and enjoy your life. And after this past year in isolation, it’s time to get back out there!
Once you’ve overcome those feelings and are ready to get out traveling again, you then have to overcome the price factor. Most pricing you see listed on flyers, emails, and websites are “per person based on double occupancy”.
Ugh! Those dreaded words “double occupancy”. 😥
Luckily, many cruise companies, including the river cruise lines are now recognizing that solo travelers are a big deal. You have the time and the means to travel – but that doesn’t mean you want to pay twice the price, right?
Several river cruise lines either have dedicated cabins on all or most sailings for solo cruisers, (usually these are on the lowest deck with fixed windows) AND/OR have select sailings where the single supplement is waived on a certain number of cabins.
Companies such as AmaWaterways and Emerald Waterways have single cabins available on at least some of their ships, as does Scenic. Avalon Waterways and Uniworld have many itineraries for both 2021 and even into 2022 where they have removed the single supplement altogether.
Unfortunately, Viking has a long way to go in this department. It’s rare they offer any breaks for solo travelers.
Enter Riviera River Cruises
While not very well known in the American cruise market, Riviera has been a trusted name in Europe, particularly the UK for many years. Riviera leads the way in solo river cruising. Not only do they have upwards of 4 cabins without a single supplement on each voyage, but they even have dedicated cruises every year for ONLY solo travelers. Cruises where everyone is traveling by themselves, everyone has their own cabin, and NO ONE has paid double the price.
What does this mean for you?
Well, this means everyone on board is in the same boat (pun intended) as you. Sure, there may be a few people traveling in a group, but they are all like-minded fellow travelers looking for a great experience, new friends, and no single supplements!
This is an absolute win-win for you if you're a solo traveler wanting to try out a river cruise for the first time. And for this reason, we've made it even easier for you to jump back into travel - especially if you're considering a solo river cruise in the near future.
Here at A Passport to Travel we have teamed up with Britton Frost of River Cruise Advisor and Riviera River Cruises to offer you one of these amazing solo group cruise experiences.
If you'd like to learn more about our Solo Group Cruise, fill out this form.
Read on if you'd like to learn more about where we'll go on our solo cruise!
Join us from October 26 – Nov. 2, 2022, on the Rhine and Moselle solo river cruise.
Your Itinerary:
Day 1 - Cologne
Join us as we embark on our five-star floating hotel in the picturesque historic center of Cologne. The friendly English-speaking crew will welcome you and help you to your cabin. After settling into your spacious and well-equipped accommodation, it’s time to familiarise yourself with the many first-class aspects of this floating boutique hotel.
Day 2 - Cochem
The first morning on board a river cruise is always a thrill, awakening to the peaceful lapping of the water outside as the scenic valley sides slip past your cabin window – there’s no other holiday experience quite like it. Breakfast is a leisurely affair; life on board is unhurried, so you can linger over that extra cup of tea or coffee. You’re cruising some of Europe’s most dramatic and romantic waterways – the mighty River Rhine and its tributary the Moselle. The Sun Deck is perfect for an invigorating mid-morning stroll, watching picture-postcard villages with slanting timber-framed houses pass by.
After a delicious lunch, we glide into our moorings at Cochem, the traditional center of the Moselle wine trade, for an afternoon guided tour. Dominating the scene is a multi-turreted castle crowning a vineyard-covered hillside, but Cochem’s real charm is its jumble of narrow streets lined with pastel-colored buildings and peppered with quirky shops and wine cellars.
There’s ample time to explore here, immersing yourself in the relaxed ambiance of this quintessential riverside town, before stepping back on board to enjoy the chef’s choices for dinner, served in the splendid ship’s restaurant.
Day 3 - Trier
Leaving Cochem, we pass through an impressive series of four locks allowing passage further upstream, through meanders in the river against a backdrop of green valley sides. All around are steep, tree-crested slopes covered in a patchwork of vineyards, crisscrossed by narrow tracks and roads giving workers access to the vines – it’s a miracle that anything can be cultivated on such terrain. The Romans first planted vines in the Moselle during the second century AD and today white varieties such as Riesling thrive in the flinty soils. Before long we approach the delightful town of Zell.
After lunch, we drive to Trier for an afternoon tour of one of Germany’s most fascinating cities – and its oldest. Founded by the Romans, it was the capital of much of their empire, encompassing present-day Spain, France, Britain, and parts of Germany. The city had a population of 80,000 people – an enormous number in ancient times – and Emperor Constantine lived here. Many of its Roman monuments, including the amphitheater, baths, and bridge, have survived surprisingly intact, but most impressive is the Porta Nigra, a fortified gate made of huge stone blocks that towers above the surrounding medieval buildings. This is the largest and best-preserved Roman city gate north of the Alps and stands as testimony to their architectural genius. Such is the significance of Trier’s Roman heritage and its other buildings, including its Cathedral, the oldest bishop’s church in Germany, that together they form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We return to our ship, moored in the charming town of Bernkastel, in time for another exquisite meal.
Day 4 - Bernkastel
After a delicious breakfast on board, join the guided tour of Bernkastel town, a romantic wonder from another age. Wander its cobbled streets to the market square, where you’ll be surrounded by ornate half-timbered houses, many dating from the 15th-century. Most famous is the Pointed House, a jewel of the rustic middle-class building tradition from the Middle Ages and a classic example of a Moselle vintner’s dwelling. You might spot the famous Graacher Tor too, built in 1300, it's the last remaining gate and now home to a museum of local history.
We have lunch on board as the ship slips its moorings and cruises back downstream. This afternoon, sit back on one of the comfortable deck chairs on the Sun Deck and soak up the atmosphere of this magical river, breathing in the clean air, listening to the rippling water, and absorbing the scenery. Another gourmet experience awaits this evening in the ship’s restaurant, possibly followed by a nightcap in the company of newly made friends.
Day 5 - Koblenz & Boppard
Early this morning, we reach Koblenz. Strategically situated at the confluence of these two great rivers, this 2,000-year-old city, with its mighty fortress towering above, is full of appeal. A knowledgeable local guide accompanies us around its principal monuments and intriguing center, taking in historic squares, highlighting painstakingly restored house frontages, and revealing hidden aspects of the city that only locals know. Koblenz is a joy to wander through, pausing to window shop while trying to resist the aromas of fresh coffee and cakes drifting from the numerous traditional cafés.
Returning to our ship for lunch, we proceed to Boppard, also known as the ‘Pearl of the Rhine’ for a guided tour, a famously picturesque town located on a long, looping bend of the river. The black and white spires of the Church of Saint Severus can be seen from a distance, but as we draw closer its bustling quayside comes into view. Captivating cobbled streets, lined by half-timbered houses, tucked-away shops selling traditional goods, and characterful restaurants, lead into the town and its main square. Like many riverside settlements in the area, the Romans founded Boppard and their legacy remains in the superbly preserved town walls, the finest in Germany. There’s time to explore or promenade along the river, gazing at views of the vineyard-covered hillsides.
Day 6 - Rudesheim & The Rhine Gorge
Leaving Boppard, as the sun crests the surrounding hilltops, expectation rises at what lies in store as we journey through the outstanding natural beauty of the Rhine Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, at every dramatic turn of the river, towering valley slopes are crowned by the precarious ruins of castles built by princes to display their power and extort tolls from passing river traffic. The Gorge is home to medieval legends, tales of mysterious happenings, and dark deeds, most famously the Lorelei – or ‘murmuring rock’ – said to have lured passing boats onto the rocks with its irresistible song.
The villages drifting by – Saint Goar, Bacharach, and Kaub – are synonymous with wine production and one of the many thoughtful details of this cruise is the carefully compiled wine list, from which you can choose fine Rhine and Moselle wines to enjoy with the foods sourced from the region.
During lunch, we arrive in Rüdesheim, for a guided tour with our local expert. Perhaps the best known of all the wine towns, the picturesque crooked houses slope down from wooded hillsides and terraced vineyards. Meander through the Market Place, Brömserburg Castle, and the charming Klunkhardshof, a monumental half-timbered building dating back to the first half of the 16th-century. You’ll also see the Brömserhof, now the home of Siegfried‘s excellent mechanical music museum - a collection of around 350 intricate antique musical instruments and musical boxes from all over the world, many in working order, still playing the delicate sounds of yesteryear.
Day 7 - Cologne
We slip our mooring early this morning and our ship resumes its voyage downstream as you enjoy another fine breakfast with views of pretty riverside towns, backed by the rolling volcanic hills for which the area is renowned. Passing the last vineyards and half-timbered houses around the pretty town of Linz, it’s not long before we reach the railway bridge at Remagen, captured intact towards the end of the Second World War, thereby arguably shortening the war in Germany.
Not long after, we draw into the heart of Cologne, in the shadow of the magnificent dual-spired Gothic cathedral for which the city is so famous. It’s a truly monumental building, taking over 600 years to build and featuring myriad religious and art treasures and perhaps the most intricate stained glass windows in Europe.
After lunch, we join a local guide for an informative tour of the city, with time to explore its tree-lined squares and perhaps visit one of its traditional bars, many of which still brew their own beer.
This evening the Captain’s Dinner takes place on board, during which delicious specialties of the regions you’ve visited will be served, hosted by the Captain himself, of course. After dinner, enjoy a final digestif in the bar while reflecting on the memories made on this wonderful cruise through the romantic heartlands of Germany’s most iconic river.
Sounds pretty great, right?
If you're interested in joining us for this amazing 7-night cruise along the Rhine and Moselle, all you have to do is fill out this form and we'll get back to you!