The face of the travel industry is changing. No longer do you have limited choice in terms of destination, price and travel type. You can now go pretty much anywhere, for prices that are remarkably affordable even in spite of rising fuel costs, currency fluctuation and inflation and you have your pick of the bunch when it comes to holiday type, from adventure to relaxation, exploration to package family fun.
Both supply and demand have changed. In supply terms there are more airlines, offering a greater number of destinations than there were 30 years ago. Low-cost carriers have exploded into existence with a bang and there are more ski resorts, beach resorts, city hotels and tour options on the market.
In demand terms, we as consumers want more from our holidays. We are no longer satisfied with just sitting on a beach, cooking until we are slightly overdone. We now want to really see the world, to explore it and learn from it. Because of this urge to explore, touring holidays are a major area of growth. The backpacking revolution of under- and post-graduate students 10 years ago has spread and now people of any age are packing up a suitcase and hitting the road. Or, the water for that matter.
Sailing and cruising holidays have enjoyed healthy growth as prices have been falling and therefore value for money has been increasing. They also appear to those of us who like to explore, but who like to explore in a certain level of luxury. Hop-skotching your way through Europe, sleeping on trains, buses and in often unsanitary hostels just doesn’t stand up for comparison with sleeping the same bed every night in your clean, comfortable cabin, complete with riverside view.
River cruising, until relatively recently, was the reserve of the rich and ‘more mature’ market, shall we say. But not any more. A broader spectrum of society has cottoned on to the fact that cruising along one of Europe’s great rivers, seeing both major capital cities and small, rural villages all from the comfort of your luxury cabin, is a great way to see the continent. If you are thinking of giving river cruises a try, have a look at Avalon Cruises’ website, which is a great place for both novice and experienced cruisers to start.
It’s also a highly unique way of seeing the continent. For example, one day you can be in Vienna, exploring the UNESCO listed Old Town of the Austrian capital on foot. The next you can be travelling between cities, spending your time passing ancient castles and forts, villages forgotten by time and vast expanses of pristine countryside that normally only the locals are lucky enough to enjoy.
Of course there are downsides, you can’t just jump off whenever you want to, but river cruising actually turns the journey itself into the main attraction, not the final destination. Plus seeing as you’ll be making many frequent stops along the way, you might be quite glad to just sit back, relax and watch the world float past your window.
Image by Duncan~
