Explore the Rivers of the World in Retirement

Why not explore the rivers of the world in retirement?  We’re always interested in hearing the travel goals of our fellow retirees and are amazed at some of the goals that they set.  Seeing all the rivers of the world occurred to me as we were cruising down the Rhine and enjoying the dozens of castles that dot the landscape of this incredible river.  Having already experienced the Danube, I realized how different they were from each other and how each one takes on its own personality.  We know a lot of people who want to get to every state and some others who want to visit every continent or rack up as many countries as they can, but it occurred to me that a river cruise might be an interesting way to explore different parts of the world while learning the local history at the same time. River cruises are incredibly popular and there are commercials for them all the time.  I remember seeing an advertisement for them for the first time about twenty years ago and it looked like something that you would do once in your life.  Although it looked very nice, I couldn't envision doing it more than once.  It looked expensive and my impression was that, if you’ve seen one river, how different could another one be?  I was very wrong about both of those assumptions. If one of your travel goals is to explore the rivers of the world, you have made a wonderful choice and are in for a lifetime of memories.

Explore the rivers of the world in retirement and you’re in for a method of travel that will save you from the necessity of packing and unpacking as you move from hotel to hotel because your ship is a floating hotel which allows you to get close to the ports of some beautiful cities.  There might be no better place to start than the Mississippi River which can be explored from New Orleans to St. Paul with many stops in between.  Experience Memphis with its wonderful musical history or explore Hannibal, Missouri which was the backdrop for Mark Twain’s epic novels.  You can even branch off on a “bourbon” tour if you’d like.  Experience the foods of the different regions and you realize how much fun it is to see the world.

Explore the Rivers of the World and Discover the Wonders of the Past

Explore the rivers of the world and you’re in for a lifetime of experiences that will culturally enrich you, expand your knowledge of history and reward your culinary desires with great restaurants and wonderful vineyards.  If wine is one of your favorite passions, almost any country has places to explore that will be like having your favorite wine store come to life.  Our journey on the Rhone River in southern France was a dream come true for me because of my love for Chateauneuf de Pape and just one visit into a vineyard to view the rocky soil and the root system that can go down fifteen feet showed me why this wine is so unique.  But so is every wine from Portugal to Germany to just about anywhere in the world you can imagine.  The soil and the environment shape the grapes which shape the wine.  You’ll hear the same idea when it comes to olives and why there is so much pride in the olive oil from each of the countries.  It is wonderful to the national pride that exists from country to country, and it makes you realize how diverse and wonderful this world is.  We need to explore it as much as we can and the rivers are a wonderful way to do it.

Explore the rivers of the world and you come close to history through the ruins of incredible castles and the spires of the great cathedrals.  Journey down the Nile and you’ll experience the wonders of an ancient civilization that we are still learning about.  And each evening you can relax on board with a wonderful dinner that is often influenced by the local cuisine.  It is a wonderful way to see the world if you’re able to do it.

Now you might be thinking that you would love to explore the rivers of the world in retirement but couldn’t possibly afford to.  I have complete sympathy for that, but I would also suggest that it might not be as expensive as you think when you add up everything that you get, especially if you find a last-minute deal.  Remember, you won’t need a hotel room, and all your meals are included so when you look at the price that is being offered, keep that in mind.  If you travel on your own, you’ll need transportation from city to city and you’ll have to arrange your own tours.  On a river cruise your method of travel from port to port is very scenic and quite relaxed and for most cruises a tour is included in each city.  While the initial price tag may seem high, when you add everything up it becomes very reasonable for what you get.  I won’t say it’s cheap because it’s not but for the quality that you get, I definitely think you get your money’s worth.  Do it once and see what you think.  You might come back and realize that you want to explore the rivers of the world in retirement.  Life’s too short to stay home.  It's time to Enjoy Retired Life!

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