I’ve made mistakes in packing for my river cruises to Europe. Often, the mistake is packing too much, returning home with items in my luggage that went unused. I could have saved space, weight and effort had I not packed those items. I have erred in the other direction too, leaving home once without packing enough medication. Luckily, I was in France and was able to get the prescription drug without a prescription – and for much less than it would have cost at a U.S. pharmacy.
I’ve also had my luggage hall of fame moments. On a recent trip to France where I would be on the Rhine, the Oise and the Seine, I used two suitcases to manage what I’d need for each trip. For example, I packed one suitcase so that I could easily travel by train from Paris to Basel for a river cruise up the Rhine. I left a suitcase behind at my Paris hotel to retrieve when I returned for my barge trip up the Oise, and I took both suitcases on my river cruise on the Seine. Juggling the suitcases allowed me to travel light by train and public transport. Of course, juggling the two pieces of luggage also required that I had a good relationship with my hotel so that they would hold my luggage for me.
In preparing for my Dream Cruise, I know a few things right up front: 1) AmaWaterways has laundry services on board that in my experience provides the services quickly (I have had clothes laundered and returned the same day) and inexpensively. 2) I’ll be cycling quite a bit so I need to carry gear specific to biking.
There are plenty of cycling-specific items that you won’t need to pack. You won’t need spare tires or tubes or tool kits. The ground operators do all the repairs. You won’t need a lock other than the one provided on the bike. That said, do watch your bike and do not leave it unattended for extended periods. Below are a few items that I would not leave home without when cycling on my river cruise.
Bikes and river cruises offer an ideal combination for exploring destinations. Many river cruise ships, like those from AmaWaterways and Avalon, provide onboard bikes for guided tours or independent rides. My journey from logging to travel writing highlights the lasting appeal of cycling adventures along rivers in Europe.
I returned home this past Friday after almost four weeks in Europe. While there, I hosted a barge trip that ended in happy tears, bookended by two river cruises. I’ll be writing more about those trips in the coming weeks. For now, I wanted to share a few things I learned while traveling Europe in the hope that what I took away will help other travelers.
Bicycling & River Cruising Did you know that many river cruise boats carry bicycles on board for guests to use? The bicycles are (or should
Backroads Bike Trips & AmaWaterways river cruising makes for a perfect combination for active travelers. Check out our experience of cycling the Danube. 7:45 a.m.
