Abercrombie & Kent

Founded in 1953 as a safari-tour operator, the upscale travel company known as A&K offers barge cruises on vessels that carry no more than 22 passengers — and some that carry as few as six. Areas of operation in Continental Europe include France, Germany, and the Netherlands. A&K also offers cruises on board the 88-passenger river vessel River Cloud II, on the Rhine, Main, and Danube rivers.