Opportunity
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
Sometimes where words come from is an interesting thing to learn about. I recently came across where the word “opportunity” came from.
According to the website etymonline.com (the site has explanations of what words mean), opportunity comes from a Latin phrase “ob portun veniens” which means coming towards a port.
Since I speak Spanish, I instantly recognized “veniens” as very similar to the Spanish verb “venir” which means most commonly to come or to arrive in English.
So, let’s explore together travel opportunities and let our imagination run wild and think about opportunity, or coming or arriving towards a port.
Opportunity to Travel
In my humble opinion, folks just don’t travel as much as they should. Research has found 5 scientific benefits of travel. They are:
Travel makes you Healthier
Travel relieves Stress
Travel enhances your Creativity
Travel boosts Happiness and Satisfaction
Travel lowers the risk of Depression
Travel broadens your horizons and exposes you to new things. Travel also helps you learn about yourself—what you like, dislike, your interests and reflect upon who you really are.
Why does this happen? I think it is a break in our routine life, part excitement of neat things and experiences you will have and the challenge of a little fear of the unknown.
I also think we all need to reset occasionally. There also is a great opportunity to learn—perhaps, a few new phrases of a foreign language, or new foods, or to marvel at how cultures adapt to the region folks live in.
I also think there is a huge benefit to travel we sometimes just forget—how lucky we are to have the means and ability to travel. Trust me, perspective is a great thing to learn and relearn and travel always provides that to us.
Maybe the best opportunity to travel is that it is fun! Positive experiences are so important—we all need to laugh more and stress less.
Please take the opportunity to travel!
Opportunity to Visit Europe
Post Card I sent my parents in July 1971.
Since one of our specialties is Europe travel, you will always hear us promoting travel to this region. We are not alone in our beliefs. Of the 7 continents, based on the number of visitors, Europe always ranks number one, usually by a large margin.
So why do most travelers pick Europe as their travel destination? I can think of many reasons for choosing Europe as your travel destination. Here are just a few:
It is quite possible to explore a single country in depth or visit many countries easily.
Europe has quite varied landscapes, cultures and uniquely varied cities and villages.
Europe is easy to visit, generally has very relaxed visa and entry requirements, is safe and has a well-developed transportation systems.
It has a rich history, iconic sites, and distinct cultures all in a relatively compact area.
Since it is a continent of peninsulas and has many navigable rivers, it is easily accessible by land, sea, rivers, and air.
Since we have been traveling to Europe for over 51 years, we would be delighted to help plan a trip there. We have over 50 guides to the most important European Cities ready for you when you are ready to go.
Opportunity to River Cruise
It is no secret to us, that for many of you, the best way to see a lot in a little time in Europe, is to take a river cruise.
There are many reasons why we like to river cruise so much, but one key reason is there is so much value in the trip that it makes it a great vacation for most folks. So here are 3 great reasons you should consider taking a river cruise in Europe:
1. You will see so much in so little time.
River cruising is all about the destinations. Even though I have been traveling to Europe for over 51 years and we have led several group tours, I could not do what the river cruise companies do in one week—these folks are experts in showing you the best sights in the least amount of time. It is truly a unique way to see the interior of a country.
It is different from a land-based tour and different from an ocean cruise. One of the best advantages is that most often your riverboat will dock near or in the center of the city, town, or village you are about to explore. In five minutes, all guests are off the boat and seeing the sights.
Most lines also offer different groups during the tours—regular, active walkers or gentle walkers, so your desired way to see the destination is matched with your tour pace. Even while onboard, there is always something to see on the riverbanks, as you cruise along to the next destination.
2. Almost all is included in your trip.
On river cruise lines, your food, meals with wine or beer at lunch and dinner, your cabin stateroom, the tours, and even occasional entertainment are included in the fare. The clear, upfront pricing helps make it easier to budget for your vacation. River boats are small (only 100 to 190 passengers), friendly, and comfortable.
Food is generally good, but some lines are better than others. Some cruise lines (Scenic, Uniworld, and Tauck) are completely inclusive (all liquor, gratuities, and even optional tours) but cost more than other companies.
Viking, Emerald, and Avalon offer more optional choices, but usually have lower starting prices.
Our favorite river cruise company, AmaWaterways, is almost all inclusive. It does not include gratuities, has added a free cocktail hour called “sip and sail with included drinks”, but some liquor outside of meals may result in extra charges. There may be an extra charge for some optional tours although there is at least two tours included at every port at no charge (many times there are 3 or more at no charge).
We know the advantages and disadvantages of each river cruise line, have written over 51 port guides to Europe’s rivers and are ideally suited to help you have a great river cruise experience.
Our Stateroom on an AmaWaterways cruise in 2013
Chef’s Table food on an AmaWaterways cruise
Themed cruises, like this wine cruise on AmaWaterways, make the trip even better.
3. There are so many great routes and even repeating the same itinerary again is fun.
We have seen a lot of Europe (11 countries) while on river cruises. Your floating luxury hotel is an awesome way to see some of the great sights of Europe.
There are many themed cruises that could add to your trip and make the cruise even better for you. Most lines offer 2 tours at each port stop, so even taking the same route twice or more is not boring—it is fun, and each trip is different.
We have been 7 times on the Danube and 7 times on the Rhine and its tributaries, 4 times on the Rhone, 1 time sailing on the Bordeaux area and would not hesitate to go on any of these routes again. There is so much to see in Europe on or near the rivers that repeat trips are not a waste of time or money.
Our advice—go on a European River Cruise—don’t miss this great opportunity!
Europe’s Rivers. Map from AmaWaterways
Opportunity to Ocean Cruise
As certified Ocean Cruise specialists, we know the many benefits of ocean cruising. While economic factors and coming out of a pandemic have been a real obstacle to the ocean cruise industry in the past 2 years, many well-respected industry observers, say this is the ideal time to cruise on the oceans.
Why? They cite 3 factors that make ocean cruising very attractive now. It is a combination of falling fares, extra perks, and plenty of space.
They cite the remainder of the 2022 season and early 2023 as times to get some real deals and upgrades—a rare opportunity for you.
Celebrity Summit in dock in 2019
Lost Opportunity
Perhaps this should really be called opportunity cost. Opportunity cost is defined as the loss of potential gain from other alternatives by choosing one alternative over other alternatives.
So how does this apply to travel? You could simply choose not to travel. You could opt for short trip instead of a longer trip. You could choose a less expensive option over a luxury option.
We all must make decisions about our travel desires—some are real life due to budget and job situations. But many are due to poor decisions and really a fear of the unknown, as many of us are afraid to stretch our comfort zones a little bit, or expand our budget a little to get a better experience.
I can’t tell you the right answer, but I do know 2 things that many people regret when reflecting on their lives. First most say they should have told more people they love them. Second, they regret not spending more time together with friends and family and sharing those wonderful times together.
This, my friends, is the opportunity cost of not traveling together before it becomes too late—we never know what is around the bend. Travel enriches our lives and despite how much you might desire that nothing will change in our lives, change is one of the only constants we can expect to experience.
We can embrace it or remain static and miss a whole new world.
It is not hard to see where I stand--get out there, share good times with your friends and loved ones.
Go ahead--travel when you can to savor life and make memories—we give you absolute permission to do so!
Our Final Thoughts
You can read about place but until you experience it, you do not really understand it. Battlefields, Biblical sites, ancient towns, stunning structures, different food markets, and jaw dropping scenery are all different when you visit in person. Pictures and words are never the same as being there. It is amazing how many times I have visited a new place and the visit completely changed what I thought the place was like.
The opportunity is there--we hope you enjoyed this report and will take advantage of our advice to travel soon. Please recognize that there are great travel opportunities for you—you just must ask and act. Don’t wait and let travel opportunities pass you by.
We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts. We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe. We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you. We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.
When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip. You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience. And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process. We think we have all these qualities.
Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!
ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 51 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent
