We marvel at architecture, go gaga over cuisine, immerse ourselves in culture and astonish ourselves with history. But when travel is really good we find ourselves with like-minded people sharing experiences and unless we’re being fuddy-duddies, a few laughs along the way. Travel gives us much more than knowledge, sights and tastes. Travel gives us shared experiences and with any luck, enduring friendships.

I included the video that accompanies this post because it brings back fond memories during a series of hotel barge trips this past spring. While barging along the Canal de Bourgogne (Burgundy Canal), my friend Bill and I volunteered to open one of the manual locks shortly after leaving Dijon. While the entire canal spans 150 miles with 189 locks, we were doing only a short stretch over a few days to reach the Saône River and then the Canal du Centre.

The Burgundy canal dates back more than 200 years (construction started in 1775). Some of the locks appear ancient, and some, like the one Bill and I opened, are manually operated. Usually, operating the lock would be a task for the lock-keeper. But Bill and I pleaded to take her place (the lock-keeper was a woman), pushing the lock mechanism as you’ll see in the video. Of course, the task would not have been complete without some Laurel & Hardy-style comedic activity. You can see Bill air-slapping me when I stopped to scratch my head, leaving him to do all the work.

It was one of many moments where we laughed as we transited gorgeous landscapes and dined on Michelin-inspired cuisine, washing it down with wines from Burgundy. It was hard at the time to imagine how life could have been any better – and maybe it couldn’t. One thing I know for sure: The trip was so good that I am repeating it in April of 2023.

Speaking of 2023, last week, we wrote about some folks being a tad nervous to book river cruises too far into the future. If you missed that post, see River Cruising In An Age Of Uncertainty. But as the autumn leaves begin to spiral downward and the river cruise season begins to gear up for those lovely holiday cruises in November and December, many are now casting their travel aspirations for next spring and beyond. The timing could not be better. Britton, who’ll be cruising the Rhine later this month, has put together a selection of special offers for 2023.

My own travels likely will have to wait until those barge trips in April of next year. Remember, we’re happy to give Our Recommendations should you need help planning your travel. To date, we’ve helped match more than 6,000 folks to river cruises that best fit their budgets and interests. We take pride in having helped so many to experience the joys that come with river cruising.