We’re hearing it more and more. An increasing number of travelers are booking river their cruises closer to their departure dates. In previous years, folks planned and booked at least a year ahead, and while many still do, quite a few travelers are pulling the trigger only a few months before their planned sailings. The heads of river cruise companies tell us that they too see the trend. What’s driving it is anyone’s guess, but no one is complaining.

”We continue to see a late booking trend,” says Michael Lundquist, director of business development for CroisiEurope. ”North American travelers are still depositing on river cruises and barges for spring of 2025, and we are even receiving new group requests. We are pleased that demand for international…

Like so many travel advisors, Mitch Krayton has been working hard for years as a travel advisor—and especially so since Covid. But this year, he swears, he’s going to take a little time for himself. “I’m focusing on small groups, under 15,” he says. "I’m going to the places on my personal bucket list—to Patagonia and Greece—and saying, ‘Hey, come along with me.’  I’m not the tour leader, I’m just there to be with my friends, and have my bucket list checked off when I get back.”

He is surely not alone. Across the industry—but especially among those who have been in the business for a long time—the travel bug is biting. And advisors are looking to tick off their bucket lists and fit in some…