When our company was formed in 1992, we chose a name to reflect the kind of travel product we wanted to offer----packages with VALUE. Some companies strive to be the most barebones and low budget possible, catering to the backpacker-type travelers. Other companies want to give their clients the absolutely most luxurious, high end, pampered travel product possible. Our philosophy has always been to offer “the best value that money can buy.” We carefully design our international cruise packages to give a first class and comfortable travel experience that includes most of your travel expenses: lodging, transportation, meals, entertainment, and guided tours. But where we excel is in the extra cultural experiences that we add such as a hosted lunch with a local family in Egypt or China, an “Apsara” music and dance performance in Cambodia, tea and cakes with “Grandma” Valya in a Russian village, a Serbian party with homemade food, music and dancing, or an elephant safari in India searching for one-horned rhinos.

Our phones are promptly answered Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 5:30pm Pacific Time, by our bright, knowledgeable, and cheerful reservationists who have collectively travelled on nearly all of our river cruises personally. You will never hear “press 1 if you want to be connected with an operator in India” or “press 2 if you want to hear elevator music and commercials for 20 minutes.” We built relationships with our clients and travel agent partners. You don’t talk to some nameless new person each time you call our office. We become involved in planning a memorable vacation experience for you.

Over the years we have found energetic, friendly cruise directors and guides who smoothly orchestrate your trip and proudly acquaint you with their homelands. Our river cruises are meant to be casual, fun, and a learning vacation. Our staff is there to assist in this “one big happy family” experience. We consistently receive rave reviews about the crew. In fact, sometimes clients say they want to take one of our guides home with them!

Our niche is finding destinations that appeal to curious travelers and explorers, instead of sun worshipping, lay-on-the beach vacationers. We want to immerse our clients into different cultures rather than isolate them in an “American bubble.” Although the world seems to grow smaller all the time, it’s still fascinating and diverse. What better way to see some of our extended neighborhood and meet our global neighbors than on a relaxing river cruise! Please take a look inside this issue to see the fine variety of international river cruises that we are offering in 2009.