Travel

River cruise packing record: What to pack when touring by riverboat

March 20, 2023

178

You booked your river cruise, and the departure date approaches. Now you’re panicking about what to pack.

You need to pack gentle, given you received’t have a lot house in your cabin to retailer cumbersome suitcases. However, you additionally need to be ready with the best clothes and equipment for changeable climate on the river, visits to non secular websites and the various strolling and biking excursions you propose to do in port. How will you match all the pieces in a carry-on?

It looks like loads, however there’s no have to really feel overwhelmed about packing for a river cruise. I’ve been on greater than 125 cruises, together with many river sailings.

Below are my high packing suggestions and a river cruise packing record for a river cruise in Europe, the United States, Asia or Africa. Follow these tricks to take the stress out of your pre-trip prep.

For cruise information, opinions and suggestions, join TPG’s cruise publication.

What to pack on a river cruise

The very first thing to grasp is that the place you cruise will dictate what you pack. The Nile River in July might be fairly totally different than the Rhine in November, and also you’ll want totally different clothes and equipment.

However, river cruises are sometimes throughout hotter occasions of the 12 months in locations that won’t see ice and snow. Typically, heavy outwear isn’t wanted. (At least not a lot of it — I used to be on a Tennessee River cruise in early November, and it snowed for a number of hours sooner or later!)

Here’s what to pack to get most use out of minimal baggage.

Lightweight layers

The key to river cruise packing is layering.

On some rivers in Asia and Africa, comparable to Egypt’s Nile River, it will probably get extraordinarily sizzling throughout the day — we’re speaking 90-plus levels Fahrenheit — however cool within the evenings.

Late-summer climate in Europe may also change regularly. During a river cruise within the Netherlands in early September, some days had been sizzling and others wet and chilly. For all these locations, you’ll need to have the ability to peel layers off and put them on once more.

Layers are additionally handy ought to you have to cowl up your shoulders and legs to enter non secular buildings like temples, monasteries and cathedrals.

Light scarves are helpful for protecting shoulders in non secular locations and protecting your head and face when it’s sizzling or dusty. Colorful scarves may also be an amazing accent piece for a dinner outfit on board.

For the very best layering, take into consideration packing a number of skinny long- and short-sleeved T-shirts, in addition to a jacket, comparable to an outdoorsy zip-up jacket or vest from Patagonia. I usually carry a darkish denim jacket for layering. It’s heat and appears fashionable when worn over T-shirts and accented with scarves.

Casual garments for day and evening

River cruises contain full days of touring on land, so informal and cozy clothes is essential.

Cargo pants or shorts are an amazing concept on a river cruise, particularly for the favored biking and strolling excursions. You can stash your telephone, a skinny pockets and even sunscreen or bug spray within the massive pockets, leaving your fingers free to navigate a bicycle or strolling sticks.

It might sound counterintuitive, however for extremely popular locations in Southeast Asia, India, Egypt, Amazon area and Europe in August, it’s greatest to put on lengthy sleeves when touring, even within the hottest summer time months. This will shield you from sunburn.

Prepare for numerous temperatures and pack light-weight breathable materials. I desire skinny cotton tops, whereas my husband likes the moisture-wicking shirts from Arcteryx and related manufacturers. Both varieties take up little suitcase house and dry rapidly when hand-washed.

Some of the newer riverboats from strains like AmaWaterways and Scenic have small swimming pools on deck, so pack a swimsuit in the event you’d prefer to take a dip.

When it involves eating, river cruises are usually informal. You may even have dinner sporting what you wore on the afternoon’s excursions — inside purpose. I wouldn’t put on cargo shorts to dinner, however I’d put on denims.

That mentioned, particularly on Europe river cruises, most folk prefer to put on a nicer shirt or high for dinner layered with a pleasant scarf, vest or a skinny easy-to-fold jacket. Passengers on higher-end river cruise strains in Europe (comparable to Uniworld and AmaWatermethods) have a tendency to decorate up within the evenings greater than friends on extra inexpensive cruises.

No river cruise line will count on you to carry go well with jackets or sparkly garments. However, I’ve seen girls in cocktail attire and males in sport coats on Europe and Mississippi river cruises.

Footwear

Bring a pair of sturdy sneakers or gentle trekking footwear for excursions which will require lengthy metropolis walks in Europe and the U.S. or climbing on grime roads or rocky paths in additional rural areas in India, Laos, Cambodia and the Amazon. Alpine-style climbing boots should not mandatory.

For Southeast Asia and India river cruises, carry a snug slip-on shoe, like a pair of Crocs, which can be simple to get on and off since you’ll need to take away footwear earlier than going into temples. You’re normally allowed to put on socks, so carry a number of light-weight ankle or no-show socks you’ll be able to simply wash in your cabin sink once they get dusty from strolling on grime roads.

Ideally, carry a 3rd pair of footwear to put on inside your cabin and across the boat’s inside, comparable to sandals, boat footwear, flats or no matter informal light-weight shoe you like. I by no means journey with out my sizzling pink Birkenstocks; they’re cute and versatile, with or without socks.

Accessories and journey gear

S.S. Maria Theresa in Vienna, Austria. UNIWORLD

Clothing isn’t the one factor you’ll have to pack in your river cruise. The No.1 accent it’s best to pack is a light-weight backpack, fanny pack or sling bag that’s simple to hold on strolling or biking excursions or on extra energetic treks.

Riverboats that supply using bicycles ought to present helmets, however the choices might not all the time match the way in which you want. If you propose on biking loads (we cycled every day, generally twice a day on a current AmaWatermethods Netherlands and Belgium river cruise), take into account bringing your individual. The helmet might take up beneficial actual property in your baggage, nevertheless it’s a should in the event you’re fussy about what you set in your head.

I prefer to put on a skinny baseball cap below the helmets I borrow from cruise strains. The visor of the cap retains the solar or rain away out of your eyes. Also, in the event you’re uncomfortable sporting a previously-worn helmet, a ballcap generally is a barrier to maintain you from touching the hat straight. You may also tie a bandana in your head earlier than placing on the borrowed helmet.

Ask your cruise line if it presents passengers a reusable aluminum-style water bottle to replenish on board and use throughout shore excursions. If yours doesn’t, carry your individual light-weight refillable water bottle as an eco-friendly apply to chop down on single-use plastic waste.

If river cruising in Southeast Asia, India, South America or Africa, carry a small bag of your most well-liked medicines since you may not discover the manufacturers or names you’re used to in port. Also, carry your ache reliever of selection, and anti-diarrhea medication, simply in case.

Also, carry a small container of insect repellent, for excursions and your room, on cruises in tropical locations the place mosquitos and different bugs are prevalent.

Since night leisure on a river cruise is minimal — usually a little bit of music after dinner or nothing in any respect — take into account packing your individual night leisure.

Bring books, an e-reader or a pill, however ensure that to obtain books and flicks to your system earlier than your journey. Wi-Fi may be weak on riverboats wherever on the earth, so you might not have a sign to learn the newspaper in real-time or stream the most recent episode of your favourite present.

Tips for river cruise packing

Smaller suitcases or tender duffles are perfect for riverboats as there is probably not a lot storage in cabins. AMAWATERWAYS

River cruise boat cabins are sometimes on the small facet in comparison with cabins on massive cruise ships, so you do not need to over-pack.

Riverboat cabins are additionally not as uniform as these on ocean-going ships. European fleets could also be extra related, however strains in North America and Asia can have quirky, one-of-a-kind ships. Don’t assume you’ll have as a lot room on one line as you probably did on one other.

Riverboats might not present a lot (or any) house below the beds for cumbersome suitcases, and closets (if there are any) are compact, so small suitcases or tender duffels are very best.

There are exceptions, such because the high-end riverboats in Europe from strains like Uniworld and AmaWatermethods; bigger riverboats just like the 417-passenger American Queen on the Mississippi River; and luxurious strains like Aqua Expeditions cruising in Asia and the Amazon. These ships supply extra space for storing in usually bigger cabins.

Many riverboats additionally don’t embody self-service laundry rooms (although some deluxe Europe riverboats will). Some don’t have laundry service both. If you need to pack gentle, carry undergarments and layering tops that dry rapidly, so you’ll be able to wash within the toilet sink and grasp them to dry.