Return to main articleBest Places to Stretch a Weak Dollar
Western Europe's Rivers
Why It's a Bargain: Gliding down the waterways of Europe lets you take in all the scenery and culture while keeping most of your expenses in dollars. How to Go: Avalon Waterways covers Europe by way of the Danube, the Moselle, the Rhine, and the Rhone. This spring the small-ship line is launching a new 138-passenger ship, the Scenery—which, despite being petite, offers travelers the obligatory pool as well as niceties such as Egyptian-cotton sheets and flat-screen TV's. Its 11-day "Flavors of Burgundy and Provence" goes from Paris to Nice along the Rhone, and includes hotels at each end as well as stops in Arles, Avignon, and the Chardonnay area; passengers also receive onboard wine tutorials to help guide onshore tastings. Rates start at $2,059 per person (877/797-8791; www.avalonwaterways.com). What to Buy: While ashore in Burgundy or Provence you can try wines so local, or "small," that they typically don't get imported to the U.S.—and you can often bring them home for $20 or less.
