The Voyage
Where the journey is the destination. Small-ship cruise, river cruise, yacht charter. Trips where you wake somewhere different and stay in the same bed.
Voyages occupy a particular psychological space. They are restful in a way land travel rarely is, because the unpacking happens once, and they allow a kind of geographic ambition that itineraries on land make exhausting. A motor yacht charter through the Greek islands. A small expedition ship along the Norwegian coast or through Indonesia's Raja Ampat. A river cruise through Burgundy or the Douro Valley or southern Egypt.
The work is in matching vessel to traveller, which is harder than it sounds. The right ship for a couple is the wrong ship for a group of eight. The right ship for a first-time cruiser is rarely the right ship for someone who's done six. River cruise lines vary materially in the average age of their passengers, the depth of their excursions, the seriousness of their food. The brochure doesn't tell you which one is which.
Yacht charter is its own discipline. The practice works with a small number of brokers I trust, and the boat-and-crew combination matters more than the destination.
Voyages are often the bridge between The Sanctuary and The Expedition. They reward the household that wants distance without effort.
How the design starts
With who is on board and what the days are for. A couple who want to read on deck and step ashore once a day want a different vessel from a family of eight who want to swim, dive and eat at a long table every night. I ask how you feel about formality at dinner, how many other passengers you are comfortable with, how much time ashore you want, and whether you have been at sea before and liked it.
Then the route and the season. The same coast can be glassy in one month and rough in the next. The design starts from the weeks that suit the water, and then finds the vessel that suits you.
What the design holds
The cabin. On a ship the cabin is the room you come back to every day. Deck, position, light and the distance from the noise all matter, and I ask for the specific cabin where it does.
What is in the fare. Some fares include drinks, gratuities, excursions and transfers; others include very little. The proposal says what is in the fare and what is not, and anything that varies with use is shown separately from the headline price.
The days either side. Ships sail on time. The night before embarkation is planned with the same care as the voyage, with a hotel near the port and a flight that leaves room for delay.
Changes at sea. Ports and timings can change with weather and sea conditions, and the captain decides. A good voyage is designed with that in mind, so a missed port is a change of plan rather than the loss of the trip, and the days ashore are never so tightly packed that one change undoes the rest.
Journeys to begin from
These are on the site in full, and each one can be reshaped around your party.
- Raja Ampat by Private Yacht, nine nights
- Oslo and Svalbard by Sea, nine nights
- LoĊĦinj and the Kvarner Islands, six nights
- Hvar, Dubrovnik and the Bay of Kotor, nine nights
The voyages pages list the ships and lines by the way they travel.
Questions
A ship, a river cruise or a yacht: how do we choose?
That is most of the first conversation. Who is travelling, how many of you, how much time you want ashore and how you feel about company at dinner decide it more than the route does.
Can flights and the voyage be booked together?
Yes. Your booking is made with Colletts Travel Limited, the licence holder, and how it is structured, and the protection that applies to it, is set out in writing before you confirm.
When are payments due?
Cruise lines and charters set their own deposit and final payment dates, and they can differ from the standard dates for other travel. Your proposal sets out the dates for your voyage before you confirm.
What is included in the fare?
It depends on the line. Some fares include drinks, gratuities, excursions and transfers, and others include very little. The proposal says what is in the fare and what is not, and anything that varies with use is shown separately from the headline price.
What if the itinerary changes at sea?
Ports and timings can change with weather and sea conditions, and the captain decides. A good voyage is planned with that in mind, so a missed port is a change of plan rather than the loss of the trip.
Do we need visas for every port?
Sometimes. Each country on the route has its own entry rules, and most expect your passport to be valid for at least six months after you return. I flag the requirements I know about and point you to the official sources; checking your own passports and visas is still yours to do.
Will I be seasick?
Some people are and some are not, and it is hard to know in advance. Route, season and the size of the vessel all make a difference, and so does the position of your cabin. If it worries you, say so at the start, and it becomes part of the choice.
Can we charter a yacht for just our party?
Yes. Yacht charter is handled through a small number of brokers the practice trusts, and the boat and crew are chosen as carefully as the route.
When to start
For a particular ship and cabin, a year ahead is sensible, and for the most popular sailings earlier still. A yacht charter for a summer week is worth starting as soon as the dates are known.
The other five
When you're ready