does anyone have any advice on a river cruise the Germany and surrounding countries. i am a avid traveler. i have always loved trekking around and staying in hostles but i am married and those days are over. i would like to try a river cruise but all the ones i have found have been way to fancy and look like i would not like to be around those people. how do i find a bare bones relaxing cruise?

have you considered self drive canal boat?
We have done this 2 times and loved it. First in the south of France in 2001 and in Holland last year.

We used http://www.leboat.com

Anyone with common sense and a spirit of adventure can drive these boats. i did it, and I am an old lady

thank you! that looks like so much fun. was it expensive?

it was inexpensive IMO
for 4 people it was just over $2300...
that is only $82.00 a day per person...
It is your lodging, transportation and entertainment rolled into one.
We cant wait to go again in 2013. We havemt decided where yet.
Maybe Germany.

In Holland we had the Clipper. It was perfect for 2 couples. we each had ensuite bath in our bedrooms...

We did a self-drive canal trip a few years back using Locaboat in Lutzelbourg (Alsace), France. It was great fun and that particular canal has electric locks so you don't have to manually work hard at all. Beautiful.

Wow, I never heard of this. Fascinating.

Tell me please - How many hours a day do you actually have to be at the wheel? Where do you dock during the day if you want to? Specified places per night? Near restaurants if we don't want to cook? How did you get to the starting points, and back again?

all good questions. this sound super fun for a more experienced traveler

we where underway up to 5 hours per day. they give you excellent maps and itinerary where it is best to stop.
it is pretty idiot proof. which is good for us..

we had a rental car at the beginning of both of your boat trips. we were able to go to the grocery store and stock up. in Holland, the rental company Sixt, came and picked up the car for us at the marina.
at the end of this trip we took a taxi into Amsterdam. split by 4 people it wasnt too expensive.

www.leboat.com will send you a nice brochure for free. it covers all the countries they service and which boats go where.

once you try this, you will LOVE it...

We did the canal du midi for a week and probably travelled for 5 hours a day going from Bezier to the top of the canal. Mooring tend to be by screwing a giant cockscrew into the bank and then tieing to it. Lots of nice restaurants along the river to ensure we could eat each evening.

Bad news the effluent from the boat goes into the canal so no swiming