River Cruise Tips for 2025 / Travel Essentials

River Cruise Tips for 2025 / Travel Essentials

hey there today’s travel tip video is going to teach you what to pack for a river cruise I’ll show you everything that I have been wearing I’m presently on my river cruise down the danu I’ll show you the little travel Essentials that I’m so glad that I packed I’ll show you some things that my husband packed that were fantastic and convenient my goal is to give you an overview of what I packed so you can go through your things eliminate what you do not need to pack and then make sure that you’ve got all the bases covered here’s a travel strategy when you need to pack for a river cruise you’re going to do this number one check the weather compare it with number two your excursions that you are planning on doing so far two of ours have gotten cancelled because of so much rain number three you’re going to see what shoes you absolutely must pack for those River Cruise excursions then from there you can pack what pants or trousers that you must have for that Excursion if it is raining or if it is super windy we did not consider the wind and today I was pretty cold for my outer wear I only packed my raincoat because inside a restaurant inside the cruise ship I am fine with a T-shirt and a thin like regular sweater okay my first thought was to remove the hood and just pack my raincoat like this cuz it was 97° when we left and then a an umbrella but I am so glad that I had my hood I can cinch it closed and it was windy blowing rain so I’m so glad I had that we thought near the last part of the trip it was going to be in the mid 70s so my husband packed like five pairs of shorts I don’t know if he’ll even use one of them he did not pack a coat one trial tip that was essential for my husband is to pack pullovers that are thin he loves the pullovers because that’s easy to throw on for guys and you look suitable if you’re in a um somewhat dressy atmosphere so we went to H&M and he bought this uh water repellent a little down jacket the first day of your trip you’re going to be arriving to the cruise ship so whatever that outfit is be strategic with that outfit I wore my gray denim gray denim is so neutral and versatile for wearing with multiple tops you’re going to arrive exhausted probably you’re going to run to your room and then go have lunch or hang out on the cocktail area you’re going to be received by the crew and go straight to dinner and cocktail hour and then do a game or some kind of listen to music at night so you’re going to be in that outfit pretty much all day or all afternoon and evening as a pilot wife family we’ve been packing in only a carry-on suitcase so we have to pack for over two weeks and only carry-on luggage and that sent me into panic mode because I could not check the weather for the last few days before I had packed so I was traveling through two different climates okay I had 90° 80° weather and then presently we’re in 45 degrees and pouring rain and wind type conditions here’s my travel sized umbrella that I’m so glad I traveled with it fits in my cross body bag it fits in my r coat pocket it’s very easy to use and it has been strong for several trips to Europe I love a cross body bag that has a light colored interior because you’re going to have your umbrella maybe your sunglasses reading glasses case your RFID wallet that is attached to the Little Hook there with just the right amount of cards that you need for a river crew specifically you are going to need easy access to your key card from your cabin because that is how you go in and out of the river cruise and they can track if you have made it back on before they leave that docking station so make sure your cross body bag has that a nice little pocket for euros would be great when you’re traveling around and just buying little things we have been probably 5050 for having to pay to use the toilets over here some of them are free some of them require 50 cents or Euros my husband is the one that travels with our leftover Euros from throughout the years during a river cruise if you’re going to be doing an all day Excursion a power bank or portable cell phone charger is fantastic to just slide into your purse in case your battery dies I’m interrupting this video to tell you that our river cruise down the Danube was not anything like anything ever before they have had record flooding we have only we’ve never seen land while sailing we’ve sailed like 5 hours one night and like 3 hours another night and presently we are docked in Bratislava near Vienna with 16 other Viking river cruise boats and other companies some have totally cancel their trip so just be prepared for that and be prepared for disappointment the government authorities closed the entire River so we were just at their whim or whatever almost every one of our excursions that we paid for has been cancelled and refunded of course or given us boat credit for that cost that we had incured because I did not know the weather forecast before I packed since we did the trip beforehand to Italy I feel like I severely underpacked I would have packed more rugged shoes because I was telling Kathy a viewer I met on this ship that the cobblestones are big and they’re separate separated from each other so you’ve got like a dip in between every stone I wish I had brought tenis shoes with a rugged sole or like a wider sole I love traveling with these little bags they just hold all the tiny Essentials that you need like a hair clip and then Band-Aids or these doctor somebody little things that are waterproof and when you peel them off they’re stretchy so they’re easy to use and they last for days even after you’ve taken the shower another tip that I learned to share with you is we ordered like a chimney cake in Budapest which is like a churro street food and there were no bathrooms nearby so we needed a wet wipe because our hands was all were all sticky I make sure that I move my eye drops for the long flight and a little bitty container of lotion Gold Bond for diabetics because it’s super thick not greasy and not fragrant um and I will move those two things into my tote bag or my flight pouch I have a whole video about a long flight I also have a video about um 11 long flight outfits that are actually comfortable one of the things that we wore and I just found these in August is these water repellent hiking pants or you can look for golf pants this little clip that can cinch it in the summer if you want it to um is streamline with your leg but these are are the smoothest that I have ever had they’re not loud they’re not thick um they’re not crunchy if that makes sense and of course they have the really elastic waist and the large no actually the medium in this one fit me better than the large so they’re pretty true to size I did know that it was going to be near the 70s so I forgot to pack a razor since I’m in shorts today and will be tomorrow I should have packed a razor because we’ve been gone two weeks if you shop at Costco the Jerry with a G brand are my husband’s favorite it seems like they’ve always had those available when we’ve gone shopping they are like men’s hiking pants but they look dressy this is what he is really glad he had he calls it his yoga pants okay because one afternoon or one morning you’re going to be exhausted because you’re going going going all throughout your River Cruise you want a day or a few hours in the afternoon or something to just relax in bed watch the water look at the view these are super cozy and they’re Tommy John I’ll link everything in the first comment or in the paragraph below for you it will probably pop up unless it’s Amazon I cannot make Amazon products pop up in the bottom left corner but that is the shopping link for that specific item just so you know it’s not spam one thing I needed today and I didn’t pack my husband packed it are these super slim mlon nail clippers I actually got a pair for my brother like look how skinny they are for my toenails I’m not going to paint I’m not going to cut my fingernails but when I get a pedicure before a long trip like this um there is something about my pinky toenail that I have to clip off the corner because it starts cutting into my toe and goes wee wee wee all the way home I also packed my prescription shampoo and to prevent leaks just over a long fly um I use these things the only problem is they come in like 12 or eight and you don’t need that many um but it did do a good job I don’t know if it would have leaked or not one travel tip strategy for River Cruise packing is to read their website I did not read their website for this ship when you get when you find out what ship you’re going to be on this is the Viking tour I don’t think it’s going to be all around anymore because it’s already 10 years old but it is like brand new not even smelly moldy musty at all everything is SP and span clean however I did not read that they have regular Outlets Like Us outlets and then they also have the European type which is what adapters fit because we have so many electronics we need adapters to plug our items into I’ll show you you have to plug your items into an outlet and then that adapter for that country or continent will fit the holes of their Outlet okay here’s a quick tip for a converter or adapter if you’re packing your curling iron or hair dryer from the United States you will need a converter to plug your curling iron or hair dryer into and then that converter bulky and big gets plugged into an adapter some of the converters come with one adapter so that means you can only plug in one of your electronic things in the whole entire room so that’s why I like these type of adapters that have multiple uh outlet for convenience I bought at home on Amazon can’t pop it up it’ll be in the first comment a dual voltage so I can use this in an adapter in the outlets for Europe because this does not need a converter since it’s dual voltage so that may be worth the investment a lot of people say just buy it when you’re there but I don’t know what store is going to have it if they’re going to have the width of the crawling iron that I need so that’s my tip laundry on Board River cruise ships is expensive but we used it we paid over $100 because we were here five days before the river cruise actually started a tide ink pin if you have any kind of a stain oh I dropped the soup I bought myself a first class ticket over here I dropped the tomato soup all over this shirt this was my airplane shirt and the lady there will clean it for you but this will take out tomato sauce and blood so this is an important travel essential for international trips or any kind of a travel all right I’ll talk about some toiletry items that I’m really glad I brought this liquids bag is pretty slim line you can see it’s not as bulky as my other one that I travel with in the US moose this is great moose aquaz or whatever I’ll link it this is one of mine my liquids bags that I bring when I travel in Europe since I’m bringing my prescription shampoo that’s one bottle of liquid that I do not have to pack in my liquids bag because medical items do not have to be packed in the liquids bag if they are for medical just check the rules for whatever country you’re going to another travel tip for not packing liquids is to pack just a shampoo bar I’m almost at the end of mine from Lush it’s lush.com um and then this bag is magical you can put a sopping wet shampoo bar or bar of soap in there roll it up it does not let the water leak out but it also dries out your shampoo bar or bar of soap so and it’s not goopy afterwards love it if you’re not a big makeup fan I suggest these two brushes they are pretty much the only ones you need one I don’t know if you can see this is the kitten type paw or kitten paw type brush it is not only used for that area I use it for my whole eyelid do you see how much it covers so I can use like a base color I can use a lighter color just for a neutral streamlined look this is a great brush because of its shape and versatility I can use this for my Foundation my Tinto moisturizer CC cream I can use it for powder I can use it for bronzer even um so it’s a multiuse by only packing one and then when I get to my river cruise I just put all of my brushes in the little cups that are in the tiny tiny bathroom on Viking ships this toothbrush if you haven’t seen it it has air holes in it so once you take it out it does not budge okay it’s very stiff but it folds up every time you use it and there are holes in it so I just throw that in the little cup in the bathroom too this is essential to me because I can leave it when I’m done with it I can trash it it’s a a face wash sponge that is thin like that and then when I get it wet it’s like this and it looks like a dish kitchen sponge but when you wet it it is so soft they’re a gentle way that I can brush off the mascara of my eyelashes without scrubbing them or without pulling the skin if that makes sense and they dry every day all right I brought some other things this time I brought jewelry I usually just do not travel with it a little a long necklace a little short necklace neutral jewelry bracelets um but this comes with another rollup thing that I did not bring but it’s a little protected it doesn’t totally squish so that’s easy to pack in a protected way I packed all of my bracelets that I’m wearing right now in this little money pouch looking thing but it holds a lot of things like uh hydration packets um your sugar substitute packets for example and then I also have this for some other items it’s just really convenient I have found you can see that would fit in that way or vertically one travel tip when you are packing liquids is to pack horizontally it is just going to give you so much space I learned it after 10 years don’t pack your bottles vertically you can pack more in and then save the small things for the top all right you basically do not want to see any space as you build inside that I suggest a hanging toiletry kit when you zip it up it looks like a makeup pouch okay the counter on our cruise ship is just not very large the Avalon ship from April had a huge bathroom counter so I could like unpack it’s just easy to just toss in not my makeup brushes but toss in my Foundation Eyes Shadow my powder bronzer stuff like that and then I just keep my little medicine P I am really glad I brought this for jetl after a flight I will take a Tylenol and it just helps get me through the day um and then zertek because you might be allergic to something that’s growing in that part of the world I’m really glad that I packed these kind of socks for my river cruise trip I have so many different kinds but I found by wearing these two shoes mostly I need socks to cover the whole top of my foot okay and another thing that we realized is we wish we would have had slip-on shoes for a river cruise trip because you’re coming back to the room you’re going to relax for about 30 minutes and then you can go back you don’t really want to wear your shoes in the bed like where you’re just sitting on the bed checking your email or reading um so we wish that we had had like more slip-on shoes these are water repellent I’ve walked two days in these they have arch support and the shoes do not get soak and wet these shoes go really low and so I have room for arch support I don’t have to have them but because I’m going to be touring all day or a lot of hours I pack these and these are also very versatile in Spring and fall and summer because they go with almost everything I packed my usual 3/4 length sleeve these are my favorite t-shirts ever I have sleeveless I have 3/4 long sleeve uh short sleeve they drape your body they can look dressy or casual I have my exercise shirt that I have worn with these gray jeans and my exercise hiking pants that are so smooth all right this is a my newest hack these are the newest three quarter link sleeve sweaters from J Jill I love gray Denim and oatmeal it is such a pulled together look put a pop of bright scarf on wear a black v-neck t-shirt underneath it so that it pops out a little bit and you are good to go you’re going to be warm under your jacket they have such cute fall colors too oh and that fabric is like Silk and warmth here’s an old t-shirt um just for hanging out it’s very casual even though you have three course meals for lunch breakfast dinner this is one of my favorite jackets an athletic jacket just if you’re sitting on the top deck if it’s a little Breezy the sunny day that you’re allowed up there we haven’t been able to go up there at all here’s my other dress I wore my striped sweater with this one and I just think striped sweaters are the way to go if you want to elevate an outfit oh my word I love it here’s the travel hack I had it hemmed up to my knee and then I tied it just for a look this is a blouse I’m also really glad that I brought my uh little disposable eyeglass cleaners because you never know when you’re going to get rain or more rain on your eyeglasses or you can do the wipes wipes do not count as liquids all right be sure to check the links below if you need more information on any of the items that I have shown and good luck you’re going to have a blast you’re going to be exhausted and you’re going to learn so much after your River Cruise of what you really need and what is not really an essential all right thanks for your time

Travel tips for what we packed for a river cruise. These travel essentials are specific for a river cruise. #traveltips #travelessentials #rivercruise

List of What We Packed for Two Different River Cruises:
My striped t-shirt: https://amzn.to/4deWryD
Carry-on luggage with rugged wheels: https://amzn.to/3XSWdZG
Rain jacket: https://amzn.to/3TBJIix
Chris’ water-repellent down jacket: https://bit.ly/3XRnkUP
Men’s Pullover: https://bit.ly/3lH5dNR
Umbrella: https://amzn.to/3XHOlce
Crossbody bag: https://amzn.to/4eux0dm
2-sided sunglasses case: https://amzn.to/3ZuvNi3
RFID wallet: https://amzn.to/3Zy67ks
Power bank to charge phone (no cord needed): https://amzn.to/3MQODZc
My waterproof pants with stretchy waistband: https://amzn.to/3U69awH
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Little zip baggies: https://amzn.to/4ee3yIO
Band-aid stretchy things: https://amzn.to/4gwzR7v
Gold Bond for Diabetics: https://amzn.to/4ecJqa6
Water repellent hiking pants: https://amzn.to/4edD22b
Yoga pants: https://bit.ly/4dazr3K
Nail clippers: https://amzn.to/3TztBlB
Leak proof covers: https://amzn.to/4gy3R2Q
Adapter (2 pack): https://amzn.to/4dfGwQw
Converter: https://amzn.to/3ZAxfiS
Dual voltage curling iron: https://amzn.to/4dwFrnP
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Tide pen for stains: https://amzn.to/3BYImZ6
Mousse: https://bit.ly/47RBHLR
Liquids bag for Europe: https://amzn.to/4e9denW
Shampoo bar: lush.com
Shampoo bar leak-proof bag: https://amzn.to/47yKCCf
Eyeshadow brush: https://amzn.to/3XBKGwl
Multi-use foundation brush: https://amzn.to/47yL7w7
Toothbrush for travel: https://amzn.to/3BhYGUI
Face wash sponge: https://amzn.to/47SgZfr
Antibacterial wipes: https://amzn.to/3zvQnE6
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Short necklace (can move charms): https://amzn.to/3TErahL
Bracelets: https://amzn.to/3OPhaj5
Neutral cocktail ring: https://amzn.to/3ZxAG9U
Jewelry case: https://amzn.to/3zpu3Mr
Pink money pouch: https://amzn.to/4gCaHnS
Pink longer pouch: https://amzn.to/3XPVAQv
Hanging toiletry kit: https://amzn.to/47D6JYj
Small lotion containers for trip: https://amzn.to/4gCHWaD
Socks: https://bit.ly/4eJXMPK
Medicine pill containers: https://amzn.to/4dfGFDy
Arch support inserts: https://amzn.to/3ZzfmAV
Black 3/4 sleeve top: https://bit.ly/3MODUyG
3/4 sleeve sweater: https://bit.ly/3YXn2Nc
T-shirts: old
Khaki shorts: https://amzn.to/4exrPJB
Blue athletic jacket: may be back in stock
Dress (order normal size-me size L): https://bit.ly/4dZtEi9
Striped sweater: https://amzn.to/3XRsYWR
Blouse: https://amzn.to/3XPzM7A
Eye glass cleaner: https://amzn.to/3BbsRNh

Free Printable: https://traveltipsbylaurie.myflodesk.com/p3l58o8185

Travel tips for how to check for bed bugs on your cruise: https://bit.ly/How2Check4BedBugs
Watch this for what NOT to pack for a long flight: https://bit.ly/TipsLongFlight
Scared of flying? Watch this: https://bit.ly/PilotHelpsWithTurbulence

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Instagram: @TravelTipsByLaurie (My former channel name was LauriePOP Ideas That POP, but now I produce travel tip videos only)

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