In high school, we were thick as thieves.

We were the kind of friends who shared everything: plans, secrets, bad ideas, big dreams, and probably a few things that are better left buried beneath the floorboards of adolescence.

Then life happened.

Our paths took us in very different directions. He built a life that became prestigious, respected, and impressive. I, on the other hand, seemed to climb aboard a paper airplane and let the wind carry me wherever it wanted.

And somehow, it worked.

Over the years, that paper airplane carried me through different cities, different countries, strange adventures, unexpected opportunities, and more reinventions than I could possibly count.

Thanks to Facebook, my high school best friend and I never truly lost one another. We stayed connected. We followed each other’s lives. We checked in, laughed at old memories, and kept that invisible thread between us intact.

But we never traveled together.

We never had those weekends away that college friends seem to have, when everyone piles into a car and heads off somewhere magical. We never got to sit in some beautiful place together and create the kind of memories people talk about for the rest of their lives.

Not because anything went wrong.

Life simply kept moving.

A few years ago, I went to his home for Christmas with a couple of friends. That visit gave me the chance to really get to know his wonderful partner. Our paths had crossed before, but this time was different. There was time to settle in, talk, laugh, and experience who they were together.

I left that Christmas feeling grateful.

And now, more than 40 years after we first became friends, the two of them are joining me on my Christmas market cruise through Europe.

I cannot begin to tell you how happy that makes me.

From December 1 through 7, 2027, we’ll sail the Danube from Nuremberg to Vienna aboard the Avalon Impression. We’ll visit Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, Melk Abbey, and Vienna, with the Christmas markets in full swing.

There will be glowing wooden stalls, old town squares, historic churches, mulled wine, festive music, and hopefully a little snow falling at exactly the right moment.

But for me, this trip has suddenly become about something much bigger than Christmas markets.

It is about finally getting to travel with someone who knew me before I became all the different versions of myself.

He knew me before GoNaked. Before Dorothy Travel. Before the retreats, the magazines, the cruises, the houses, the schemes, and the endless parade of ideas that somehow became a life.

And now I get to introduce him and his partner to the wonderful people I have met along the way.

That may be the thing I love most about hosting trips.

Yes, I love the destinations. I love the hotels, the ships, the food, the planning, and the anticipation. But what really moves me is bringing good people together.

Sometimes they arrive as strangers and leave as friends.

Sometimes old friends come back into your life in a new way.

This cruise is becoming more special with every person who joins us. We are gathering a remarkable group of travelers from different parts of my life, and somehow all of those paths are going to meet on the Danube.

We’ll sail aboard the Avalon Impression, a 443-foot luxury suite ship with panoramic windows in most cabins, four-course dinners, complimentary wine and beer with lunch and dinner, and Happy Hour every evening.

You unpack once. Every morning, you wake up somewhere new. The Danube handles the commute.

Most of our group will be staying in Panorama Suites, with floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall windows. Deluxe Staterooms are also available, and a limited number of larger suites remain.

What's the cost?

Panorama Suite: $12,730 per couple (The Staterooms do not have the floor to ceiling windows are are less expensive.)

The trip includes three chef-prepared meals a day, transport from the airport to the hotel, a hotel night before we set sail, travel protection, excursions, onboard gratuities, Starlink Wi-Fi, port charges, beer and wine with dinner, cocktails at happy hour, 24/7 soft drinks and coffee, and taxes.

A $500 deposit holds your place and goes directly toward your final balance.

This is also our first Dorothy Travel voyage, which means it is open to everyone. All genders, all backgrounds, and all kinds of travelers are welcome.

You do not have to be a nudist. You do not have to fit into any particular box. You simply need to be curious, kind, and ready for something beautiful.

I spent years thinking travel was mostly about going somewhere new.

Now I understand that sometimes travel brings something old back to you.

An old friendship.

An unfinished chapter.

A chance to sit beside someone who knew you when you were young and say, “Can you believe where we ended up?”

Forty years later, my high school best friend and I are finally taking the trip.

And this time, we’re bringing the people we love with us.

Christmastime on the Danube
December 1–7, 2027
Nuremberg to Vienna

Full details and reservations are available through Cruise With Dorothy.