France 2028: It’ll Be Here Before You Know It

I know what some of you are thinking.

“Nick, 2028? That’s forever from now.”

Oh, honey. No, it isn’t.

We are talking about July 2028, and if there is one thing I have learned after decades of organizing travel, it is that the trips that seem impossibly far away have a nasty little habit of suddenly being six months away.

That is exactly why I’m talking about France now.

From July 18–25, 2028, we’re sailing through southern France aboard Avalon Poetry II on Delicious Decadence: A Culinary River Cruise Through France. We’ll travel from Arles to Lyon along the Rhône and Saône, unpacking exactly once while France comes to us.

And I want to give you plenty of time to make this happen.

Time to make sure your passport is current. Time to put a little money aside every month. Time to figure out airfare. Time to decide whether you want to come alone, bring a friend, or find someone to share a cabin with. And, perhaps most importantly, time to stop telling yourself that France is something you’ll do “someday.”

This Is Not Just Another River Cruise

The reason I chose this sailing is the food.

And I don’t mean “the buffet is nice.”

We’re talking about shopping the stalls of Les Halles in Avignon and then actually cooking with a chef. Visiting the Valrhona Chocolate Factory. Chardonnay in a castle cellar. Cheese tastings. Wine pairings. A Bocuse-inspired dinner. And in Lyon, you can even choose a second hands-on cooking experience.

This is France through the things France does extraordinarily well: food, wine, markets, beautiful towns, long meals, and the deeply civilized belief that pleasure does not need to be rushed.

You’ll have breakfast, lunch and four-course dinners aboard, regional wine and beer with lunch and dinner, sparkling wine at breakfast, daily happy hour, excursions in every port, Wi-Fi, entertainment and shipboard gratuities included.

In other words, once you get aboard, an awful lot of the trip has already been taken care of.

And Yes, You Can Come By Yourself

I know this matters to a lot of my guys.

Please do not wait around for somebody else to decide they’re ready to travel.

One of the reasons I love traveling as a group is that you can arrive solo without spending the entire first night wondering who you’re going to talk to. I’ll be aboard making introductions, helping everyone navigate their excursion choices and generally making sure nobody is standing alone at the cocktail reception pretending to be fascinated by a ficus.

Avalon also uses open seating, so there isn’t some terrifying middle-school cafeteria situation where you’re assigned to strangers for the week. Sit with somebody different tonight. Find your people. Have another glass of wine. By day three, half of you will be carrying on like you’ve known each other since college.

Want a Little More Adventure? Come Early.

This is where things get particularly interesting for the GoNaked crowd.

Bastille Day is July 14, just a few days before we sail. You could come over early and celebrate in Paris, spend a few days exploring Provence—or, should the spirit move you, head down to Cap d’Agde for a few clothing-optional days before the cruise.

Then on July 18, everybody puts their pants back on, meets us in Arles, and behaves respectably aboard the ship.

Mostly.

Those pre-cruise days are completely optional. You can do Paris. You can do Provence. You can do Cap d’Agde. Or you can fly in and simply join us for the cruise. The only requirement is that you show up in Arles ready to eat.

Why Am I Telling You About This So Early?

Because I would much rather give you time than pressure you later.

The deposit is $500 per person, and it goes toward your cruise fare. Final payment isn’t due until much closer to sailing.

That means you have time.

If France is something you genuinely want to do, start preparing now. Check your passport. Start a France fund. Skip something you won’t remember and put that money toward something you absolutely will.

We already have a group forming, and this particular Avalon culinary sailing happens only once in 2028.

And that is really the point of this entire message.

2028 is coming whether you book France or not.

July 18, 2028, will eventually arrive. You’ll wake up that morning and it will simply be Tuesday.

The question is whether you’ll be having your normal Tuesday at home…

or whether you’ll be in Provence, boarding a river ship with us, knowing that somewhere in the week ahead are French markets, vineyards, chocolate, cooking classes, new friends, long dinners, and at least one moment when you look around and think:

“Damn. I’m really glad I did this.”

I hope you’ll be there.