I Took a River Cruise Through France With My 23-Year-Old Daughter—Here’s What Surprised Me

Why Tauck Family Bridges may be one of the best ways to travel through Europe with multiple generations—and why river cruising is definitely not just for “old people.”

When I tell people I took a river cruise through France with my 23-year-old daughter, one of the first things I hear is: “Wasn’t she bored?” And I understand the question.

For years, river cruising has carried a certain reputation. People picture older travelers, leisurely afternoons, wine tastings and a quiet ship. But that wasn’t our experience at all.

In July 2024, I traveled with my daughter, Sydney, to France. We went on a Tauck Bridges family journey that began in Paris and continued south along the Rhône to Lyon. The eight-day itinerary combined two nights in Paris with five nights aboard the ms Emerald, with experiences ranging from the Louvre and French cuisine to horses in the Camargue, chocolate making, Roman history and time spent enjoying the scenery from the river. This is a great way for different generations to experience Europe together—without requiring everyone to travel at the same pace or be interested in exactly the same things.

Starting in Paris on Bastille Day

Our trip began in Paris on July 14—Bastille Day.

After settling into the hotel, we made our way toward the Louvre area to watch the fireworks over the Eiffel Tower. Experiencing Bastille Day with my daughter was one of those moments that made me grateful we had said yes to the trip.

There are plenty of ways to visit Paris, but arriving with your daughter and realizing, We’re actually here. We’re doing this together, feels special.

The first two nights began at a solid five-star property in Paris, and Syd immediately approved of one thing in particular: the bed and the bedding. The next morning, I woke up and she was still sleeping. For a moment, I was transported back in time. She was 23, but watching her sleep brought me right back to the years when she was little and I would sometimes stand there watching her simply because I could.

Those are the moments you don’t plan. They’re the moments you remember.

A couple of our Paris experiences included time to explore the city and a visit to the Louvre. Tauck provided us with €20 each to wander independently and enjoy lunch. The younger travelers had their own guided Louvre experience, designed specifically for them, while the adults had the opportunity to explore differently.

Family travel doesn’t mean everyone has to do everything together.

Sometimes the best family travel gives everyone room to have their own experience.

The Luxury of Not Having to Figure Anything Out

As a travel advisor, I’m used to coordinating flights, transfers, hotels, transportation, excursions, timing, luggage and restaurants. So when I travel personally, I love it when someone else takes those details off my plate.

Our Tour Director and entire team made sure we were where we needed to be, when we needed to be there. When it was time to leave Paris, we simply placed our bags outside our hotel room. They were taken care of, and we were transported together to the train and onward to Lyon and the ship. Once we boarded the ms Emerald, we unpacked.  One time!

That might not sound particularly luxurious until you’ve traveled through Europe dragging luggage through train stations, checking in and out of hotels and trying to keep track of everyone’s schedule.

Having the ship become our floating hotel was wonderful. Sydney also loved the ship itself. She liked its smaller size and especially enjoyed sitting and watching the French countryside pass by. She took an incredible number of photographs, and that camera went everywhere.

But What About a 23-Year-Old on a River Cruise?

My daughter wants to see and do everything. She’s been a traveler since she was a young child. She studied in the UK and traveled extensively while she was there as well. She’s naturally curious and doesn’t need to be convinced to explore, so I wasn’t worried about her being bored.

I wanted to experience Tauck Bridges for myself and understand how Tauck actually handled family travel—not just hear about on a webinar or training. The itinerary struck a thoughtful balance. There were structured activities and excursions, but there was also downtime. There were family experiences, along with opportunities for different age groups to do different things. And there were plenty of moments when we simply got to be together.

Some Highlights Included: Chocolate, Horses and a 2,000-Year-Old Engineering Project

One of my favorite things about the itinerary was the variety of experiences. Syd has loved horses since she was about eight years old, so whenever we travel together, I try to find some kind of horse experience.

In the Camargue, we traveled into the Provençal countryside to a private ranch to learn about the region’s horses and the traditional French cowboys. Watching Syd experience this is exactly why I love traveling with her.  The smile never left her face.

Let there be chocolate.

We visited Valrhona, the renowned chocolate producer, where we learned about chocolate and participated in a truffle-making class. Syd loves to cook with her (now) fiancé, so preparing food together in France made the experience especially meaningful.

And then there was the Pont du Gard.

I expected it to be impressive. I did not realize how fascinated my daughter would become by Roman engineering. She wanted to understand how the Romans constructed the aqueduct and started calculating the angle on her phone. She was asking questions, doing the math and excitedly she shared the math equations with Ryan later (her fiancé).

That is one of the things I love about travel. You can plan the destination and the excursion, but you can’t plan what will spark someone’s curiosity.

Then I Made Her Just Sit There

Syd is a “see it all, do it all” traveler. Admittedly, I lean into the slower pace of travel.  Taking things in, sitting at a local café, shopping and talking to the locals. I love river cruising and its wonderful way of making you slow down.

One morning in Avignon, we sat at a café with croissants and cappuccinos. No checklist. No museum. No “we have to be there by 10:30.” Just coffee, a croissant and time together.

I found myself thinking about the philosophy behind our own company, Just Be Travel Co.

Just Be.

Sometimes travel isn’t about squeezing one more experience into the day. Sometimes the experience is sitting beside someone you love and doing absolutely nothing. The itinerary allowed for plenty to see and do, but also enough breathing room to enjoy where we were.

What About the Teenagers?

There were quite a few multigenerational families on our sailing, including grandparents traveling with their teenage grandchildren for a ‘special trip’. Over the course of the week, I watched the teens begin to engage with one another. By the end of the trip, they were having breakfast together, spending time together and even encouraging their families to share meals. It was genuinely sweet to watch.

They weren’t behaving as though they were being dragged along on an adult vacation. They were simply enjoying each other.

That’s what this type of cruise is trying to accomplish—not entertaining children so adults can have their vacation but bridging the generations through shared experiences.

After experiencing it firsthand, I understood exactly what 'bridging' meant.

So…Is River Cruising Really for “Old People”?

There will be older travelers on a river cruise, but that’s not the whole story.

A family river cruise is an entirely different experience. Our itinerary included chocolate making, horses, active excursions, a Ferris wheel ride in Avignon, the Louvre, Roman history, local food and plenty of time to enjoy the ship and scenery.

Because it was a river cruise, we weren’t spending days at sea. We remained connected to the destination, waking up somewhere new, exploring, returning to the ship and watching the landscape change outside the windows. For a curious young adult, that’s a wonderful way to see France. For a parent or grandparent, having the logistics handled while still experiencing the world together is equally appealing.

Why Multigenerational Families Should Consider This Style of Travel

I would recommend this style of travel to families who want to travel together but don’t necessarily want to travel the exact same way. Maybe Grandma loves museums. Maybe Dad wants wine and food. Maybe Mom wants beautiful scenery. Maybe the teenager wants something active. Maybe the 20-something wants to take 1000+ photographs and calculate the engineering angle of a Roman aqueduct. That’s okay.

You don’t need a vacation where everyone has identical interests. You need one that creates enough shared experiences and enough flexibility for everyone to come home with memories they love.

You unpack once. You don’t spend your vacation navigating transportation or constantly figuring out where you’re eating next. You can watch the landscape go by, make chocolate truffles, take a Ferris wheel ride at night or stand in front of something built nearly 2,000 years ago and watch your daughter become fascinated by it. And you can sit at a café with her over a cappuccino and a croissant and simply Just Be.