BOOK PREVIEW · US$34 · PDF + EPUB edition planned
Carol Haugen

For your first European river cruise

Ask before the deposit.
Enjoy more of the river.

A plain-spoken companion for choosing your trip, reading the fare and preparing for the old towns, written for travelers over 60.

Large, readable type · Practical lists and questions
Digital edition · No subscription

PROPOSED COVER · DIGITAL EDITION

14 chapters
Read at your own pace
Questions you can use
Keep them beside the phone
US$34
Planned one-time price

01 / FROM THE VIDEOS

A story worth
following through.

Ron and Marjorie had saved for their anniversary cruise for years. Their story is why I want you to check the insurance terms while you’re still planning the trip. There are happier things to spend your time on once you’re aboard.

The narrator and stories are fictional. They provide the setting for this educational guide.

02 / WHAT’S INCLUDED

Keep the useful
parts close.

  • The before-you-pay question list for the whole trip
  • A packing list built for cobblestones, hills and stairs
  • A one-page emergency card template
  • Port-day routines, cabin questions, medicines and lost-luggage planning

The chapter mentioned in the video

Chapter 5: Port Days

Included in the planned book, along with the complete chapter list below.

Each chapter closes with “Before you pay”, so you can finish reading with a next step in mind.

03 / THE COMPLETE CHAPTER LIST

Before You Sail

A Retired River Cruise Director's Guide for Travelers Over 60

  1. 01Who's on Board
  2. 02Choosing Your River and Your Month
  3. 03Reading the Fare
  4. 04Flights
  5. 05Port Days
  6. 06Picking Your Cabin
  7. 07Traveling Alone
  8. 08When the River Won't Cooperate
  9. 09Medicines on the Move
  10. 10Medicare Stays Home
  11. 11The Fourteen-Day Clock
  12. 12Staying Well on Board
  13. 13Money and Pickpockets
  14. 14When Something Goes Wrong

Plus the practical scripts, lists and templates described above, collected in the appendix.

04 / THE NARRATOR

Meet Carol Haugen.

Carol Haugen is the invented narrator from the videos: a river-cruise program director for 22 years on the Rhine, Danube and Main, retired in 2023. No cruise-line employment or affiliation is claimed.

Fictional author persona. This is an educational publication, with no claim of a real professional registration or current client practice.

THE DIGITAL EDITION

Before You Sail

A Retired River Cruise Director's Guide for Travelers Over 60

$34 USD

Planned formats: print-friendly PDF and EPUB.
Read on your phone, tablet or computer.

Checkout placeholder · Purchases are not available.

The book has not been written yet. This page previews the planned edition.

05 / BEFORE YOU BUY

A few straight
answers.

Can I buy the book now?

Not yet. This is a preview of the proposed landing page. The $34 buy button is a clearly marked checkout placeholder and cannot take payment.

Will a printed book be mailed to me?

The planned offer is digital: a PDF you can print and an EPUB for compatible reading apps. No physical book is included.

Can I make the text larger?

This page supports browser zoom. The planned EPUB will support adjustable text in compatible reading apps, and the PDF will use a readable print layout.

Is this professional advice?

Fares, fees, insurance terms and Medicare rules change. Check them with your cruise line, insurer and Medicare.

Digital book · $34See the book →

Checkout is not connected.

This is a landing-page preview. The book is planned at US$34; no payment can be taken here.