One of the reasons for moving to France was so I was not dependent on airlines/ferries for my travel. Theoretically, I could now drive to Vladivostok (not that I want to).
I had a lovely holiday with a friend on a cabin cruiser from Narbonne to Beaucaire, through the Camargue - very restful, maximum speed is 4 knots and you tie up each night near some town or village with a restaurant. He did all the work although I quite enjoyed helping at the locks.
For many years I have taken my sister on holiday - so far to Majorca, Minorca, Crete, Paris, Monaco, Albi and several in the UK - and whilst it saved the single supplement as we shared a twin bedded room, I paid for everything so it cost me the normal two-person price. She is now too disabled to do the kind of things she used to enjoy (bars, clubs, dancing, flirting) so I am going to Manchester to bring her back here for two weeks.
I have been a bit wary of sharing with any other woman, but I now have a very good Swiss friend and we are going to Sharm el Sheik together as she also likes snorkeling on coral. It is incredibly cheap with Easyjet and she is very good company, so I am looking forward to it.
She has begun to show me various parts of Switzerland and we intend to use the beautiful Swiss rail system this summer.
The Mekong cruise is very interesting - I will do some research as I could probably add it on to my next long visit to New Zealand. I have been watching Wild China and it is a fascinating country.