By Hank Schrader, CTIE candidate, Travel Institute Professional Educator and River Cruise Expert
To my fellow travel advisors—especially those curious about or already selling European river cruises—we wanted to share a bit of our journey. At Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, European river cruising has become our specialty and one of the most rewarding niches we’ve built into our business. Over the past two years alone, we’ve earned more than $100,000 in commissions from river cruises, and we’re on track to reach that milestone again in 2026. Through a focused niche strategy, strong supplier partnerships, and a deep understanding of what today’s river cruise clients are truly looking for, this segment has become a consistent and scalable part of our success.
River cruises account for over 90% of our total sales. For a 2-person CLIA Agency with no host or consortium affiliation, these are substantial earnings and, according to the travel industry media, put us in the top 10% of all travel advisors in yearly sales.
As a mentor and educator, I have experienced feedback that many feel they cannot meet these sales goals for a variety of reasons. We totally disagree—we are not so special that others could not achieve the same level of skills and ultimately the same level of sales.
We always define river cruise sales success as the right product to the right person at the right time. River cruises are a great product. You now need to find the right person, and you have to get in front of as many as possible regularly to find the right time for your potential clients to take their exciting river cruise.
So, here are 5 skills you should master if you want to increase your river cruise sales and start earning high commissions, as the average river cruise sale will provide you with a commission check between $1,000 to $1,500 or more.
1. Know the difference between river cruise lines.
This may be the hardest challenge of all, as all river cruise lines are great products and the differences between lines are not huge, but each company has important distinguishing factors. Even some of the best comparisons on the internet are just checklists of their amenities and do not really help travelers distinguish between lines. Our comparison document is completely different because we provide insight into the advantages and disadvantages of each company we follow. You need to develop that level of knowledge.
2. Know sailing routes.
This includes France (3 river systems), Rhine, Rhine Tributaries, Danube, and Portugal for Europe, and at least 2 ports on each primary route.
This is a valuable skill, as most potential clients consider the itinerary the number one reason to take a river cruise. Most folks we work with have a very good idea of what they want to see and experience. If you can’t provide them with answers that demonstrate you do know what is available on a route, they will move on, as they probably have more knowledge than you about what is available. The good news is that the sailing route study of the sailing routes applies to most river cruise lines, as they often visit many similar port stops. When you get very good at this, you can quickly guide your potential clients to the river cruise route that will best meet their expectations. Also, you can compare routes, as some first-time cruisers are confused about which river to sail on for their trip. Your advice now is essential help that guides them to book with you.
3. Take a FAM trip on a river cruise.
River cruises are so different from ocean cruises that you will not really understand the value of these cruises without taking one as soon as possible. Not only are they amazing, knowing the routine, but dining experiences and staterooms add instant credibility to you. Also, you can capture exactly what you experienced by photos and videos and then put them on your website. My first river cruise taught all these things, along with the chance to see and do new experiences I never knew existed.
4. You must be able to match the client to the best cruise line for their travel style.
The key to increased river cruise sales is correctly matching the most important factors that potential clients want for their trip. Consider food and beverage; included excursions and the quality of the excursions; extra costs not included in the fare; quality of the staterooms; number of guests sailing on the ship; length of the cruise; butler service; amenities such as a gym or wellness treatment rooms; guest laundry facilities; and atmosphere (vibe of the ship). These are just a few matching skills required for increased river cruise sales—by now, you are seeing how much knowledge is required to be successful. Personalized solutions are an important key to increased river cruise sales.
5. You must have a good website that tells potential clients your river cruise qualifications.
Perhaps this is the most glaring error of travel advisors I mentor. Some do not have a website; some have cookie-cutter sites provided by a host; others feature palm trees and tropical settings, and then claim they are river cruise experts. It’s not too hard to see why this is incompatible with being a river cruise specialist.
Here are the starting points to improve your website:
-
I advise taking the wonderful company-level specialty courses/certifications offered by the lines and then providing these qualifications on your website.
-
Good content on your website is essential, and hopefully, you write a blog about river cruising topics regularly, which can provide great results in client acquisition–we actually have a blog we wrote 4 years ago that is now number one on Google. Excellent return over a very long time!
-
We all face the same problem for any vacation sale—not enough people know who we are and how we can benefit them for their trip. A good website with a blog helps to solve the awareness problem you face when trying to grow your business.
Here is your bonus tip—the primary target audience for potential river cruise clients is those over 50 years old with time and money to take a river cruise. They often want:
-
New, exciting experiences with included excursions on the cruise
-
Land options to combine with their cruise
-
Cultural experiences with locals
-
A good stateroom and usually value good food and wine
-
They also often want to celebrate a milestone event in their lives
-
A good value for their money, and they usually aren’t shy about spending $15,000 to $25,000
Learning the five skills will make you highly effective and credible in a crowded marketplace. Trust me, we did not learn these skills overnight and could not take all these steps immediately. It will take time to be successful, but if we can do it, so can you!
If you want to make more money, raise awareness of your business, and help potential clients take awesome vacations on river cruises, then you should follow these tips!
We did, and now we make an excellent annual income. Good luck and good selling!
