Wish You Were Here?

8 Amazing boat trips around the world.

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It's hard to get more distance, actual and metaphorical, from your job than you get on a cruise--out on the high seas and living on piña coladas, your BlackBerry hopelessly out of range. But vacationing with 1,500 strangers isn't for everybody. What about those of us who love the water--and need the distance--but don't require nightly musicals, colossal buffets, or swimming pools that churn with screaming children? Actually, our options are legion. There are rafts over jungle rapids, canoes in the wilderness, and barges along the placid waters of southern France. There are even cruises for people who don't like cruises--that is to say, small and fancy, without the buffet. Don't forget the Dramamine.

Choose your adventure

1. Rolling on the Columbia

Lewis and Clark first paddled the waters of Oregon's Columbia and Snake rivers in 1805. Today these are the domain of the American West Steamboat Co. and its two 150- and 231-passenger paddle wheelers. The eight-day trips depart from Portland, Oregon, and offer views of the spectacular glacial valleys and the Cascade Mountains, as well as excursions to Columbia Valley wineries and the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

$1,800 to $5,170; www.americanweststeamboat.com

2. Provence in Slow Motion

The 12-passenger L'Impressionniste was a Dutch cargo ship before undergoing plastic surgery to reenter society as a luxury barge built to ply the waters of Provence. Passengers live aboard for seven days, leisurely cruising the Rhone while making stops along the French countryside for cycling excursions and wine tastings at Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which was once Pope John XXII's private vineyard.

$2,790 to $4,190, $32,000 and up to rent the entire boat for 12 people; www.breakaway-adventures.com

3. Up the River With the Ancients

There are few ways to visit the 2,500-year-old civilization formerly known as Burma, and that's just how Myanmar's reclusive ruling junta likes it. But even foreigners are allowed to cruise the Ayeyarwady River. It flows over 1,300 miles to the Andaman Sea, passing historical marvels like Bagan, an 11th-century city filled with towering temple ruins. While technically a cruise, this three- to 11-night voyage uses a relatively small boat with a maximum of 110 passengers.

$1,950 to $4,200; www.orient-express.com

4. Zambezi With a Paddle

If you're feeling adventurous, paddle the crocodile- and hippo-ridden waters of southern Africa's Zambezi River from the wobbly perch of a kayak. The offerings are astounding: warm-water rapids, beach campsites in the footsteps of elephants, and waters bathed in the spray of Victoria Falls. This nine-day expedition isn't for the beginner, but you don't need to be a white-water expert. The trip is designed so that your skills progress as the waters become harder to navigate.

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