Introducing Cruising Through Retirement, a New Chapter in the Travels with Darley Community
Some of my favorite travel moments don't happen on camera. They happen over dinner, swapping stories with someone who has spent a lifetime exploring the world. Someone who sees travel differently — not as a sprint between destinations, but as a long, unhurried conversation with the places and people you encounter.
That someone, for me, is Evelyn Kwan Green, PhD.
Evelyn has been part of the Travels with Darley family for six years, working behind the scenes as a consulting producer — helping shape stories, scout locations, and bring her deep background in hospitality and tourism to everything we create. And for just as long, I've been telling her: your own stories deserve to be told.
Today, I'm handing her the mic — and I couldn't be more excited about what she's going to do with it.
— Darley
Multigenerational travel at its best!
On the banks of the Garonne in Bordeaux, Darley and Evelyn capture a “Travels with G-Ma” moment during filming for Uniworld’s Brilliant Bordeaux river cruise.
Hello, I'm Evelyn — and This Is Where My Next Adventure Begins
Some journeys begin with a plan. Others begin with curiosity. Mine began with a single email.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, while migrating my hospitality and tourism classes online, I reached out to a tourism webinar organizer to speak to my class. It was a “cold call” of sorts, sent in hopes of keeping my students connected to the industry. Weeks later, just when I had almost given up, she replied. Not only did she agree, she introduced me to Darley Newman.
That one email led to student internships, real-world industry access, and eventually, an invitation from Darley to consult on Travels with Darley after I retired from academia. I stepped into that role at 62. Six years later, I'm still here — still growing, still exploring, and now, ready to share my own journey with you.
Introducing Cruising Through Retirement
I've spent decades studying and working in hospitality. I know how the travel industry works from the inside — how destinations are designed to be experienced, how ships are built to serve their guests, and what separates a good voyage from a truly unforgettable one.
And cruising? It has always been one of my favorite ways to travel.
That's what this series is about. Cruising Through Retirementis a new ongoing feature here on darley-newman.com dedicated to ocean and river cruise travel — written from a perspective that's genuinely underrepresented in the travel world. I'm a retired academic. A passionate cruiser. A woman who started a second act at 62 and is very much still in it.
I'm not just writing about this kind of travel. I'm living it.
Each post will take a deeper dive into the world of cruising — destinations, itineraries, what to expect onboard, and honest reflections on what makes a voyage worth taking. While Darley's packed production schedule makes long sailings a challenge for her, I'll be out there on the water, bringing the stories back to you.
Community Cruise Stories: Your Stories Belong Here Too
Here's the thing about cruising — the best part is rarely the ship itself. It's the community you find along the way. The couple at your dinner table with 40 cruises under their belts. The solo traveler who finally took the trip she'd been putting off for years. The mother-daughter duo marking a milestone with a river voyage through France.
Those are the stories I want to collect here.
Community Cruise Stories is an ongoing feature within this series where I invite you — the Travels with Darley community — to share your own ocean and river cruise experiences alongside mine.
We'd love to hear about:
Why you chose cruising and what surprised you most
Favorite destinations, ports, or shore excursions — and what made them special
A moment that stayed with you long after you disembarked
Advice you'd pass along to a first-time cruiser
How to submit:
Approximately 500 words or less
Personal, reflective, in your own voice — no travel writing experience required
Optional photos welcome (we'd love to see the faces and places behind your story!)
Include your name as you'd like it published
Subscribe to the Travels with Darley newsletter to receive updates when new posts go live
Submissions may be lightly edited for clarity and flow, but your voice is always preserved. Your story might be exactly what inspires someone else's first voyage.
The Horizon Is Wide — Let's Explore It Together
There are always more stories waiting just beyond the horizon. I'm ready to find them, and I hope you'll come along for the journey.
Subscribe to the Travels with Darley newsletter so you don't miss a single post — and send us your cruise story. I'd love to hear where the water has taken you.
— Evelyn
