Cruise ships keep getting bigger, but some travelers want the opposite. A growing number of small ship operators are offering something more personal: cruises on boats with real history. From a refitted tugboat off Canada’s west coast to a hand-built phinisi sailing Indonesia’s waters and dahabeyas reviving a century-old style on the Nile, options exist if you’re tired of floating mega resorts.

A white dahabiya sailing boat with two large sails on the Nile River, with arid cliffs in the background.
Some of the most interesting cruises right now aren’t on new ships; they’re on boats with a past and a crew who knows it. Photo credit: Nubia Dahabeya.

Originally published on fooddrinklife.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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