Your Crew During Your French Barge Cruise

Meanderer has a crew of five including a Captain/Guide, Pilot, Chef, Hostess, and Deckhand/Host.  We know that selecting the right staff is an important part of creating a wonderful experience during your barge trip in France. The crew for our luxury French barge cruises is hand-picked for their personalities and skills, then trained to provide service that will always exceed your standards. Our goal is to build on our background of excellent service and continue to improve and add to the wonderful features of Meanderer to assure its ranking as one of the best options for a barge cruise in France.

Meet the Owners & Crew

Proud owners
George & Susan Kovalick


In a sense, we have been preparing our whole lives for the Meanderer experience. We've both spent our entire professional lives in the service, lodging, and hospitality industries, with a focus on luxury experiences and first-class travel. We appreciate the difference between the very good and the great and understand that the best high-end experience is always natural and transparent. You typically don't notice the effort that went into it.

Both of us come from Europe; We both speak fluent French and know France well. Susan grew up in England, and from there enjoyed a career in senior client-service positions with major luxury brands like Chanel and Bally.

George grew up in France; he has been in the travel industry handling high end corporate and private travel as well as major events and corporate planning. He has years of first-hand experience from the client side of what discerning travelers want, need, and expect. He and Susan have a track record of delivering these results consistently during one of their luxury barge cruises in France.

“The best high-end experience is always natural and transparent.”

Meanderer is a six-passenger luxury vessel crewed by five people:
  • Captain/Manager who will be your extraordinary guide, sharing his knowledge of the region
  • Private Chef who will meet of your special dietary requirements and then exceed your expectations
  • Skilled Pilot who will never spill a drop of your delicious wine as he enters the locks
  • Two hostesses who will take care of your every need even before you realize you need something
Through the years we have assembled and trained an amazing crew who expertly run each barge cruise in France and serve our guests. We continue to give careful oversight to the Meanderer and periodically even join the crew on various French barge canal cruises to ensure every attention to detail and to personally greet our guests. We are capable navigational hands as well—we have owned and enjoyed a 48 ft. sailboat for over 20 years in the coastal waters of the US Northeast. We are avid exercise participants who enjoy tennis, biking, hiking, camping and, in general, being active. We share a love for the arts, food and wine, and enjoy sharing those experiences with others especially during their barge cruise in France.
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Our amazing crew family is by far, the number one ingredient in making your French canal cruise an exceptional vacation. Two of the many ways the staff bring your experience to another level are the activities they coordinate and their vast knowledge of the area.

Susan and George are true world travelers and avid about fitness. Their crew work personally to ensure that each and every guest does as much—or as little!—as he or she wishes. This can range from organizing an appropriate bike or running trail, to a personalized tour of local vineyards, chateaux, special shopping opportunities, or simply unique photo opportunities.