Alaska Eco-Cruises With The Boat Company Offer the Kind of Transformative Experience That Travel Trend-Watchers Cite as a Top Trend for 2026

SEATTLE, November 11, 2025 – Transformative travel – the kind of travel that fosters personal growth and deep connections and sometimes even prompts lasting change – has emerged as a top travel trend for 2026, and that kind of experience is precisely what The Boat Company strives to provide guests on its small-boat Alaska cruises. Just as it has for the last 45 years.

Defined as a travel experience that can lead to profound and lasting personal growth and change, transformative trips are often the kinds of experiences that travelers put into their “someday” travel buckets. But that is changing, and many travelers are expected to go ahead and book transformative trips sooner rather than later according to publications like Smart Flyer and Veranda.

As the only non-profit cruise company in the world, The Boat Company’s mission is to protect and preserve Alaska’s Tongass National Forest and Southeast Alaska in a variety of ways including funding lawsuits, supporting conservation efforts and promoting stewardship among its cruise guests. The Tongass is one of the Earth’s last substantially intact temperate rainforests.

Cruises aboard the company’s two boats – the 10-cabin, 145-foot-long M/V Liseron and 12-cabin, 157-foot-long M/V Mist Cove – travel between Sitka and Juneau, Alaska. The six-night, seven-day cruises emphasize an array of adventures and experiences in the pristine wilderness of Southeast Alaska. Guests see glaciers up close, paddle kayaks, fish for multiple species of trout and char and troll in 20-foot skiffs for salmon, halibut and other species. Guests are guided by on-board naturalists, who emphasize respectful wildlife watching and fishing and teach wilderness skills like reading the waters and hiking safely.

The luxury cruises aboard the M/V Liseron and M/V Mist Cove have a high staff-to-guest ratio, and the crew works hard to ensure that each guest experiences meaningful adventures.

“Cruising with a purpose is what we do, and our goal and hope is that every one of our guests takes home not only a lifetime of wonderful memories – and also maybe some salmon or other fish that they caught – but also a renewed commitment to respect and protect the Earth and its resources every way they can,” said Hunter McIntosh, president and executive director of The Boat Company.

When vacationers choose an eco-cruise with The Boat Company, their fees provide monetary support for the company’s mission-focused initiatives, including helping to fund lawsuits to protect the Tongass. The lawsuits are coordinated by EarthJustice, the nation’s leading environmental law organization.

McIntosh said that guests often come for the expeditionary activities and scenery, but their impressions and feedback evolves. “Comments around the dinner table go from ‘wow, this is beautiful’ early in the week to ‘we cannot take this stunning place for granted and we must protect it’ later in the week. That is when you know that our guests have progressed from adventure-seeking cruisers to protective eco-warriors. Many of our guests commit to continuing to provide monetary support to Earthjustice and other organizations long after they return from the cruises.”

Cruises for the 2026 May-to-September season are available for booking now, and cruises are selling fast.

About The Boat CompanyFounded in 1979, The Boat Company is a non-profit, conservation-focused luxury cruise operator specializing in sustainable tourism in Southeast Alaska. Through unique itineraries and a commitment to environmental stewardship, The Boat Company offers transformative travel experiences while advocating for the preservation of the Tongass National Forest.