Rick Steves Tours?
 

Has anyone taken a Rick Steve's tour? My wife and I want to travel to Italy next summer and like his approach to travel. However, after checking I found out his tours are TWICE as expensive as other competing tours. Are they really worth that much more? Would love some feedback.
Thanks!
Bob

I have not taken one of his tours and am always surprised by their cost. Some of it may be because it is a smaller group size. Also I think they don't push the "optionals" that some of the less expensive ones do that can end up adding to the cost of the tour. But there are plenty of posters on his web site that seem to have enjoyed them!

No personal experience as we always travel independently, but my cousins (mid-30s) went on one of his tours for their anniversary trip a couple of years ago. They were quite pleased. The hotels are usually small locally-owned places that are centrally located within each town. Larger tour companies tend to put you in a large commercially-owned hotel far out in the suburbs. They also said the quality of the guide far exceeded the quality of guides they have had with other tour companies.

They tend to do at least two tours to Europe per year and they definitely prefer Rick's tours over Globus, GCT, etc.

The only personal feedback that I've ever gotten was from a friend who took a tour to Ireland about 10 years ago. This is a person that lives on lettuce and coffee, and has never seen 100 lbs.

After the tour, she said that they had everyone was starving because of the selection of the prepaid meals. Finally their guide, who she liked very much, said "the heck with Rick, order what you want, I'll take care of the bill."

DH and I still shake our heads at this, when our friend says that she was also starving.

I hadn't realized that he was considered to be expensive, I've never been on a tour, although I do get his newsletter. Next time I'll have to look at his prices.

I know that there is a lots of walking, stairs etc. and you have to carry your own luggage. Good way to eat off the pastries, etc..

Nina

oh, he is VERY expensive for what you get. Especially since he doesn't stay in deluxe hotels and you are supposed to do a lot of stuff yourself, I think. All I know is I checked them out and wouldn't even consider them due to the expense. They force you to share rooms, also, which means they are even worse. If you are in a couple, it doesn't matter, but on other tours, singles are usually required to pay a supplement because they have their own room. Which is what I want -- but on Rick Steves, you are forced to share a room even if you are willing to pay a supplement, and the final charge is the same or higher than the tours where you get your own room. Very few other tours give you the option of sharing, though, although even with that option, his tours are more expensive, so if you are real budget, you wouldn't be taking them, anyway.

Now, he changed that policy and on some of his tours, you can pay a single supplement for your own room, but it's a real ripoff. On regular tours, that supplement is only about $25-50 a night, as it should be (the different in half a double room and a single room). On his tours, the single supplement is about $70 more a night, and he says he stayed in "small, family-run hotels". That's ridiculous.

I think his company claims they are so expensive because the number is much smaller than other tours (about 25 people), but it isn't that much smaller to make up for the cost difference. You can find other tours that have small groups, also. I'd look around. For example, his 10 day France tour amounts to a cost of $250 a day (without any single supplement)--the tour is $2300, but really only consists of nine days as you leave the 10th day after breakfast.

I think the folks that are willing to pay those fares for roughing it generally enjoy them, though.

Check out Earthbound Expeditions at www.earthboundexpeditions.com
Ciao!
Mark

A friend of mine who's well-traveled (normally unguided) went on one about 4 years ago and had a great time. She really liked the small group. However, as others have said there are other small-group options. I doubt that RS tours are worth the premium his name now commands.

What tours would be competing with Steves' - similar 'Back Door' tours, small groups, etc.
Globus, etc. obviously way different - but are there clones or near clones of Rick's tours - every successful product soon produces similar things - anybody know of similar other tours and what they are priced?

We took one Rick Steves tour last May, and are doing another this Fall. We really loved it.

I think the reason his tours are more expensive is because I notice on other tours you have to pay for "optional" things that were covered in his. For example, when we visited any art museum or ruins, etc., there was always a local guide to give explanations...these were all covered.

The meals and hotels were not all fabulous...but we expected that and there were many nights we ate on our own. Others loved the meals...

The other people on the tour were all well-traveled (for the most part), ...the only drawback on the tour is that you have to be up to handling your own luggage. We liked the fact that there were 24 people on the tour, not 50 or 60 and the tour guides were fabulous.

If you would like more info you can write me at: [email protected]

"On regular tours, that supplement is only about $25-50 a night, as it should be (the different in half a double room and a single room). On his tours, the single supplement is about $70 more a night, and he says he stayed in "small, family-run hotels""

I'm not familiar with this company, so don't take this as a specific defence, but I will say that in my experience, some hotels charge by the room rather than the number of occupants, so in practice a single person may end up spending twice as much pro rata as a couple, especially if they don't have smaller single rooms. Yes, it feels unfair, but it may not be this tour co's profiteering.

I was curious about Rick Steves tours and checked some out a couple of years ago. I wanted to see what he offered etc. They were someplace in Switzerland and you had to climb up 100 steps to get to your hotel...NO THANK YOU!!!!!! I would have had thighs like rocks if I ever could have gotten up their in the first place!!!! LOL

Why do a tour? An independant trip is easy to do in Italy.

Out of curiosity, I just checked out his site to see what is offered. I looked at the Germany, Switzerland, Austria tour and it looks very rushed. Almost every day has bunches of time on a bus. There are a couple 2-night stays, but most look like 1 nighters and at least 3 hours on the bus between places. Looks too rushed for my taste.

oh, I know that hotels charge by the room. I just think that an extra supplement of $70 to pay for a single room on top of what you've paid as half a double room is too much for budget hotels and small, family-run places, as he claims. I have paid single supplements on other tours, and of course the hotel was pricing rooms per room, and I never paid $70 more a day when it was budget hotels -- I think most tour companies are supposed to get good deals on hotel rooms, and that's why they can do that and often don't charge that much extra for the single supplement. Anyway, that's my experience, so I just think Rick Steves is charging too much.

For example, let's say a budget hotel charges $100 for a single and $125 for a double room, those are reasonable figures. You'd pay $67 towards the room in the basic tour package, so only $33 a day would be due as your "single supplement". $70 would be due only for hotels that had no single rooms, and never even priced things lower for singles occupying doubles (which most hotels will do a bit). This is certainly possible, but not that likely in the kind of hotels he claims to frequent. Even if it happened occasionally, it shouldn't happen every single night, which is how his price averages out.

Of course, one of the drawbacks of his tours which contradicts independent travel, and I guess his own philosophy, is that most meals are included, so you are stuck eating with that group in the places they pick, which is an unnatural experience (dining in large groups rather than out on your own with the locals, more or less) and you can't go out and try things on your own. I find that really odd that his company makes you eat with that group all the time. None of the tours I took did that, most of the meals you were on your own. I know you can buy tours like that, and it can be good for people who are afraid to go out on their own, or have some limitations, but not for most folks.

wouldn't take one of his tours..it's just not my "style"..I was just curious what he offered etc.

The idea sounds good, though--Losing Weight through Europe! Maybe they're missing out on a niche market. :)

I've taken 3 RS tours and enjoyed each of them. My favorite was the regional tour of Eastern France I took in 2000(no longer offered). The price includes half the meals, but at no time are you required to eat with the group. It was pretty common for people to go off on their own and meet with the group later. Out of all the meals that I ate with the tours there were probably 3 that I considered mediocre and some were so large that I skipped dinner.

There are no optional activities. All museums and activities listed in the itinerary were included and the extra guides that they hired were usually excellent.

One of the best benefits I received from the tours was the encouragement to travel on my own. The guides really encouraged us to get about on our own and were always available to answer questions.

I will admit that the tours have become a lot more expensive since 2000, but one thing I always liked about the company was that you got exactly what was stated, there were no hidden charges once the tour started and the staff was always great about answering questions prior to the tour.

To the person who asked why do tours when you can travel independently, I offer this explanation:

Not everyone is well traveled and some people are more timid than others and want to be taken care of.

Many people who post dismissively about group tours have never been on one. They are not like "If it is Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium". Many tours, moreover, specialize in a subject or cover much smaller areas these days.

There can be advantages: For example, you don't have to worry about finding your hotel or getting lost. You can also benefit from group rates on admissions or special charters (barge trips, for example).

A good tour director or guide will see to it that you see the highlights while you are in a place. You do not have to do your own research. He or she will also take care of you if you get sick or injured. No matter where you are, someone will be there to assist.

Some singles also like tours that match you with a roommate to save money. Since I travel solo, that is one reason why I have done a couple of package tours with elderhostel. They were both good experiences. One involved a cruise on a sailboat that was specially chartered by elderhostel. I could never have done that on my own.

So, there are pluses and minuses no matter how you choose to travel.

You can do a Rick Steves tour for yourself and save 30%---I have 13 times now.

There is definitely a place for higher end tours - but I just don't get the RS ones.

You pay for &quot;high end&quot; but even the posters above who say they loved the tours say things like &quot;<i>The meals and hotels were not all fabulous.....the only drawback on the tour is that you have to be up to handling your own luggage</i>&quot; and &quot;<i>Out of all the meals that I ate with the tours there were probably 3 that I considered mediocre</i>&quot;

For the money RS charges, things shouldn't be mediocre, and you shouldn't have to schlepp bags up and down stairs. IMHO for that sort of tour you should pay Globus-type rates . . .

I don't want medicore meals, but even on my own with great Fodor's advice I've been known to get a so-so meal every now &amp; then. As for carrying my bag, I'd consider a tour to have interesting people to travel with and a knowledgable tour guide. I don't expect someone to carry my bag when I'm healthy and capable of doing it myself.

That said, I've passed on tours because I like the freedom of self-guided trips, and my GF and I often like the joy of doing 'nothing' - strolling streets, sitting in cafes, eating picnics.

We chose a RS tour because we can't use a car anymore. and there were many places we went to on the tour that wouldn't be easily accessible without a car....and/or if we were able to do them on our own, we would never have had the energy.

it has not stopped us from traveling independently..one hasn't anything to do with the other. In fact after the next RS tour of Italy, we are going on our own to explore more of Italy.

Actually, handling the luggage wasn't that bad...we both lost weight,lol. I do know of other tours that handle all that for you at much more money...Tauck tours for example.

There were no &quot;extras&quot; to pay for...which we liked, and which would probably increase the cost of other tours.I have some brochures from two other tour groups now and if you read closely...they pass through areas and see things from the bus or pay $$ for a guided visit. I suspect the cost of the RS tour is related to the expense of all the buses which took us from one place to another.

We particularly liked the guides who were superb...and I am sure there are places we went that wouldn't have been as rewarding to us without their presence.

What really surprised us were the well-traveled people on the tour. Somehow I expected people who would be relatively unsophisticated about travel. We were pleasantly surprised.

Tours like cruises IMO depend upon what a traveller is looking for.

I have never taken a tour but I have had relatives that took Elderhostels tours these past years as they were no longer able to travel on their own. They had such joyous trips with Elderhostels and I am so glad that they took these various tours as the wife is no longer able to travel at all.

I am not a fan of cruises (have only taken two) but I have friends that have so enjoyed the cruises they have taken..again it worked for them for one reason or another.

If I got to the stage where I couldn't travel on my own I would not take a RS Tour as at that point I would think hauling my own luggage, climbing lots of stairs, the extra cost as a single to have my own room in lodgings would not work. But obviously many people do enjoy RS Tours as they take many after the first RS Tour.

I would say herringtonb..Bob..if you and your wife are in the situation physically to travel on your own I would do so. I believe travelling on your own will cost less than going on any tour. If you and your wife are able to do this I would encourage you to figure out the cost of air fare, train fare, hotels rates, food, perhaps daily tours on some days etc., and compare that cost versus the various tour rates. And do comapare the schedules and what is included in each tour rate. It appears from what other Fodorites have said that with RS all &quot;side tours&quot; are included in the price unlike a lot of tours where you have to pay additional.

But if you think there is a chance that you and your wife will not be up to all the side tours that RS offers (age, physical problems etc.) than you would be paying for side tours that you would not be able to take advantage of so that would be a waste of money for you.

Also..when checking out other Tour Co tours do know that &quot;seeing&quot; a site or sight can mean driving by versus visiting the site or sight. Quite a difference.

Best wishes to you two in your decision. Happy travels!!

Elderhostel tours usually have a theme. They, therefore, attract people with similar interests. On the Sicily tour I took, where we sailed from Catania to Palermo stopping at 5 of the Aeoloian Islands, we had only 18 people. The food was not what I describe as &quot;first class&quot;, but it was sufficient. We all knew that the point of the tour was the sailing not the food. If you want a gourmet food tour, you take that.

The Elderhostel trip I took to Russia was absolutely terrific. We had this fabulous tour director Violetta. She is doing the Transiberian trip next summer that I have signed up for. It is sold out. Violetta was able to deal with anything. When you have a bunch of older people on a bus, you will have problems. Two people did not feel well and went home early on. Another lady fell down and got bruised and ended up in the hospital. She was 80, but a real trooper. She did the rest of the tour.

Any good tour will allow people to spin of if they get &quot;tour sick&quot; (unless you are changing hotels that day. We spent a week in Moscow and a week in St. Petersburg. Time was sometimes built in for the exhausted to rest in the afternoon. Those of us who were more energetic just skipped that and went off on our own. I did that a couple of times because I had things on my must see agenda that were not on the tour. All you have to do is tell the tour director where you are going and when you will again meet the group--say, at the Bolshoi for the night's entertainment. Not a problem.

There are lots of different personalities on every tour but a good tour director is like gold. By the way, should anyone be interested, my Russia tour was the arts and entertainment 2 week tour. Elderhostel runs it several times a year.

These sound very interesting. I assume I can learn about them on the elderhostel website...

The elderhostel website is elderhostel.org. I use them for experiences I could not possibly get from home exchanging. They even have one day deals at, say, The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and the like. There is something for everyone with elderhostel.

My next elderhostel trip is to Chile in November. We are going down to the fiords--which was part of the attraction of that trip. Many of their trips are quite active. Not all seniors want to sit in rocking chairs anymore!

My husband and I are thinking of Rome-Venice-Florence next year. We may opt for a tour because, obsessive planner that I've become, sometimes it's just better to leave all the research and planning to a tour company.

I have not found that his tours are more expensive than others, rather significantly less. What am I missing?

What does appeal is that there are inside visits, with local guides, not offered as &quot;optionals&quot;.

dkjbooks, herringtonbob

Your task of comparison is complicated by tours actually involving 3 to 4 packages - a hotel package, a food/meal package, a travel package (the means of transport used, which for some itineraries might include a train or even a flight section as well as a bus), and (sometimes at additional cost, sometimes included) a sightseeing package. Different companies stress different aspects, or packages, of their tour. Thus, a tour company could be deemed 'first class' with respect to the hotel package, but only tourist class with respect to the sightseeing package.

RS is apparently the reverse, according to his veteran clientele - sightseeing is first or even deluxe rate, whereas his hotels are well located but often only tourist class (especially as luggage handling is, as already stated, not included).

His transport package also is higher end than some, since the group size is smaller and allows people to spread out on the bus.

This might explain why he looks cheap (or expensive) to different people, since the tour companies with which they're drawing comparisons focus on different things. You really need to decide if RS' focus on smaller group size, etc., is important enough to you to pay the premium that that entails.

It is a moot point for us - we've decided we can't afford tours of the type that would appeal to us, which is why we'll likely always go the independent route.

Check out www.intrepidtravel.com. I've taken one of their India trips and will be taking one of their Australia trips in October.They have a firm commitment to socially responsible travel,staying in small family owned hotels when possible,eating in little locally owned restaurants,using public transport.The group size is limited to 12,which is great.If you click on my name,you can read the report I am writing about my India trip-Through the Looking Glass.

We used RS for Rome 2000 and will be using them again for Prague tour this Oct.

Before we went to Rome, we thought the tour price seemed a bit high but afterwards, we felt it was really worth the money. As others have mentioned, it includes RS guide books, local transportation, admission fees and tips (to guides, bus drivers, etc). Those little extras can add up on a per diem basis so don't forget to figure that in.

In Rome, our group had less than 25 people. Having such a small group made things easy and the group got along very well. Hotel was certainly adequate, location was good (near central train station and major bus routes) and air conditioned, breakfast provided, free interneet in the lobby and very helpful English staff.

Our tour guide got all of us free tickets for the Pope's weekly audience. We had a special art guide through the Borgese who absolutely made art come alive for us. &quot;On the fly&quot; our RS guide rented a mini bus to take us up to the top of one of the hills to overlook Rome. Beautiful! One of our group dinners was at a restaurant where we had 3 opera singers who entertained our group (food was good too). Meals usually included wine.

Pace of tour was reasonable. Usually did two &quot;tours&quot; per day (usually morning and evening when it was coolest)which left some part of every day free to explore on our own. It was very hot in July so we took several &quot;afternoon free time&quot; opportunities to just go back to our hotel room, shower and catch a nap before we toured in the evening. Our guide always had wonderful suggestions for places to eat on our own + gelato!

My sister, single traveler, took 7 tours with him last year and will join us on the Prague tour. He also gives discounts for previous RS tour alum.

Comparing the prices at Globus, Tauck, and the RS sites, the first thing that jumps out is that Globus and Tauck don't include international airfares.Obviously that could work both for and against the traveler, but since the RS tours lock in your price right now for next year's tours, it could very well be a savings. We've taken a tour with Globus, and enjoyed the freedom of not having to stay with the group, but our other trips to Europe have been independent and looking at the RS prices, we probably saved very little.

danlovesme, RS tours don't include airfares. All prices listed include the proviso &quot;+ air&quot; and the 'what's included' section makes it doubly clear that airfare isn't included.

Some tour companies do list an air included option, but the prices seem high compared to what one could book oneself.

Yikes. thanks for correcting me! The RS tours don't have quite what we are looking for, anyway, and so we'll have to forgo the small group size and the other &quot;pros&quot; of his tours.

Check out www.goaheadtours.com.

I went to France and Italy with them last summer and was extremely pleased with the quality of the intinerary, the hotels, and our guide. They pride themselves on offering quality tours for less. Airfare is included, nice three and four star hotels (baggage handling included). Most optionals are not that expensive; you only need to pick 3 or 4 of them for a given tour (or none) and most of them vary in price from $39 to $79 each. In most of the destinations, there was plenty of free time built in to explore on one's own. Plus, our guide was OUTSTANDING.

I have priced the RS tours and find them prohibitively expensive, especially for a single traveler who insists on having her own room.

I ahve taken 3 RS tours and have enjoyed all of them. I went on the Germany/Swiss/Aust tour in '98, Italy in 2000 and France in 2002. I think you get exactly what the book says and I've never been dissappointed. The itinerary may seem rushed in print, but I've never felt rushed. All museums are included and the guides are local. I especially like the walking tours that are always led by locals. in 2002 we actually had Mr. Steves and his family on the tour with us and it was wonderful. He never intruded on the guides leadership and it was just fun having him and his family with us. I also turned 40 on that tour and our dinner that night was outside in Amboise. The proprietor provided champagne for everyone. It was a special night. The biggest issue is the group dynamic. In Italy it wasn't great and it effected my enjoyment somewhat. The other two groups were fabulous. Overall I can't travel alone as effciently and I would spend more money.

I think the person who said the RS tours have a different emphasis than other tours, and you have to decide what is important to you is quite true.

Some of the advantages people list are real common in other tours, or irrelevant to many people, though. For example, I've only been on two tours, but they were budget-oriented and excellent and I had a great time. Both these tours included many of the things others tout as so great about RS -- like admission fees (to the sites that were included in the tours, of course). Also, all tours I've taken, the two multi-day tours and including some single day tours, have had local guides. That is really the norm, and I think some countries even have laws about that. That is guides for the sightseeing, not the one who handles the tour logistics/hotel things.

I used tours as a way to tour in areas where logistics aren't so easy for traveleers, and because I was just starting international travel and didn't know how to do things and wanted a nice group. Mine served that purpose. However, even then, I didn't want to be tied to some group and wanted to go off on my own for most meals or even extra excursions. I thing it is better when a tour doesn't include a whole bunch of excursions in the price, as you may not want to take them or would prefer to do them differently. Of course you can go off on your own any time you want, but you'd waste a lot of money if you've already paid for a lot of meals and excursions that you don't take.

As comparison, very similar 9-10 tours to Provence/Paris by RS and Trafalgar are prices about $50 differently a day (RS costs $50 more a day per person, double occupancy). Both cover similar areas, include one TGV ride, etc. I think Trafalgar may even have better hotels and includes some small ferry ride down near St Tropez). Now maybe $50 a day (or $450-500 total) more for a total trip cost isn't a lot to some people, but it would be to me without any perceived value.

IN any case, there are certainly tours out there that cost even more, and he has his target market who think they are worth it.

I just studied some tours on Rick's site to compare with similar tours I've researched on the GoAheadTours and Trafalgar sites. The RS tours offer more off-the-beaten-track village stays as compared to other companies. Considering that there are no &quot;optionals&quot; to deal with and that many meals are included, the RS tours are looking better to me. That said, I don't think I would be willing to do one unless single supplements are offered for a private room.

We've been on 4 Tauck tours -and shorly will do a fifth - and have been completely satisfied. More expensive? Possibly. Worth it? Certainly!

Bob,

Of course, you will need to compare intineraries offered by the various tour companies, including RS, get tour prices, and weigh that against the experience you want. On an RS tour you will be handling your own luggage (traveling light), and will stay in more cozy, family run places.

On most other tours, you will stay in larger 3 and 4 star hotels, and luggage will be taken care of.

I found that GoAhead does incorporate off-the-beaten track places into their tours, but they often base in large hotels in the larger cities to accommodate the numbers. As I said, I had a good experience with them. I've also heard very good things about Tauck tours, though they are pricier.

We took the Germany, Austria, Switzerland trip last year with RS. We just booked the 17 day Italy tour for next year. It was worth every penny. Many tour groups during the day, but in the evening they all leave and you are there with the locals.
I think one aspect that is being overlooked, is the fact that your hotel is always in the best area (ie, historical) of the city. In Vienna we were like 50 steps from museum square. Others in our group said when they took other tours they were bussed out of the city in the evening, if they wanted to go back later they would have to get their own taxi. No thanks.