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 . . .