Adding extra days, beginning of the trip or the end?

Coming from Washington, I would add one day on at the beginning, cause that 9 hour time difference is a toughie. Adjusting to the new time zone is the hardest on the first day, then you will be ok. Then maybe some days at the end to explore on your own.

Both.

In the beginning an extra day or two to get over the time adjustment.

At the end to get my last bit of Europe on my own before going home. If this is your first trip, it's a good idea to do this to see how easy it is to play tourist on your own.

But all of this is really personal choice. Some people hit the ground running when they land in Europe, others need a day or two. If this if your first trip, and you have never had to deal with jet lag, I'd suggest giving yourself a day or two before the tour because once the tour starts, you'll be going.

We've taken two RS tours. First tour, we added one extra day at beginning and also end of 14 day tour, but couldn't add more cause had to get back to work. Allowed an additional day on top of that to rest once back home. The return jet lag from Rome, whew. On our second trip, 7 day London, we added another week and a half at end. After these tours, we found ourselves invigorated and ready for more. Have a great tour!

On the front side there are at least two good reasons to add time:

Get used to the time zone change so you can be lucid when your tour starts.

Leave some room for slippage if you miss a plane or connection, there is a weather divert or cancelation or your luggage is delayed because you didn't do carry-on.

On the back end you'll be rested and better oriented to the country and will probably get more out of it. If everything else is the same (same place, no festivals or alternatively reasons to avoid extra crowds, etc.), I would probably do my touring on the back side.

My first trip to Italy, I did just a RS tour, no extra days. Second trip, I & my dad did 5 days prior to joining the tour. The others have pointed out the pros and cons of each. I will tell you that at the end of both trips I was NOT ready to leave!

I actually did fairly well adjusting to the time zones/long flights, and was able to hit the ground running both times. However, there were other folks on the tour who had a harder time, and especially flight connections can easily mess up your trip.

However, I found that when we did the 5 days prior to the tour, the tour itself actually felt a bit restrictive. While we had a fantastic time, the ability to set our own pace/agenda for half the trip was sorely missed when we had to be at X place by X time or else!

So if you can swing it, I'd probably suggest one day before the tour starts to get there/adjust, and the rest of the days after the tour when you are acclimated to Europe and itching to go off and explore.

Matt, I am taking my 1st RS tour in Sept but added days on both ends. I am doing 4 days in Normandy before the tour which gives me time to adjust before the tour starts and then doing an extra day at the end of the tour. Don't know if front of the tour is better but just wanted to have some time to get adjusted and not be rushing around the day I land and be tired for the tour start.

Matt - Does your post ever bring back memories. It was just a year ago we were in the same situation. Had just booked our first RS Tour, the 21 day ETBD, and having never been to Europe before were wondering what to do.

We ended up flying over a week and a half before the tour began and staying two and a half weeks afterward. The running joke was we would need the time before the tour to recover from jet lag and to make every mistake a first time traveler to Europe can make, use the tour to learn how to travel, then travel "right" in the two and a half weeks after the tour.

Didn't work out that way at all. We hit the ground running the first day and never looked back. This year we are going over for 17 weeks and taking 3 RS tours (VI, T and EE) spiced with lots of travel on our own.

We only saw two types of people on the tour wishing they had done things differently. The ones who had arrived the day the tour started and ones who had to leave the day the tour ended. If you have the time, my guess is that you will enjoy the experience more if you allow time on both ends.

Matt, my dd and I did the RS 14 day Family tour last summer. We added 7 days before tour and 5 days after.
I added a week on front as tour starts in Rome and ended in Paris, and frankly ,, two days tour allows in Paris is NOT enough, which I knew from previous visits. Plus , airfare return from my home to Paris was cheaper then an open jaw ticket Rome-Paris. I was able to get a cheap inter europe flight so we flew to Rome day before tour.

I think it is VERY important to arrive at least 2 days before tour. We really could see how jet lagged and "off" the people were who arrived the morning of tour,, on in one case a family arrived on the second day of tour as their flights from home were delayed. So they were tired, jet lagged, and had to hit the ground running!

Also, every single person on our tour who did not stay at least a few days after tour were very enivous of those of us who had later departures.. Paris really deserved more time, and once they had the tour they realized how easy it would have been for them to manage on their own for a few extra days,, the tour guides really empowered the nervous travellers, armed them with the knowledge to "do it on their own next time"

So, my long answer is,, stay at least 3 days before and 4 days after.. it will be worth it..
PS , which tour are you doing?

Bob & Lin,

Travelling Europe for 17-weeks. That will be a treat!

Just curious, will there be any "issues" with overstaying the very strict terms of the 3-month Schengen Limit?

Matt,

I've used both methods, touring on my own prior to a tour or for the same length of time after a tour. I didn't really notice much difference, so don't know which to recommend. A lot will be dictated by the dates of the tour, and the "window" you have for travelling (vacation time or whatever).

One thing I noticed last year when I travelled after a tour, was that the first few mornings were a bit lonely. I had become so used to seeing the same familiar group every morning, that my first breakfast alone was an especially "rude awakening".

If you decide to travel on your own after a tour, I'd definitely recommend arriving a few days prior to the start of the tour. That provides a few days to get over jet lag and get accustomed to the area to some extent. It also provides a bit of a "cushion" if any of your flights are delayed.

I agree with a previous post about tour members who arrive on the day the tour starts, or those who have to leave right when it ends. That doesn't appear to be a really pleasant travel experience. On my RS tour last May, a few of the group had to get to the airport at 03:00 to catch a flight home. That's brutal! That will never happen in my case!

This year I'll be arriving a few days before the tour starts, and looking forward to being back in France again. I'll be travelling for a week or so on my own in Italy (and perhaps a short jaunt into Switzerland) after the tour ends. Better get used to those first few "lonely breakfasts" again.

Happy travels!

Matt,
I think you should split the extra days - 2 or more before the tour and whatever you can spare at the end of the tour. My mother and I took the RS 7 day Prague trip a while back - we got there the day of the tour and had trouble getting adjusted to the jet lag. We were on "go" from the first afternoon until the very end. I should have know better - I had been to Europe a few times before and tend to take 1-2 days to get over the jet lag. A little time after the tour would have been nice to go out and explore on my own, but I couldn't be spared from work. The RS tours seem to be packed with things to do, so it would be nice to start the pace slowly and work into it. Gradually slowing down and relaxing at the end would also be nice so you don't go home needing a "vacation from your vacation". Hope you have a great trip!

Bob & Lin: Same as Ken's question (above). These days 17 weeks is a no-no in any of the 25 Schengen zone countries. What's your plan, 90 days in Schengen zone and then going to UK or Ireland for the remaining 4+ weeks?

Ken & Kent

One of our RS tours this year is the Turkey tour and we plan to spend time both before and after the tour in that country. At the end of our sojourn across the pond we will also spend a week in London, making for 88 or 89 days in the "zone".

Bob & Lin,

Thanks for the clarification. Just wanted to make sure you were aware of that, to avoid any problems.

With such a long time to travel in Europe, you're going to be making all of us jealous!

Happy travels!

Well I am definitely jealous of Bob and Lin . . . do you want to adopt me?

To answer Matt's question: We usually go 2-3 days ahead of time and stay 1 or 2 days afterwards. This year we are leaving for Ireland 9/10, arrive 9/11 and the tour starts late 9/13. We will stay one extra day after the tour.

Last year I could have used more time at the end of trip than the one extra day. I would have liked to have spent another 3 days at least.

Where are you going and perhaps we can help you for your sites before and after tour.

I am going to add the chorus and say come in a bit early and stay a bit after. For a tour that started on Monday evening I flew out of Wisconsin on a Friday. I arrived Saturday and got oriented to the neighborhood. I toured on Sunday and Monday at places that I knew weren't on the tour. At the end of my trip I added a weekend at a new city. It was great. If you can only do one, I think I would come in early. Pam

I always stay a few days before and after when I go on a tour or cruise. Living on the west coast I try and stretch out my trips. With the time it takes to just fly there and all the additional time due to all the new security issues we travelers have to deal with, I feel like I should go for atleast 2 to 3 weeks!

Happy Travels,
Debi

Bob and Lin, wow. 17 weeks and three RS tours. I am so jealous. Know you will have a fabulous time. And Matt, on our London tour last year, one of the couples didn't arrive until late the 2nd day of the tour due to plane problems, etc., so I do really advise going on over at least one day early if you can. You just don't want to miss any of the fun!

Wow! These forums are great! I was very hesitant to even ask my question, since I thought it was mainly just a personal preference or too vague, but all the responses have been great and very helpful!

I'm planning to do the Tallinn, Helsinki, StPetersburg trip in September.

I'm tentatively planning to fly into Tallinn a day or two early, try to do a little exploring around Tallinn that isn't covered in the RS tour, maybe the seashore, or Lahemaa National Park, or the Estonian country side. The best connecting city for me to Tallinn is probably Copenhagen, I thought about spending the extra days there and then flying from Copenhagen to Tallinn on the day the tour starts, but I think I'll minimize hassle and just spend the up front days in Tallinn.
Another option I thought about was to fly-in to Riga or Vilnius and take a train or bus up to Tallinn, but from what I could find the airline connections into Riga or Vilnius weren't very good. I thought a bus or train ride might be an easy way to recover from the jetlag, and also see some of the country-side.

On the other end of the trip I will be in St Petersburg, and I'm sure there is LOTS to see around StPB that isn't on the RS tour, but I'm not sure how much I want to hassle with the Russian visa process. I would really like to see Novgorod.

The airline connections for me to Seattle from StPB aren't very good, so its hard to avoid either big layovers or many connections, so I think I'll break up that by spending a couple days in one of the connecting cities, most likely, Berlin, Paris, Frankfurt, or Munich. Paris and Munich have the most appeal for me.

(* continued *)

So currently this is what I'm thinking

T-2: fly-into Tallinn

T-1: recover, explore

T-0 Tour starts 5PM

T+1: St Petersburg (day trip to Novgorod)

T+2: St Petersburg, fly to Paris, or Munich

T+3: Explore Paris or Munich

T+4: Fly back to Seattle

(* I might try to increase this by adding another day in StPB, and also another day in Paris or Munich *)

I'm sure that 2 days isn't near enough in either of those cities, but unfortunately I don't have 17 WEEKS to travel this year! :-) (* I'm jealous *)

For Paris I want to see the Mona Lisa, the Eiffel Tower and some Monet's if possible.
For Munich I was thinking an Oktoberfest beer hall tour.

Since St. Petersburg is part of your itinerary there is an additional issue. People traveling on a paid tour in Russia don't have to worry about a Visa. People traveling on their own require a Visa. Russian Visa's are, by most accounts, more of a hassle than other visas.

I'm not sure how they deal with someone who is meeting or leaving a paid tour but it will be important to check into before you book your flights out of St. Petersburg. You may not have the option of doing a couple of days there if you haven't already applied for and received a visa.

If you have hedge room at both ends
you a have chance to be bumped . Or not be late for tour .