Atmosphere on a Rick Steves Tour

Hi Nancy,

We've taken a dozen Rick Steves tours since 1998 and at first, we noticed the tour participants were a real "public TV" crowd, but over the past 5-10 years, there's a wider variety of people. I can't remember anyone launching into political discussions and it's my impression that a lot of tour members are not aware of Rick's leanings. It's just a tour that hits the places they wanted to go. I wouldn't call it "politics free" necessarily, but we've never found ourselves in an uncomfortable position, and sometimes, if the subject of politics comes up at all, we are surprised to find that our assumptions about our fellow tour members were way off!

Helen

Hi Nancy, I have been on three RS tours and subsequently taken several trips on my own itineraries. In my experience, the people on his tours are from the full spectrum of political representation, but I’ve rarely heard any discussion. Mostly people are talking about travel, about the places or activities they want to see, about their career (or retirement) hobbies and kids.

Other differences - whether religious, marital status, drink or abstain from alcohol, etc. don’t influence that we’re a group of people enjoying each other’s company during a wonderful trip! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the RS tours, and this is from a person with different views from Rick.

I have not been on a tour, but one thing to keep in mind is that your next tour option will take place far after the upcoming election, and I have a sneaking suspicion that politics will be a tad less divisive in 2021!

I agree with the above. We've done four tours (last in 2019) and can't recall any political discussions taking place. In fact, there's very little if any group discussion, or forced socializing, other than the group meals, where people just naturally gravitate towards sitting with people they choose, and the usual polite dinner conversation takes place. Surprisingly, a good percentage of the groups have been people who are unfamiliar with RS, his TV shows, or even his guidebooks, before the tour. A lot of participants come by it through word of mouth or family members.

I'm certain that if it was an issue, a word to the tour leader (not all of whom are American or care about American party politics) would end it.

I agree with hcota and Jean and Stan. I've done 11 Rick Steves tours and honestly can not remember any political discussion at all. I travel solo much of the time and feel entirely comfortable with doing these tours as a solo traveler. The other group members are companionable and interesting to travel with. I've never had a tour guide discuss Rick's politics.

I did have to laugh one time though. On the Best of England tour we were having a private tour of Stanway House near Stow-on-the-Wold. The local tour guide led us into the library and said something like Rick and the Earl have had some good conversations in here and as I looked around there were a bunch of books stacked by a chair on legalizing marijuana. This was a number of years ago, before marijuana was legalized in Washington, and I'm not sure many of the folks on the tour knew his stance on the topic.

I'd not worry about this!

I will also add that I've done 11 Road Scholar tours. On one of those there was a very aggressive tour member who tried to engage everyone in a political discussion. I just avoided him although I enjoyed being with his wife and SIL. Most everyone just walked off when he tried to start his political stuff and I heard no one engaging with him on politics on the group activities. That really was a one-off experience and I've never run into that on any other tours. IF that ever happens again on a tour I'll be more assertive and talk with the guide early on so they can put a stop to it.

I'll also add that I'm not happy with how Road Scholar responded to begin with regarding pandemic cancellations so although I will book with them again I'll be cautious and not book too far ahead. I have NO similar issues with Rick's refund system. He's been an industry leader and totally ethical about refunds.

Take the tour.

If politics are expoused by any tour member simply ignore their stupidity.

I agree with Jean’s comments. I have been on 11 RS tours and only on two of those tours did a few tour members attempt to initiate political conversations. One tour date was Thanksgiving week, 2012, (post election) and the other tour date was October, 2016. On one tour, I, a Florida Gator fan, ended up hanging out with a couple who were Florida State Seminole fans. So, based on my experiences, take your tour before fall 2024. Most people are on the trip to enjoy the sights and experiences.

I've been on eleven RS tours. I have never witnessed any members start political conversations or become vocal about their political views.

Politics are not a reason to avoid a Rick Steves tour.

We have been on six RS tours, and have never been in any uncomfortable conversational situations regarding politics. Tour members seem to steer away from political discussions. On our last tour (Village Italy 2019) we really connected with another couple, so much so that we planned to join them on another RS tour. This couple had compatible interests and values, but we didn’t discuss politics until we had become better acquainted.

Of course, with any random group of people you may run into those whom you simply don’t feel like being with - for any number of reasons.

We have taken 4 RS Tours & 2 with another company. Our experience is that most participants refrain from discussing politics. If the subject did come up we would choose not to engage anyone on politics. What we’ve had in common is the love of travel! Many conversations inspired us to explore new destinations over the years. As far as traveling solo, I would not hesitate taking a RS Tour. We are still in contact with several couples & solo travelers we’ve met on guided tours.

Happy planning!

is it more a "politics free" environment?

Yes

People are focused on the tour itself.

One of the best reasons to visit Europe is to get out of the toxic American media environment. Over there, we're not bombarded with sensationalist journalism, hyper-partisanship, and propaganda. Europe has its version of these things to some extent, but it's not generally in English so we don't notice it or we are much too busy doing other things.

The toxicity of living in the American media ecosystem is never so obvious as when I return home from a several weeks abroad. It's like noticing how smelly my house is after having spent the day outdoors.

We’ve done 5 RS tours and 2 Viking Cruises (#3 was supposed to be in August). We’ve rarely, if ever, had a political discussion on an RS tour, but in thinking over this topic, realize that on our last Viking cruise, there was a lot more “political” talk. I’m not sure if it was length, or activity level that made the difference. On an RS tour, people go in many different directions about half of the day, so they bring back lots of different experiences to share at mealtime. On the cruises, everyone spends the majority of time seeing the same thing, so there isn’t the same sharing. Most people on RS are putting a fair amount of walking each day, so they’re a little more tired.

Pretty much politics free! I have only had one instance on one of my five trips where another member at dinner got all political and stereotyped a group of people similar to me, and I gently called her on it. Others at the table were a bit humored by it! I think we are all pretty much there for the beauty and adventure of travel. I have always gone as a single traveler and kindness and inclusion have abounded!

I disagree ever so slightly with the above descriptions. I agree that I have never witnessed a full on R vs. D or Brexit vs. NoBrexit discussion, however, general political philosophy comes up because you are learning about a new culture and political system. I think it isn't as obvious that you are speaking about politics because the tours attract thoughtful people. So there can be a discussion about different ways of handling social issues without it being a fight. Nobody is going to say I am against abortion, therefore I agree with everything else {orange} says. I would also say, that if anyone is talking about something you don't want to talk about, it is very easy to withdraw from the conversation and go and speak with someone else. This environment makes it easy to interact with another tour member with different views than oneself because everyone is polite and kind about it.

Although, in my experience, I would say that most tour members lean further left than right.

I've taken two Rick Steves tours.

On one of them, the couple with whom my wife and I were paired with as buddies were from New Jersey. The husband in that pair went on an on about how much he loved Chris Christie as I was trying to get to know him.

I just ignored it and moved on.

It never came up again; of course, I never had the opportunity or interest in talking with him much after that.

Beyond that, no politics at all.

On my first RS tour in 2016, our tour guide briefly discussed Italian politics and some members started to talk about the US election. It never spiraled out of control, though, and we quickly dropped it as we were heading to dinner. The topic never came up again for the remainder of the trip. During my second RS tour in Greece, our guide mentioned Greek politics, but only Greek politics.

On the 4 tours I have taken in the last 3 years the tour leaders in the introduction meeting have specifically asked that American politics not be discussed. Most people followed the request. I agree with the statement that most on the tour lean left, but fortunately they mostly kept quiet. Let’s hope this continues with future tours. The only political, social or religious discussions are about the history of the country we are currently visiting. By all means, take a tour when it is possible to travel again.

Thank you all so much for your insights - I appreciate them more than you know
!! I too hope that things settle down and become more civil after the election and am definitely looking forward to traveling again.

I agree with a lot of the posts - unless you specifically bring up politics or other "sensitive" subject, I found that it never came up on any of the tours I've been on. The discussions seem to especially center around travel-related topics, including where to go next, what places people really enjoyed, and where to go for dinner tonight. What I have found is that the fellow travelers have been intelligent, well-traveled and well read, open minded especially in terms of new adventures, and very friendly. I travel on my own and have always found my fellow tour mates to be friendly and fun to be with.

We’ve definitely heard about, and discussed, local politics, as a part of learning a country’s culture and way of life. Catalonian protests for independence on our tour of Spain (and the opposite when we got to Madrid); austerity measures and their ramifications when we visited Greece; the influence of the (mafia) in Sicily. But otherwise, it seems tour members are more than happy to leave American politics behind. The subject rarely came up over the course of our 3 RS tours so far. Don’t let it that worry discourage you. RS tours are awesome.

We've been on 3 RS tours and I saw RS in person during one of his shows. There was no political discussion-the tour guides are very good about keeping conversations neutral. The only political talk is about the country the tour is in. For example-we learned all about the troubles in Ireland and the adverse affects of an economic shutdown while in Greece (which happened when we were there).
The people on the tour are usually very friendly, outgoing, and have a love of travel. And, they know to not rock-the-boat with political talk. It's easy to steer clear of conversations you don't want to be a part of-there's no forced dialogue. I did notice a certain demographic at his speaking engagement, which most likely reflects the demographics of the people taking his tours.
I think you'll like the tour. We met many people traveling alone and they were always included in out-of-tour activities. RS tour members are very knowledgable and well-traveled.

We were on an AHI “campus abroad” with tour members from different alumni associations. The majority were from a southern school and were very conservative Christians. We found two others who also felt like “fish out of water” and the four of us had a lot of fun together. This was during a major breaking news story in the US so there was a lot of political talk because of it.

The only time I recall politics coming up at the dinner table on an RS tour was the last tour I took, and it turned out interesting and educational. A Canadian couple at our table talked about their election process, but the conversation didn’t veer into political views. It was brief, and we moved on to talk other topics. I think it’s safe. As others have said, many of us are on vacation to escape from politics!

FWIW, check Mr Steve's twitter account for his recommendations.
https://twitter.com/RickSteves

The twitter account also mentions his new TV special, 'Egypt: Yesterday and Today.'
https://www.ricksteves.com/tv-programmers/egypt

In his new hour-long special debuting this October, Rick Steves explores the historic and cultural wonders of Egypt. In Cairo, we greet the Sphinx and marvel at King Tut’s gold. Then we explore Alexandria's back lanes and visit the pharaohs' temples and hidden tombs at Luxor. After a timeless felucca cruise on the Nile, we finish at the temple ruins of Abu Simbel.

Nancy, I am sorry for your loss and extremely proud of you to for planning new ways of travel!

I have been on 2 tours and everyone was welcoming and politics just weren’t discussed. I would advise you to get the single supplement and go on a tour when it is possible again.

the tour guides are very good about keeping conversations neutral. The only political talk is about the country the tour is in. For example-we learned all about the troubles in Ireland...people on the tour... know to not rock-the-boat with political talk...

JS said it very well. We've never encountered any "confrontational" political discourse on eight RS tours. I think you should go and enjoy and don't think you'll have anything to worry about with regard to this subject.

Have never taken a RS tour but if I were to, I would stay away from any political talk if at all possible ... not the place and time for it ...

Valadelphina ...

but one thing to keep in mind is that your next tour option will take place far after the upcoming election, and I have a sneaking suspicion that politics will be a tad less divisive in 2021

I think the rift between the 2 parties is so wide that whichever side wins this year, next year the other will immediately start trying to take them down instead of trying to work together ... sad, very sad.

I think the rift between the 2 parties is so wide that whichever side
wins this year, next year the other will immediately start trying to
take them down instead of trying to work together ... sad, very sad.

I'm shooting for optimism DQ, at least it will be done and no more speculation! Either way, hoping everyone will be shocked into submission for a bit.

Most people understand it is not wise to alienate perhaps half the bus with political talk. I mean, not smart.

When I go on a tour, game, a rock concert or whatever, I want a break from current politics.