Best RS tours for a 24-year-old traveling with parents?

Hi Kevin,

I think it is great that your son wants to travel with you and your wife. When I was younger, I traveled with my parents to a few places and had lots of fun!!! I have young, active parents, so it's easy to find common things to do together as well as some "me" time.

Anyway, from what I gather about the RS tours, which many love, it seems to be a good mix - ages, singles, couples, friends, etc. There is no guarantee of who would sign up for any given tour. (There was another thread with a similar question of solo traveling. The poster answered that she calls the RS office and inquires the "age range" and "single/coupled travelers" to get an idea.) Of course the office cannot divulge personal details but maybe can guide you to a level of comfort.

Find a country or two you all like and concentrate on that. I love Italy and Sicily, so I push for that, LOL. Look at each Italy or the Sicily tour, see if the itinerary is attractive to all of you and if it is doable. What is the focus? Art and History? Hiking? Beaches? Vineyards?

For example: Choose a couple tours, maybe print out the itineraries, each of you look at them and "compare" notes so to speak. Check off what would be attractive and important to you on this trip. Find a commonality you all can share but also have some independence of personal enjoyment. There is some free time on each tour for those that want to venture out for a couple of hours to do their own thing - extra sightseeing, shopping, people watching, wandering, etc. Keep in mind that some tours are more aggressive/strenuous for sightseeing. You can see that on the activity of each tour.

Also, maybe watch some of RS' tour videos of various countries. If you do not see them on PBS, you can access them through YouTube or on this site too - take a peek at the Explore Europe and the Watch, Read, Listen. Something will inspire you.

Time and again, it has been suggested traveling in the Springtime - May or June and then in September or October. As everyone knows, the height of the travel season is beginning soon - right through September, even October now, as countries and airlines have gotten smart.

If you love the hustle bustle of people and travel, then the summertime may be a good fit for your family. I hear June is quite lovely in most countries. July and August would be crazy busy in a lot of countries - August is usually the big travel month for Italians.

If you are planning it for this year, going now (Springtime) would need some fast planning. People do it. It depends. Some people can throw together a trip in no time; while others need a few months to get things in gear plus also taking into consideration work, securing home, etc. etc.

Good luck and have fun choosing a vacation tour. I am sure whichever one you choose, you will have fun :)

I did Heart of Italy last May with my brother, SIL and their 2 20-something sons. We all had a great time. There was another 20-something traveling with her parents, a couple in their 30s, some in their 40s, 50's and 60's. The age range was 20 to about 68 or 69, all energetic, interesting and interested people. As far as I could tell, the nephews connected with everyone. They went out a couple of nights with some of the other folks and enjoyed everyone on the tour including the guide. They were quick to learn everyone's name and particularly had fun with the RS buddy check system. They were enjoying themselves at an outdoor cafe in Monterosso where they could see the end of the trail to Vernazza and got worried when one couple who had started walking never showed up. They came back to touch base with the guide to let her know and found the couple had decided to take the train back. We chose this particular tour because the older nephew had a limited amount of vacation time. We also had a really fun time as a family and made lifetime memories.

I would say just pick one as you can't really go wrong. I don't think he will be bored on any RS tour.

Been on 14 RS tours, three of which included 3 of our adult children and 2 of our grandchildren; only one was billed as a Family Tour. Each and every tour had a comfortable mix of ages, singles, couples and families. It never ceases to amaze me how the various tour members just seem to jell on these tours. It didn't seem to matter much when we went or the destination-they have all been wonderfully unique experiences. Choose an itinerary together and that way, no one person is completely responsible for making the choice. Whenever/whatever you decide, you will have a great time traveling with your son!

When I did the Berlin, Prague and Vienna tour it had a big range from 17 to 80! And there was a significant group in their 20's and 30's. I think city aspect appealed and it was easy for them to get away because it wasn't long. I would advise doing this either in June or late summer. I went in July and it was unbelievably hot. If you do go in the summer, request a fan the minute you check in. :)

Pam

Hi Kevin,

As was mentioned above, I often call the RS office and ask what the age range and solo versus couple status is for a particular tour. However, you will have to have it narrowed down to one or two tours and one or two tour dates and then they will check for you.

I am in my early 40s and I started with RS about 6 years ago. On the 3 tours I've done so far, there have been a mix of age ranges, most in their 50s - 60s with one or two younger people. My first tour, RS Village Italy, did have two families: one with two parents and two 20-something sisters and one with two parents and a 30-something son. My second tour had a woman my age. The third tour was a city tour, so there were a mix of people; my roommate was in her early 30s.

In terms of choosing an actual tour, I always narrow it down to one or two tour choices and then go from there. This is a guess, but I suspect that many families like to travel to Italy together (seems like a family thing) so you may have luck there. I will highly recommend that Village Italy tour, as I really enjoyed the places we stayed. Padua was a nice city with hardly any tourists (well, as compared to Rome or Venice anyway). The smaller cities and towns also gave me a feel for the "real" Italy. If your family has never been to Italy, you could travel before or after the tour to the big 3 cities. Of course, you can choose that tour too.

I'm a teacher, so I'm restricted to the summertime for my tours, but at least you have some nice flexibility. I would try to first narrow down your choices to the actually tour, and then look at : weather, airline tix prices, and of course, if you can get time off from work.

If you have more questions, just ask and have fun!!

Hi Kevin,

I forgot to mention that France seems to be good for families too. I'm taking the South of France this June/July and there are families on that one, including some 20-something's. As I said before, narrow down your priorities to one or two tours and then pick one or two tour dates that will work for you. I suspect summertime may get more families on tour, than say September or October, since many college- age tour members would have summers off.

:)

Definitely summer tours have more families and younger people in my experience. The Barcelona/Madrid tour and a southern France tour had the most younger people of the tours I've taken.

kevin,

IMHO, any of the RS tours would be great for the three of you. I'd suggest basing your choice on the tour / area that most interests all of you, and that way you're more likely to enjoy a trip where no one is bored and everyone enjoys the experience. If you haven't been to Europe before and your budget will allow, one of the Best of Europe tours would also be something to consider as they include France, Germany and Italy so you'd be able to cover three of the areas that you mentioned.

I'd suggest travelling in either the spring (May/June) or fall (Sept./Oct.) shoulder seasons, as the weather is usually quite pleasant then (although it can still be hot and rain can occur at any time, so be sure to consider that when you pack). There's usually a "mix" of ages on RS tours, although they tend to be weighted towards the "mature" traveller. Everyone gets along, regardless of age so I don't think your Son would feel uncomfortable. If you'd prefer to find a tour with people in their 20's or 30's, your best bet is to contact the tour department at ETBD, as they're the only ones that have that information.

Happy travels!

Good advice above. If other families are traveling with school or college students, they're likely to go in the summer, but thirty-somethings are less predictable. A young-at-heart attitude has made most of my tour members a lot of fun to travel with.