Dear Mr. Rick Steves,

As a long time traveler who has been using Rick Steves' guidebooks for many years and am now booked on my first RS tour this spring, I've been watching how the company has been handling this unprecedented situation. I've been pleased with the communications on their website and in the forum and have a good understanding of what could transpire with my own tour.

I've trusted the Rick Steves brand for many years, and this situation has reinforced my view. In the event my tour must be cancelled, I will look forward to rebooking this one, and others, with Rick Steves in the years to come.

I would only repeat what CWSocial said above and the OP's post. I can only image the nightmare this has caused the Rick Steves company, never mind what all the would be travelers are thinking. I am currently watching the situation carefully, just on the verge of making that "go, don't go" decision as I have a tour to Greece scheduled to begin mid April and one with my whole family booked for the end of May to the Adriatic. I will just hold tight for a bit longer and wish everyone good health and good luck. I, too, "am looking forward to taking many trips with you in the future".

I'm also a fan. The travel industry will go through a lot of pain in the months to come, but I think the well-run companies with a reservoir of goodwill from satisfied customers will come out of it OK. That includes the RS operation. I worry more about all the people who clean rooms, serve food, and otherwise look after travelers whose numbers are diminishing. Especially those in the cruise industry whose alternatives are very limited.

I'm debating whether to sign up for a RS tour this fall, right now tending toward the negative, purely for health reasons. But I look forward to more in the future.

I echo these comments. I have been very satisfied with the communications from the company regarding the virus and by their willingness to accommodate changes to travel plans. I'm sure it's costing them a ton of money in the short run but will pay off when the situation is resolved and people are comfortable traveling again.

Now, if only the airlines would follow the RS customer service model.

I like this post and agree with the others who have responded. I also think it's a nice counterpoint to the other thread posted this morning: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/disappointed-in-rick-steves-response-to-virus.

(Webmaster edit: The linked thread was removed... but not by me. We don't remove a post just because it may disagree or be disappointed with us.)

I hope that you are capitalized well enough to emerge on the other side of this in good enough shape to continue operating as you have in the past.

You would hope that after 9/11, tour operators and the entire travel industry would have learned a lesson or two about expecting the unexpected and could weather a downturn in the economy for whatever reason.

One of the things I most respect about Rick Steves is that, at the end of the day, he is still a business man. I expect the company will come out of this bruised and bloodied, but quite intact. I think they are buying a lot of goodwill with their response to the virus.

There aren't a lot of companies out there that I feel really good about supporting with my dollars. Rick Steves is one of them.

On the topic of business models/businesses to support, I received an email last night from Best Western Rewards that they will recognize the current status level of BW Rewards members through January 2022 even if members are not able to stay the nights typically needed to maintain that level between now and end of 2021. I think BW has a pretty generous rewards system to begin with, and a gesture such as this is appreciated. Another example of a corporation thinking things through and supporting customers.

I want to add my appreciation for the communication with RS. I have contacted the company twice and found both times that the person on the phone was clear, empathetic and provided a path to resolve my issues. This was the first time I signed up for a tour in 40 years so even though I had to cancel, because of how this was handled I will have no hesitation on booking another trip with RS in the future. I hope the company, employees and guides can weather this storm.