has anyone had a problem with the amount of walking on a RS tour?

I totally agree with Steve. The only time I felt bad at all was when we stood for 30 minutes in one room of the Uffizi. Even then, we had headsets, so I was able to wander back out to the corridor and stretch my legs a little while still listening to the guide.

It depends on what you are doing of course, but the usual pattern is walk for a bit, stand for a bit, walk some more, stand some more, walk, stand, sit. Depending on where you are, there may be benches, stairs, or chairs where you can take a seat.

Rick's guides are extremely accomodating and it's no trouble to opt out for any reason at all. Just let them know so they don't think you've gotten left on the bus or something.

I didn't have any problem walking. There were people who would opt out of certain sites for various reasons. As long as you tell the tour guide that you are opting out you won't have any problem. Go and have fun.

Hi Rose,

I've actually been on four of Ricks Tours and to be honest, I've never felt that there was an excessive amount of walking. I believe he mentions the possibility of 6-10 miles per day of walking somewhere on his website (I seem to remember that figure from somewhere) but I think this is grossly exaggerated. I think he (Rick) does this simply to "cover his butt" so to speak and if someone complains he can say in effect, "well, don't say I didn't warn you".

There were also opportunites to stop from time to time during walks (though sometimes standing still is worse on the back than walking) and even if we didwalk a lot, it was sometimes broken up with some walking in the morning, some later in the day etc.

Honestly, unless you had a special concern (health issue etc. ) I don't think you'd have a problem at all.

You can opt out of anything; you're paying for the vacation, if you don't want to take one of the guided walks that isn't a problem. As for distance, I didn't wear a pedometer but I would say that there is several miles of walking per day. More importantly, you're going to be on your feet much of the day; sightseeing in a museum or other attraction, even if you're not covering a distance on foot you're still standing up.

thanks to all of you. I've had a problem with a knee for about a month. Been to 2 MDs & had xrays but so far no dx. I'm a little concerned as I leave in a month. From what's been said, I'm sure I'll work it out.

Rose: I too am having a knee problem (off and on for year) and off to Ireland in less than 30 days. I bought a knee brace to take with me but Advil seems to take care of the problem. I've been on RS tours and yes there is a lot of walking and stairs but I've never missed anything. I know there have been a couple of days I walked 6-10 miles but some of that was elective walking. You can opt out - just tell the guide.

Rose ....I once injured my knee the night before a trip. I picked up up a collapsible cane and it worked out great. When I needed it, it allowed me to take weight off the knee while walking and standing. When not in use, it folded up and fit in my carry-on bag.

I too read the warnings about all the walking. But, it was fine. The only time it felt long was a very, very hot evening walk in Vienna. And it was not so much the length of the walk as the heat and the time of day. Even though a lot of the day had been on the bus, there was something about heading out for a city walking tour at 5:30 that requires an extra energy push.

I think that the recommendations to use a brace and collapsible cane. I really appreciated my walking stick that I brought for hiking but paid off when I strained my knee.

Pam

There are canes that have a fold out seat that you can take with you. If you feel the need to sit down, you have a chair with you! It was very useful for me when I injured my knee in a car wreck last year.

I went on a 14 day family Europe RS tour,, and no one ,, ( from age 7 to about 60) complained about the walking,, but once. One rather "fluffy" couple found an OPTIONAL forest walk to a Chateau a tad much,, they did fine,, but lady did say she found it a bit much.. it was however an option to walk,, but, all the kids wanted to.. so these two adults had to.. since their children did not want to ride the bus with them.

More importantly there will be the stairs.. and many places had them,, not a big deal as you can just go slowly,, but, if your luggage is heavy you will curse it all across Europe... please,, if you only take one piece of advice from anyone on anything,, this is the piece to take to make your trip enjoyable and not a drag( no pun intended.. LOL ) ..

Pack light. Really , really light. You can always buy a new top somewhere if you get bored of your stuff, it makes a nice souvenir too.. but just take the bare minimum and some sink laundry wash.

I've been on two RS tours (17 day Italy and 14 day Ireland). The walking guidelines for each day of the tour are pretty accurate, as long as you remember hat they include both walking, stairs, standing still, or uneven surfaces in their analysis. You're never going to walk 6 miles straight on flat surfaces, but after 20 flights of stairs over 3 miles of cobblestones, the end feeling is the same. Also, look at the amount of bus time listed - for me, sitting on a bus for 8 hours is much worse than walking.

That said, the Italy tour analysis was pretty spot on, the Ireland tour was much less walking than advertised. You can always sit out, just talk to the guide about your limits. We had plenty who stayed on the bus or at the hotel.

Rose,

I've never had any problem with the "walking" on a RS tour but as some of the others have mentioned, "standing" while listening to Guides can sometimes be a problem (more for my back than my legs). I usually try and find a ledge or something to lean on.

However, when the tour information lists a day's touring as "strenuous", one should prepare for lots of walking.

Yes, you can certainly opt out and do something else. Just be sure to inform the Guide. If you feel a particular activity might be beyond your ability (ie: hiking to the top of Vesuvius and back), you could certainly stay at the bottom and have a glass of wine (or whatever).

I usually don't like to miss anything (especially as I'm paying for it), so try and take part in all the activities that are offered.

Good luck and happy travels!

I've had trouble with the STANDING involved in the tours--waiting for things. Sometimes as much as an hour. One of those canes with a seat would be very useful in such situations. The only place I found the stairs to be too much was when we stayed in Vernazza and climbed up to the hotel at the top of the town--that was about 100 stone steps. If you can walk comfortable a mile or so of somewhat hilly ground or street surfaces, you will probably be ok. Forced marches are not usually on the menu. Many RS travelers take hikes on their time off. Totally optional. Your choice may be to sit at a cafe and nurse a cup of coffee all day.

Rose, which tour are you signed on to? They can be pretty different. I was on the Athens and Greece tour this past June, and I found it the most strenuous of my 5 RS tours, although I was able to do everything. We climbed to the top of numerous archeological sites in hot weather but it was so worth doing! There was one 80 year old woman who wisely sat out the hardest hikes at cafes but she did fine on the flatter sites like Olympia. In any case, the trips are great fun and there is room for flexibility as long as you communicate with your guide and buddy.

I'm doing the Belgium & netherlands tour which I believe is new. I don't expect any hills & few stairs except my hotel. I've been to Amsterdam several times. The only difference this time, is the problem with my knee which also affects my leg. I can easily walk a mile, can actually do up to 2 hrs on my feet, but will need to sit after that. I've traveled a lot - mostly by myself, so know how to pack etc.

Was mostly wondering if I found myself in pain during a walk or museum tour, how much trouble it would be to just opt out. If this problem hasn't corrected itself by then, I'll be up front with the tour guide. From what's been said here, I think it'll be fine.

THANKS CL! I was wondering about the Ireland tour, as I'm thinking about it for myself and an older couple. If anyone else has any comments about the amount of hiking/walking/stairs for this tour, or lodging (can they get a ground floor room with bathroom) please let me know. Thanks!

Hi Rose,

I don't think you'll find the amount of walking to be a problem, but there were people on our tour who did decide, for one reason or another, not to go on every scheduled event/dinner/walking tour; opting out will not be an issue.

I had knee surgery 8 weeks before we went on the RS tour and I had no problem/pain from the amount of walking. Even the woman who had a hip-replacement two months before our tour didn't complain of pain. But that's our personal situation; as i mentioned, if you want to opt out for a time it's no problem and you I'm sure you'll find others who opt out for whatever reason.

There are times during the walking tours when the pace picks up a bit and you walk briskly to get from one site to another. I wore decent shoes but unfortunately my feet had a little too much room to move around in these shoes and because of the friction caused by the brisk pace I developed blood blisters on the balls of my feet...excruciating!

Lesson learned: I now make sure my shoes fit well...not too tight and not too big. The walking is sure to take more of a toll on your FEET than any other body part.