I am thinking about taking a "my way" tour next year. I just returned on a RS Ireland tour and loved it. The ONLY thing that I was not thrilled with was the group meals. They were so huge and not something that interested me that much. The group time was great, but I could live without the big meals. Is the "my-way" tour too stripped down? Do the entrance fees for sights outweigh the savings? Does the guide still give historical commentary as we travel? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32320 posts
lloyd,
Yes, I took the My Way Spain tour last year, and it was great. I didn't consider it "stripped down" and I somewhat enjoyed having more free time to explore on my own. Some of my best memories of that trip were the Segway tours in Granada (a LOT of fun!) and also the Gypsy Flamenco show. I quite enjoy the group dinners as they're usually quite spectacular. We did have one large group dinner at the end, although we paid extra for that of course.
It's difficult to say whether the savings on the entrance fees, etc. outweigh the savings as that will vary according to which sights each traveller wants to see. If My Way tour members were to see exactly the same sights as on the full tours, I suspect it would be slightly more expensive. With this type of tour it's important to think ahead and book popular sights you're interested in well in advance. A few examples from the Spain tour are La Sagrada Familia and the Alhambra.
As I recall, the Tour Escort still provides some historical information during the tour. He also arranged a local tour with one of the best Guides in Seville, which we also paid extra for but it was well worth the cost.
I'd definitely suggest trying one of the My Way tours.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Although you will spend some money for your sightseeing, you will be free to choose exactly what to see. The mission of the My Way Tour escort is to help you get oriented to your destination and sightseeing options - both on the bus and upon arrival at the hotel - primarily using the book for reference, and maps that you pick up at the hotel, and suggesting web resources that would also be useful. But in the interest of providing a fairly consistent experience, escorts are not meant to lecture on history and art. Orientation at the hotel will be in the lobby, not in the format of a group walk. An optional last-night's dinner will be offered, and perhaps an optional potluck happy hour, to get to know each other. I suspect that Ken's tour escort also led fully guided tours, and so may have naturally shared a little more history that was already "in his pocket."
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32320 posts
My recollection on the amount and type of information provided by the tour escort is a bit foggy but to clarify, he didn't lead any local walking tours but did provide an orientation on each new city we visited, information on good restaurants, etc. He was readily available both in the morning and early evening to help tour members plan their days.
I arranged my own visits to places that I was interested in seeing such as La Sagrada Familia, the Alhambra, etc. In that sense, the My Way tour was somewhat more work as I had to do more planning and research to determine which sights I wanted to see. The fully guided tours are easier in that respect as all local tours with excellent local guides are arranged and included in the cost. Anyone not wishing to take part in a specific tour is certainly free to opt out.