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help me decide on between two RS tours

Posted by (Andover, MA, USA) on

Anyone have any advice for me on choosing a tour? I have narrowed it down to either the Best of Village Italy, 14 days or Best of Britain, 15 days. Right now there is only a $16.00 difference in price based on tour + flight price for me. I would like to do both these tours in the next few years - just not sure about which one first? Anyone have any thoughts on $$$ while I'm over there? I'm assuming the Britain tour would cost more in the long run?!? This may be end up being the most important factor in my decision, but I wanted to know if there was/wasn't something else I should take into consideration.

In case this helps, I'm a 36 y.o. single female teacher (read as: budget traveler). I have done other (non-RS) tours before, such as 'From London to Athens,' so I've hit many of the major cities already.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Posted by
32363 posts

Gretchen, it's difficult to recommend a specific tour as I don't know which area interests you the most? If you're planning to eventually take both tours you mentioned, the decision this year might be decided primarily by budget.

While the U.K. is definitely more expensive than the Euro countries, I doubt you would be spending too much as the RS tours cover a significant portion of the expenses. You'd need to budget for those meals not covered by the tour, incidentals and of course any shopping you might want to do.

I think you'll notice a big difference between the RS tours and the "other tours".

Good luck with your decision!

Posted by
477 posts

Hi Gretchen

Not quite sure what info you are looking for but I can address the Best of Britain tour. I was on it a two years ago when the dollar wasn't quite as weak but still not good. I spent about $500 above the tour costs though most of that was on souvenirs. In each town, you will have one very nice group meal and then usually the next night you are on your own for meals. What you spend will depend on where you eat but there are lots of inexpensive places to get meals even in London. Most of the places to visit are covered on the tour and in London, you will get travel passes for both days. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone though I have to admit, Village Italy is high on my list to do. Last year, I did Heart of France and only spent about $450 extra including souvenirs and some very nice dinners out.Let me know if you have any other questions about the tour. I don't think you can go wrong with either.

Posted by
2760 posts

My 2 cents worth....I did the 17 day best of Italy tour and spent more than anticipated on food and activities. Primarily because Italian breakfasts are small compared to more hearty UK style and I ended up eating more meals out than I thought I would (I expected to eat just bfast and a late lunch/dinner). That said, I wouldn't trade any of those euros spent...the food was fantastic!

The good news is that RS tours tell you up front what they cover (food, entrance fees, etc.) and usually offer much more than advertised. If you're a budget traveler, spend time ahead of your trip researching and planning budget activities to fill up your free time. I'm doing the same for the RS Ireland tour this year and you'd be amazed what fun stuff you can find that is free/low cost.

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