How strenuous is the 21 day BoEurope tour?

I have taken that tour and really like it as being one of the best of the 11 RS tours I have taken. If you go to that tour's web page and click on its itinerary it should show the walking ratings for each day. If it says light, you will have no problems. If it says strenuous, usually you can believe it. However, as a tour member, you are not required to partake in every activity that the tour covers. You can always notify your tour guide that you would rather skip any activity if it appears too strenuous for your condition. I just counted 5 "strenuous" days out of what will really be 19 full days. The first day is a short walk around the neighborhood and then dinner and the last day the tour is over after breakfast. aloha

Thanks, Charlie, for the info. I wasn't aware that I could opt out of some things if necessary. Knowing that puts my mind at ease. Just wondering: when they say 'strenuous' how intense is it? I'd like to get your feedback since you've taken the tour yourself. I know everyone has their thresholds and abilities, and when I look at group photos of tour members it looks like a pretty mixed crowd of different aged people which leads me to think that it can't be too too bad. :)

Hi, Christine. I did that tour in 2010. I'm also middle-aged and not in great shape, but I did just fine on the tour. There was one hill we walked up that was a bit of a lung-buster, but it wasn't a race to the top either, so I was able to hang back with a few other slow people. Also, there was a woman on the tour who had recently broken her foot, but she seemed to manage just fine, though she did opt out of doing the Trummelbach Falls in Switzerland, and that was no big deal. Make sure to ask your doc about wrapping your foot or some painkillers in case your foot acts up during the tour. It's a fantastic three weeks!

Thanks, Teresa! Great tip about the foot wrap and painkillers. That's a good back up plan :) Looking forward to the trip. From all reports, it should be amazing. Thx!!

My wife injured her knee during a UK trip a number of years ago. While she could hobble around, we requested and received wheelchair assistance at Heathrow. We were expedited through the terminal security checkpoints and loaded early onto the plane.

My wife broke her foot one week before an RS tour (Village Europe, no longer offered). She went anyway and wore a "boot" the entire trip. She opted out of a hike or two and took alternative transportation once or twice. You may want to give yourself permission to do something similar. I'd say its possible to take the trip, but mind the doc in regards to your training and the actual trip itself. Good luck.

We recently signed up for our first RS tour and I also was concerned about the daily activity levels. In addition to seeing the definitions of them under the itinerary section for your tour, you might want to check each day so that you see the cumulative level of activity
Other responses here made me think that "strenuous" (defined as 2-8 miles of walking hills, stairs and rough terrain) might not be as bad as it sounds. However, I still bought some light weight, high topped hiking boots for greater comfort and stability. It may be overkill but the last thing I need is to take a tumble because I'm paying more attention to what I'm seeing than to my feet.

Hi Christine, agree with the others that you can feel free to opt out of any activity that you don't feel up to and you may want to do that on occasion. The other thing to think about is handling your luggage. Pack light, get a rolling bag and be prepared to walk a distance to some of your hotels. In some cities the bus cannot drive down the narrow streets and you will need to walk from the corner to your hotel with your stuff. You may also need to climb a couple flight of steps to get to your hotel room. Just mentioning this because it seemed to surprise some of the people on the tour I took last year. The RS tours are great (I'm taking my 5th tour this year) but they are somewhat geared to the independent traveler.

Bleachers are scary :-(

Have you seen either of Ricks 'Tour Experience' videos? This is a link to the first one (about 10 years old), and if you haven't already received it with your tour packet you can order a free 'Tour Experience' video filmed within the last year.

Christine, We are well into our senior years, but we're in pretty good shape. We haven't been on the Best of Europe tour, but we have been on 18 RS tours. Our experience is that you'll find tour members in all kinds of shape with quite varying endurance. Of course, you can opt out of most activities, but we've also had guides set people up with public transit or taxis (you will have to pay for them) so they can join the group at the destination. The biggest problem we have is with standing for long periods of time. That's a killer to us and, if it is for you, you need to always be on the lookout for a place to sit and be willing to wander away from the group for a bit. Just taking a few minutes to rest can make a huge difference in the outing. This is true when you're on your own, too. It's amazing what a cafe break can do for you in a busy day.

You're certainly not talking to a fitness guru here, but if your doctor can recommend other exercises now (leg lifts? sit-ups? upper-body?), then that will probably help when you can return to walking practice. A combination of tips from above will all help (packing light!, ankle-supporting boots, and opting out in a few cases). Please do use the medical info form to let the tour department know your status, or give them a call.

I just want to say these travel forums are great. I love that everyone is so kind and willing to share their experiences and travel tips. I think I'm going to be fine (unless I have another mishap!😊) to go in any case. The idea of doing some limited core exercises is great. I just found some on youtube videos geared for people in wheelchairs or with broken legs etc. which will help me a lot. Thanks for the support!

Laura has some good points on rehab. You may want to push your primary care Doc into a physical therapy consult and evaluation. Too commonly primary care Docs take the "stay off of it" approach to recovery. If you are an active person, you need to be concerned about loss of muscle mass and cardio fitness. Too many Docs over emphasize the "R" of "RICE" (rest, ice, compression and elevation) initial treatment. A good Physical Therapist should help you maintain/recover range of motion and strength while avoiding further damage.

Yes, I agree with asking your Dr for a Physical Therapy consult. They can give you some ankle strengthening exercises to start with when your ankles are healed enough and may be able to give you shoe recommendations as well. Also ask the Dr about not just swelling on the tour, but measures to take to reduce swelling on the long plane ride. The PT might recommend you start some things on the left ankle now and add in the right ankle later. If your insurance does not cover PT, it would be a good out of pocket expenditure. I would pick a PT group that specializes in sports injuries even though yours isn't sports related...well, I guess it is, it WAS a soccer game, lol.

I am doing the 21 day trip the end of August so have no experience with it, but on Heart of Italy last May my SIL was sick the first few days. At the Pantheon, the guide recommended she and my brother enjoy a drink at a nearby cafe so she could rest, then when we walked back thru the area we picked them back up. Trina, our guide, was awesome.