My Way Tours

There are lots of threads where people describe their experiences on Rick Steves tours, including the question of bus time.

The big kahuna of current tour threads is this one (almost 200 responses so far): https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/what-do-you-like-best-and-least-in-a-rick-steves-tour

For more threads on the subject, here's the Rick Steves Tours section of the forum: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours

"I am unsure of having the full guided tour as you are confined to what they have planned"

I've never taken a RS tour, but by all accounts, you are always free to skip out of a planned activity, as long as you inform the tour leader and make arrangements to meet up with the group after. For instance, if the group is going to the Louvre and you want to see another museum instead, you can do that. If there are a lot of things you want to do that are not on the tour, you can plan to return at the end (for instance, adding some days to a city after the tour, to see on your own). Lots of people like to do that, and with the skills you learn on the tour, it's then easier to see more of a place on your own.

I recently returned from Italy having done the 17 Day Best of Italy tour. I would say it was my favorite vacation. I had been to Europe on 5 previous vacations having traveled by train and by car and loved each of my trips. Before this tour, I had the same concerns as you have. Would the tour constrict me from doing what I wanted to do, would there be to much bus time, would there be enough free time etc.?

After looking back on the tour. I don't think I would have changed a thing. On our tour, the longest time we had on the bus in anyone day was about 4.5 hours and that was broken up with visits to towns along the way. I felt I had just the right amount of free time to do what I wanted to do.

Europe has changed a lot from when I was there prior. Now you need advance reservations for many of the major sites. It seems everyone is making hotel reservations in advance. Gone our the days when you could just show up and not worry about reservations. In my 5 previous trips, I only once made a train reservation. Now it is mandatory for many of the higher speed trains.

For a first timer, it would be impossible to see as much and do as much as we did in the same amount of time. I suggest you look at the tour's you might be interested in and ask your questions to those who have been on those tours. I know some of the tours spend more time on the bus and you have less free time.

Traveling in Europe can be stressful. It can also be the best adventure ever. A tour might some of the stress out of your adventure.

Thank you so much. I just got back from Paris & Normandy on an art retreat. A friend emailed me and asked if I wanted to take her spot due to illness. I had enough points to fly and within 3 days of saying yes, I was on the plane flying to Paris. I have traveled a lot in the U.S. but not international. It was a true adventure so I am excited about returning to Europe with my husband. I will keep reading the forums and see what I learn.

Melanie,

One of the big advantages of the My Way tours is that they take care of all the "logistics" such as getting from place-to-place and hotels, and also provide a tour escort that can help with daily sightseeing tips. However, you'd still be paying for your own meals. If you think you'd like to plan all your own sightseeing (which can also be a lot of work), then a My Way tour might be a good fit, perhaps something like the Europe in 14 Days.

One thing to keep in mind with the fully guided tours, is that they provide a lot of free afternoons & evenings, as well as at least one completely free day where tour members can do as they wish. One point to clarify is that even on the fully guided tours, you wouldn't be "confined to what they have planned", as you're certainly able to opt-out of any of the group activities (ie: museum tours) if you wish. Just be sure to tell the guide!

On the fully guided tours, the group meals are one of the best activities, as they always provide interesting meals and it's a good way to learn about the food culture in each of the places visited.

I always add time both before and after tours, to see sights of specific interest.

Congratulations on your 25th anniversary!

Thank you so much. The main thing I like about the My Way tour is taking all the trouble out of planning how to get from point A to point B. I have been reading a lot in the forums so hopefully that will help me decide.

Melanie,

One other point to add is that the two night stops only provide about a day and a half for touring, so you'll need to have that well planned so you don't waste any time.

If you prefer mostly self guided travel, you may find that the My Way tours are the best of both worlds. All the logistics are taken care of and you can focus just on touring.

Melanie, I have not done a My Way, but did the guided 21Best of Europe. To me there was not too much bus time, but on that tour you have to know your are going to be covering some ground to get to 6 countries. In the big cities there was usually a half a day free with either a walking tour or a museum for the other part of the day. Any time it is not a transit day you are free to do your own activities. It is good to let the guide and your buddy know you are opting out. On the RS tour you will pick a buddy, someone you are not traveling with to check in with before the group or bus moves on. That way the guide is not constantly trying to count noses. They just say Buddy check you make eye contact with your buddy and the group is good to go. If a buddy isn't there then they wait.

On that tour you have completely free days in Monterosso Al Mare in the Cinque Terre and in the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland.

What is worrying you about the tour hotels? They are usually city center, clean, usually small family run places. They usually have wifi altho in some the service is iffy. They do not have lots of amenities so if that is what makes you happy then it might not be for you. OR did you mean you are leery about picking your own hotels?

One of the things I find different about the Rick Steves tours is that the company and the tour guides want to teach you to be an independent traveler. They encourage you to go off on your own in free time. If you are in a big city, the guide starts off with an orientation to the local transport system, usually gives you tickets and you are expected to use local transport. It works great!

Hi Melanie, I haven't experienced an RS My Way tour yet but we have taken the RS Best of Italy tour. It's been 8 years since we took that tour and we've been back to Italy again since as well as many trips to Mexico and the South Pacific. To this day, our RS Italy tour stands out as our favourite vacation of all. We stayed in wonderful, centrally located hotels, had great meals with group and on our own, learned a lot about history and culture of Italy, enjoyed the company of great fellow RS travellers and learned the ins and outs of metro and train travel. Our bus travel was really great and never seemed too long. There are stops along the way to allow rest time for our driver as well as meal time (usually lunches) Our guide taught us the tips and tricks of European travel and some travel etiquette too. Those on the trip that had birthdays and anniversaries were treated royally by the guide on their special day. Yes, you can opt out of activities as long as you inform the guide and they will usually provide you with information to get you to the meeting place of the next meal/activity included on the tour. Personally, I wouldn't opt out of much because the one time that I was feeling overtired and skipped something, I really regretted it as everyone else had a marvellous experience that wish I'd had. There are usually some surprise stops and goodies along the way that aren't on the trip itinerary and are at the discretion of the guide depending on season, weather and schedule I suppose. I hope to do another RS tour in the future as I felt that they offer great value and freedom from all the planning. I often experience "paralysis by analysis" syndrome which booking a tour avoids. You may want to check out the "Tour Experiece" video on this website and tune into the Travel Festival this weekend. Whatever you choose, have a great 25th aniversary celebration. Sherry

Personally, I wouldn't opt out of much because the one time that I was feeling overtired and skipped something, I really regretted it as everyone else had a marvellous experience that wish I'd had.

Oh, Sherry, that sounds so much like me! I always do everything the group does because I don't want to miss out. On the Paris and Heart of France tour last month the guide was walking us to Clos Luce, Leonardo Da Vinci's home in Amboise. On the way she was talking about the caves people live in around there and mentioned she had met one of the trog-dwellers a few weeks before. Cutting to the chase, he waved to her out his window and invited all of us in to see his cave home, so 20 of us trooped in to see it. Such fun! I don't want it to sound like I am stuck to the group like glue the whole time because I do go my separate way for meals and free time. But I do participate in anything optional the guide offers!

Thanks Pam,

I was just worried about the hotels being really 'bare' and having to share a bath. I do love the idea of having everything planned out.

The only hotel where I had to share a bath was on the 21 BOE at Hotel Stechelberg in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. The location was unbelievably amazing, shared bath, not so much. We were in a separate building so everyone sharing the facilities was on our tour. The facilities were clean and I never had to wait, it's just not my favorite accommodation. There were some people on the tour that did get en suite baths, it really is luck of the draw. When I got the hotel list about a month before departure I looked at them all on Trip Advisor and at each hotel website, so I was ready for the shared situation.

Other than that one time, in 7 tours ranging from 1 week to 21 days, those 2 nights were the only shared bath nights.

I would not say that any of the accommodations were bare...are you thinking dorm room-ish? Nope, usually some kind of art on the walls, shades/drapes/shutters, sometimes a desk and chair, usually a TV. Some have been really elegant!

Melanie,

"I was just worried about the hotels being really 'bare' and having to share a bath. I do love the idea of having everything planned out."

In my experience over the last few years, all of the hotels have been very nice and I've never encountered the "shared bath". All of the ones I've used on tours have had ensuite. They've all been clean and comfortable, and for me that's the most important thing. However, one thing to mention is that some of the hotels will be older and the bathrooms will have the 3 x 3 shower which works but can be a bit challenging to use. I'm never too concerned about that as it's just part of the "European experience" and I encounter the same type of facilities when travelling on my own.

Thank you all so much for the information. I know my husband wouldn't like the shared bath (and I wouldn't either) but we can do anything for a couple of nights. If I plan it on my own, we would stay in a more upscale hotel as we enjoy that as part of our vacation. On a tour, I would just care that we had a clean room & comfortable bed. I know that a few weeks ago when I was in Paris, I experience the small bathroom in my hotel room. Very small room but a nice bathroom and of course the view was another part of the hotel but it was beautiful. I am still reading and researching but am leaning towards the My Way Tour. I think it will cost more than me planning it myself but it does take the stress out of the logistics of getting around.

If you want to see a lot of places in a little time (whether several countries or several cities in one country) , a tour (guided or un-) is an excellent plan because you have door-to-door transportation. Most of the stops are 2 nights, (maybe one or two 1-night) and on the longer tours, there may be one or two 3-nighters. Each change day leaves you with an average of 1/2 day to sightsee (some rides may be shorter, but some will be longer). Read the itineraries for any tours you are interested in. They detail not only the sights but also the time on the bus and the amount of free time. Bus time is an opportunity to rest and relax between intensive days of touring and enjoy the scenery, catch up on sleep, journaling, get to know your tourmates, and make plans for your free time at your next destination. On guided tours, the guide often uses bus time for more guiding, discussing local history or customs, for instance.

For someone who hasn't traveled in Europe, door-to-door transportation can be a real perk. You don't have to navigate train stations on your own and you don't have to find your hotel and figure out the local buses and trams. Even on the MyWay tours, the tour escort will explain it all to you and probably take you on an orientation walk when you get to each location.

Other advantages to a tour are traveling with a like-minded group of people, having others to share the experiences, wine and dine with, and get to know. RS guides are almost always top-notch and may include "backdoor" experiences.

Melanie,
We lived in Jacksonville for several years. My husband is retired Navy and he has traveled (and driven) all over Europe and the Middle East. He was stationed in Naples as a young puppy. :) We've also taken two vacations to Ireland in which he drove a rental car all over the country - on the wrong side of the road!
We did the My Way Best of Europe in 2013. We chose this mainly because our then 18 yo daughter was going too and it helped ease the logistics pain and let us focus on enjoying the sites. There is still SO MUCH planning to do that not having to worry with hotels and trains, etc., is a great relief. We went early last time and stayed in the same hotel as the tour (although we did upgrade our room for the two days we were there, hoping they'd let us stay in it - they did not, but it was worth the upgrade to us - we had a straight-on view of twinkling Eiffel from our window). Something you may not realize is in the summer, if that's when you plan to travel, "full service" hotels can be really expensive. We were in Paris in June and that upgrade cost us $300 per night! The tour hotels rooms are overall nice, sometimes small (Paris), but sometimes fabulous (Lauterbrunnen). They do try to balance it out so if you're stuck with the not fabulous room in one place, you will probably get a better one down the road. We did not have any shared bathroom facilities. I don't think anyone in our group did, in fact.
We are not really tour people (whatever that is, really...) but I do find the planning a large part of the fun, so this style of traveling is good if you're a planner. If you would rather just get on the bus and go, then you'll probably like the fully guided tour better.

Another added benefit that you may not consider until you start to take off on your own is that, by golly, you're on vacation and if you want a bloody mary at breakfast or champagne with lunch, you have to worry about how you're navigating to your next stop. On the tour, the bus stops every two hours (to give the driver a break) and a lunchtime glass of wine (or two) was just what the doctor ordered to remind us that we were NOT at work!
So, you get the impression we really liked the My Way tour, right? Right!! We are doing My Way France in June 2016! And when daughter graduates from college, we'll probably take her back on another My Way tour. Hope this helps!
Celeste

@Celeste Thank you SO much. We have moved around a lot w/ the railroad and Jacksonville is our home so we hope to stay until retirement. We lived in LaGrange, Georgia for about 5 years and really liked it. (I see you are in Georgia) It was my husbands first time living in a 'larger' town. He is from a really small town and I am a city girl so it was a good intro for him. :-)

I do love planning our vacations but the older I have gotten, (47) I have new hobbies and I enjoy taking art classes and painting. I love reading about the places we are going.....just love all the planning. BUT it does sounds nice to let someone else handle the transportation and hotels. We like staying in nice hotels but we could do a clean hotel w/ a great view for our time there. We will be going back to Europe so I am trying to remember that as I want to go everywhere but am trying to narrow it down. We really want to go to Switzerland, Austria, and Italy but I am thinking on a 14 day trip, that would be a lot. I appreciate all the feedback and if anyone else wants to chime in, I would love it.

One more question, did you think the My Way tour was worth the money? Thanks.

Melanie

HI! My husband and i have been back for a month from the My Way Europe Tour and just can't let it go!!! We had a wonderful time. It was like having little jewels to see with each stop. The variety is amazing! It IS fast paced but we could never see what we did on our own. If someone would pay us to go on the exact trip tomorrow ,we are gone! My husband was concerned about the bus time but it went fast and ,with stopping every 2 hours or so, not to hard on the kidneys! The people we met were wonderful. We weren't prepared for that. It was a trip of a life time that I am hoping to do over!!!!!!

@Chriss Thank you for your input. What about the hotels? Were they shared baths on any?

Melanie - If one of your biggest concerns is the shared bathroom, I believe I read on the website that if there is a shared bathroom possibility on your tour, it will be noted in the "activity" section of the itinerary. And I read before that the Best of Europe in 21 days guided tour is the only itinerary that still uses a hotel with shared facilities. I don't want to steer you wrong on that, but you could probably get it verified by a staff member to relieve that fear. Whenever we have traveled before, I've always been really thorough in screening my hotel choices and reading reviews before selecting one, so I was nervous about the tour and not knowing exactly which hotels would be used. On both of our tours, however, I was so pleasantly surprised with how nice our hotels were. There were a couple that were more basic and unremarkable but still in a fantastic location, and there were several that were just wonderful and several steps above what I had expected. I think you'll be surprised.

Melanie, Our hotels were fine. No shared b r on My Way Europe. Funny, that was my big worry too! We were at the Hotel Schultzen in Lauterbrunnen, small but cozy. My husband and I are tall and we got the dormer room. It is luck of the draw. Some rooms had balconies with great views. I figure you are there to sleep. We did stay in 2 IBIS hotel which are kind of like a motel 6 but a little nicer. I'm thinking maybe it was crowded where we were esp. in Munich because of Oktoberfest. All were in great transportation locations. Just think clean but small!! You will love it!

Melanie, All of the RS trips we've taken have been the regular tours -- not a My Way Tour. On one of those you will have plenty of independent time to do your own thing, plus a good mix of structured activities. You can also skip any of the planned activities if you so desire and some folks on our tours occasionally did that for various reasons. Of the half dozen RS tours we've taken, only once did we have to share a bath. And that was way back in the 1990s and was in a private home / B&B situation. Although it could happen, I doubt that it will and I'm simply basing that on conversations with others on later trips.

Melanie,
Yes, I thought the tours were absolutely worth the money. Once I saw our wonderful driver navigate the hair-pin roads to Lauterbrunen, park the bus many times with mere inches to spare, and enjoy the very well-placed hotels near public transportation where we stayed in every town, I realized that it was worth it to have that all planned for me. The hotels vary a bit, but honestly, I can't think of any huge negatives for any of them. Sometimes they were small, a couple of times the bathrooms were tiny, but I promise you that in two+ years since our tour, I haven't regretted the hotels (or even thought about them really)! All the memories are what happened outside the hotel.
BTW, we are the same age. And I had to laugh a little at your reference to LaGrange being a "larger" town. :)
Celeste

@celeste LOL! Yes, LaGrange was a bigger 'town' for my small town hubby. :-) He grew up outside Jacksonville and it had a couple of street lights. I grew up in Jacksonville so I am a city girl. We have moved a lot due to my husbands job so we have lived in big cities now. He is use to it and wouldn't go back to small town living, thank goodness.

Melanie,

If you haven't already found this, check out the Tour Scrapbooks that people have put together. There are some from the My Way Tours as well as the fully guided tours. This will give you a good idea of what to expect! Be warned though, you will be reading for hours once you start - they are addictive!

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/scrapbooks/tour-alum-scrapbooks