RS "My Way" Tours

..."My Way tour gives you the freedom to decide your own daily sightseeing priorities and pace." So, if you like the itinerary of a specific tour, it may well be worthwhile for you. Much of the hassle, if you will, such as city-to-city transportation and accommodations are provided and an escort offers orientation at each city and can answer specific questions. We've done prior iterations of this style of travel and enjoyed such.

Beth, Given the "limitations" you mentioned, a My Way tour would probably be the best fit for your circumstances. You describe your Mom as "not-so-spry". Is it likely that will change between now and 2015? Also, which tour are you considering? The advantage of the My Way tours is that you have total control over your sightseeing in each city. You can start at whatever time is convenient each morning, see the sights that interest you the most and take as many rest breaks as needed. However there could be some walking involved, depending on the tour. In some cases, the Bus isn't able to get close to the hotel so some walking with luggage would be involved. The Tour Escort can sometimes help with that by arranging a Taxi (which you'll likely be paying for). Some of the hotels may not have Elevators, so you'll need to be prepared to haul your luggage up stairs (although in my experience the hotel staff can usually help with that). With the regular tours, all local tours and Guides are pre-arranged so all tour members have to do is show up. The My Way tours are more work to plan, as tour members are responsible for making reservations at locations where these are compulsory (ie: Borghese Gallery in Rome, Alhambra in Granada, etc.). It's often necessary to make these well in advance, so you'll need to take care of that for the places you want to visit. If you think your Mom can handle some walking, the My Way tours are a good choice. Happy travels!

Ken, Thanks so much for your reply - it's very helpful. As to whether my mom's "spryness" will change by 2015 - well, I would hope it doesn't change too much, but that's a fair question. Currently, she is able to walk quite a bit but is pretty slow. I'd worry about losing her in a crowd of faster walkers, and pulling a suitcase several blocks might well do her in. Regardless, her attitude is great! To answer your question - I was looking at the My-Way Germany, Austria and Switzerland tour. I like the independence factor, and I don't think Mom would have any trouble with anything we'd do on our own. I'll take all of your comments into consideration. Again - thanks!

Beth, In the same situation, I'd probably assess the situation again just prior to booking the tour, to determine your Mom's capacity for walking. If you decide to go with it, it wouldn't hurt to do some "conditioning" several months before you depart in order to increase her walking abillity. I'm sure you'll enjoy the GAS tour. I've encountered a couple of them while travelling in Europe and everyone seemed to be having a great time. The larger cities of Vienna, Salzburg and Munich may require more walking, but they also have good transit systems so that will provide an option. The smaller locations on that tour (Hallstatt, Lauterbrunnen Valley and St. Goar) should be a bit easier. The Salt Mine tour in Hallstatt may be a bit too much for your Mom, as it requires a 15-minute uphill hike from the top of the Funicular to the mine entrance. You could certainly take that tour and your Mom could relax at the hotel on the balcony overlooking the lake and read a book (or whatever). Good luck with your planning!

Thanks Ken - again, your reply is so helpful and very insightful!!