My husband and I are thinking about taking our children on a tour in 2011. We did our first ETBD tour (Spain and Morocco) this summer and really enjoyed it(kids were very jealous). We are thinking about taking them with us next summer( possibly Paris & the Heart of France in 11 Days with some added days). My daughter did a school tour at 14 hitting London, Paris, and Madrid and my son has been to Ireland with his dad but we have never gone as a family. They both enjoy history and art but we are concerned about the them feeling out of place because Rick's groups tend to be older. ( The youngest person in our group was late 20's and he was with his parents). Has anyone done a Rick Steve's tour with kids this age and would the Paris trip be a good choice? (Daughter would love to go back to Paris, sons wants to get on the continent, and I have only been in Paris for 6 hours five years ago)Thanks!
Posted by
Ohio
2130 posts
Hi Gail - I did Paris & the Heart of France in May 2009. There were 3 "kids" in their early 20s traveling with their parents (a brother and sister and another girl) on the trip. I saw them together at times and they appeared to be enjoying themselves. Everyone talks to everyone else so I don't think they felt out of place. It was a very interesting, fast-paced tour and I think they would enjoy it!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
1317 posts
When I was 24, I went (solo) on a tour where I was the youngest. I loved it and never felt out of place. Everyone on the tour is there because they want to experience Europe which gives us all something to connect over.
I say go for it.
Posted by
Lake Oswego, Oregon
1315 posts
I did one of the RS France tours a few years ago in July and there were six teenagers from three families. I'd say go for it.
Posted by
Halifax, N.S.
211 posts
As a 23 year old, I would love it if my parents wanted to bring me along on their trip (especially if they are generous enough to pay for it).
At 20 and 21, while they are your children, they are no longer "kids".
If they find the tour crowd a little old, they can go off on their own during free time, go to pubs etc, places where they may meet and interact with peers their age for a different type of experience. Have them check out Let's Go France, a gudiebook geared to the younger backpacking crowd for ideas of thigns to do during free time.
Posted by
Andover, MA, USA
559 posts
Hi,
I just returned from my second RS Tour last week. On both tours, I had "kids" your children's age. On the first tour (Village Italy) two college-aged sisters were on tour; this last tour (Scotland) it was a Mom and the 21 yo daughter. On both tours, the girls seemed to quickly fit in, even though they were the youngest members. I wouldn't worry about it too much for your kids. They'll just enjoy the trip!
Posted by
New York
1203 posts
I have been on 8 ETBD tours. One tour to Paris there were two young boys ages 14 and 11 and that had a blast. The 14 year old asked more questions and better questions to the guide than the adult. They even sat at the dinner tables without their parents so they could talk to the other tour members! And they were so well behaved and interested it was no problem at all! There was one boy age 15 on our Rome tour and he to sat with other tour members at meals sometimes without his parents and he too also had a great time. It was his idea to go to Rome!
As a family you will have a great experience and especially since your children are interested in art and history and understand how to travel, it will be great time! GO! Don't be concerned and don't give it a thought.
Posted by
Boston, MA, United States
1806 posts
Why not show them a copy of the Rick Steves Tour Experience DVD (free by mail) and let them decide if they will be comfortable with that type of tour? At that age, they definitely are not kids and should be able to decide if a tour group that spans multiple generations is their cup of tea.
Many people who post here love their ETBD tours and will say go for it, but your 20 and 21 yo are old enough to have a voice about the trip and what they'd like to do or not do. I know at that age I would have rather eaten a sack full of lead paint chips than be part of a tour group with mostly middle aged people and a smattering of grandparent-types and young children/teens. But your children may like the structure of a tour.
For the price you'll pay for four adults on a ETBD tour, plus airfare, hotel accommodation for the extra days you are adding pre/post tour and the handful of meals that are not included as part of the tour, you could rent a nice apartment in Paris for a few days and then follow a similar trip plan as ETBD in Northern France. Use the extra money to hire your own private guide/driver for the time you'd like to spend outside of Paris. In Paris, you could also hire a private guide or simply join a day tour if you want to delve more into the art or history of a specific building. This allows you to custom tailor your trip and do only those things which interest you as a family and skip the rest. You can spend more time on the things that you really enjoy doing as opposed to being herded along on a tour bus that has to keep on a tight schedule.
But if you want someone else to deal with all the transportation logistics and planning, then definitely take the package tour.
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2788 posts
I have been on 9 RS tours including the "Paris & S/O France" in 2009. On the Turkey tour this year there was only one young person, who celebrated their 21st birthday on the tour. It is my opinion that she would have rather been with some younger folks as I felt she really did not interact with the other tour members but hung out only with here mother. On my other 8 tours I have seen very few persons of that age but the two or three that I have seen really had their head together and were interested in the tour. I think so much of your offsprings success will depend on there their heads are at in relation to relating to older adults and their interest in Europe/France. The Paris & S/O France tour I took in 2009 started in Paris and ended up in Nice. Most of the tour time was spent in small towns which did not offer any night time "action" for younger folks. I would recommend that tour as a good one to anyone who thinks they would enjoy a RS tour. A great suggestion is to get RS dvd and watch it. Good luck.
Posted by
OP
Atlanta, GA, USA
62 posts
Thanks for all the thoughtful feedback. Both of my children ( I'll stop using the kid word) are pretty outgoing(daughter more than son) but it seems that the one element we can't control, the make-up of the group, might be an issue. I think we have alot to talk about over the next 11 months but I'm sure will make it to some part of Europe either on a ETBD tour or on our own.(Since I need to start saving now!)Thanks again for all your insight and information.
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
I've taken several RS tours and have had a different mix of ages each time. My summer Berlin to Vienna tour had about 6 members between 18 and 24, and they had a great time together, but I've been on other tours where 30's or 40's were the youngest. You might contact the RS Tour Dept and ask if certain tours or times tend to attract families similar to yours. There can never be guarantees, but it might help increase your odds.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
I've never taken an ETBD tour, but I went on an Alaskan cruise with my parents when I was 22. I was probably a good 30 years younger than the mean age of the other passengers, but I still loved it. Even if your group consisted soley of pensioners, I can't imagine anyone in their 20's not enjoying Paris!