Tours vs On Your Own

The thing I like about Rick's tours is they are a mix of group and on my own activities. I often skip a planned dinner or activity and go off on my own. You just need to let the guide & your "buddy," who you choose at the introduction meeting, you will not be attending the planned activity or dinner. The only exception, of course, is if the activity is one scheduled during your bus trip to your next destination.

I think taking these tours will work well for you. In our experience, the guides try to book non-chain restaurants that feature local food, for the group dinners. That often includes local beer and wine, either available or included with the meal. And as you noted, there is free time in the evening, and generally each day, to venture out and explore.

You can indeed opt out of group activities, as long as you keep your tour guide and your buddy informed. Also you'd need to be scrupulous about returning on time so that the tour guide is not having to hunt you down. And if you missed a bus departure, you'd be on your own to catch up of course.

I've not been on either of those tours, but have done independent and tour travel, sometimes covering places I've been with both. I like the RS tours (if the itinerary suits you) because you don't have to handle logistics, and they/re more efficient as far as managing time. So I see and experience more things with the tour. Some people object to being on someone else's schedule (especially the morning) and seeing the same people every day, so that's the compromise. I think there's plenty of free time to work with.

Yes you can opt out of scheduled activities as long as they know, and you know how to get around.

Just a quick comment about your "buddy" referred to above, lest you think you will be attached to some stranger. RS guides don't count their groups. Whenever you get on the bus (and occasionally elsewhere, when relocating), the guide will ask everyone to do a "buddy check". All this means is that you let the guide know if your buddy is missing. You have no responsibility for keeping up with where he or she might be.

I am not a tour person but have taken two RS tours (one two months ago) because I found trying to replicate the offered itinerary on my own would be much too difficult.

You can always opt out of scheduled events so one as you advise the tour director and your "buddy." For example, if you are in Munich for two days, you can skip all tour events and do as you please. (It would lessen the value of the tour, but you can do it.)

You can always add days before and after the tour to do what you want.

My husband and I have just taken our first organised holiday - a river cruise.
We loved the ship aspects of the trip - meeting people, meals etc.
However, it did make us realise how much we enjoy wandering around on our own, sitting in bars and watching the world go by.
We found having to be somewhere at a fixed time quite stressful.
From what you say, I'd keep doing my own thing.

I agree with all the above, including the convenience of the "buddy" system. You and your buddy are supposed to make eye contact whenever the guide calls for a "buddy check," usually just before the bus leaves someplace. That's a quick way to identify anyone who isn't there, much faster and simpler than the guide counting people and then trying to figure out who's missing.

I've done only three RS tours but I've enjoyed them greatly, with excellent guides, enjoyable and interesting companions, and a good amount of free time on the schedule. You definitely can opt out of something if you let the guide and your buddy know, but of course you mustn't delay the group. About half the dinners are on your own, and you can opt out of others if you want. The only other European tours I've taken were with Road Scholar, which were good but involved more "hand holding" and group dinners in hotels.

I like to spend a few days, or even a week, before and after the tour on my own, exploring the starting and ending cities or nearby. RS tells you enough about what the tour covers that you won't duplicate experiences. I like to go at my own pace (usually faster than the tour), but it's also nice to have good company and prearranged logistics in the middle of my trip. From what you've posted, I think you'd like this pattern too, plenty of beer opportunties before and after, and some during as well. Give it a try!

Two years ago, we went to southern Italy for a month. That trip included the then 11-day Rick Steves Tour of Sicily. (Now it’s up to 12).

I think the responses so far have focused more on the “buddy system” than I would to address your questions about free-time opportunities.

If our one RS Sicily tour is a good example of the RS approach, I’d say that RS tours are pretty fast-paced in terms of multiple opportunities to see special sights, with good local specialty guides who add perspectives and local information that you may not easily get by traveling independently. And we never had to stand in line to get tickets.

As for free time, we had half of our dinners on our own and perhaps bit more than half of our lunches on our own. The one meal regularly provided was breakfast, but you probably don’t want beer with breakfast, anyway.

We often had a few hours during the day on our own. And you could certainly let your buddy and your main guide know that you won’t be with them for whatever group activity you plan to miss.

At times, you may choose to have one of those meals on-your-own or free-time eves or afternoons with another person or group on the tour. Like, hey does anyone want to join me/us for whatever tonight. Or not.

As for the “buddy system,” the buddy is not your travel partner. It is someone new you pair up with on the first day so the Guide can make sure no individual or no couple gets left behind, without running a risk of miscounting 24 people who are milling around. My wife and I each had separate buddies. Whether you and your “buddy” get close is up to each of you. Seems to be a good system that works well.

At the end our 30-day trip, we posted a Trip Report that compared our “three ways to travel” - the RS Tour, a “self-guided” bike tour, and more traditional travel on our own. That report might be useful to you. See, https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/southern-italy-30-days-three-ways-to-travel

The only other thing I would add is that you should look at particular itineraries with an eye to how much bus time is involved on each travel day and how that bus time may be broken up by a sight or activity along the way.

Only you know how you like to spend your time and money.

Have done both; solo and professional.

The RS tours were Florence and Istanbul. No negatives about either trip other than very cold weather during a few days of the Florence sojourn. They were 7 day tours and the Florence one was over Christmas.

Best aspect of that trip was getting into to see David nearly an hour before the museum opened. There was an art historian who guided us through the museum. Very personable and professional. Seeing Michelangelo’s 17 foot masterpiece up close and personal with 20 people was very memorable.

The Instanbul Tour Guide, Mert Tanner, was fabulous.( unsure if he still guides RS Tours)
Loved the hotel location, the food, hearing the early morning call to prayer, seeing Hagia Sophia and the Turkish beer I drank. Bomonti. Do know that cats are very prevalent in Istanbul. Also that there’s an older section of Istanbul and more upscale, modern parts of the city. I stayed 2 days after the tour ended and enjoyed a fabulous meal on the roof of the Grand Market. As I was strolling about the market pleasantly saying “no thank you” to some of the more aggressive merchants I spied a stairway and a small sign saying “restaurant” with an arrow pointing up. Very small restaurant with some benches and a few tables. Ordered a beer and a bowl of the best lentil soup I’ve ever had.

In decades of travel the roof top bowl of soup remains a favorite meal.

I remained in contact with my Istanbul travel “buddy.”

Thank you all for your perspectives and feedback. I am very familiar with the buddy system having coordinated many corporate events where we used the buddy system for the same reasons as Rick.

I am comfortable with meeting new people and with the set schedules that are part of the tour experience. And thank you to @Lin C for articulating why I don't river cruise. I will take a took at @Fred trip report.

For perspective, I am considering a month-long trip to Naples, Athens, Istanbul and then on to Stuttgart for their Fruhlinfest--a springtime beer festival in April 27. Dates are somewhat set due to Fruhlingfest and the dates for Rick's tours of Athens and Istanbul. If I don't do Rick's tours I will still make this tripl on my own. I have a self-planned trip later this year for German and Austrian Christmas Markets and in October 27 for Oktoberfest and other German beer experiences.

I think the biggest difference you will notice between traveling on your own and traveling with a group is that some things just take more time with a group. You walk as fast as the slowest person in your group. You are ready to move on and "that person" asks just one more question keeping the group hostage. Depending on how much you like to socialize, the included meals can seem a bit long too.

Now, it may seem like I don't like group tours and that is far from the truth. I feel the positives of a guide that knows way more than I could learn on my own, a congenial group of people to travel with, and transportation taken care of in some places where public transport would be difficult make a big difference. I always learn a great deal and enjoy the tours I am on. I wouldn't want to exclusively travel on tours, but they are often a great option. I especially feel that is true for Turkey. I loved my two week tour there (done with Gate 1).

Of course Carol is correct, but on the other hand while you are having to walk slower you know exactly where you are going, no lost time walking in circles, you didn’t have to cruise the streets for an hour trying to park and you didn’t wait for public transportation or a taxi; so I suspect the possibility exists to see as much, maybe more, when on a tour. So that sounds like I really enjoy group tours? Not so much. There are times when they are the best solution, like the Vatican for instance, and there are times when I want to be alone and there are times I want a knowledgeable guide that is all mine to ask a thousand questions.

I would break things down to three categories, 1) Self-Guided 2) Tour Group and 3) Private Tour. London, Paris and Rome are mostly self-guided. As I mentioned, some high demand stops a tour group works for me because they have been getting through the mess of humanity daily and have it worked out to a science. Then there are places that I think are Europe’s new backdoors that don’t have the infrastructure in the country or the coverage on the internet that Italy and France have. In those places, for me, experts are essential and I can generally do a private tour for close to the cost of a group tour in France = more value for the €/₴/Ft/Kč/zł/KM/$

As for the RS tours, they fit a certain demographic very well. On one 8-day tour that I presume is sort of typical you get 7 nights at a nice 3-star hotel. You get 8 half-day tours (sometimes 2 a day and sometimes 1 a day) which leaves you with about the same amount half your time free for what you enjoy, you get a meal or two and you get a great day-long bus ride through the countryside. But most of all you get a guide that can give you some personal attention because the group is less than 28 people (about the size of a typical Kindergarten class); and its only about $450 a day.

My wife and I have traveled to all the continents except Antartica and lived overseas as well.

When young, we had less money to spend, so we did most of our travel on our own. Still, even then, we would take some local group tours. Also, back in the 80s, you didn't need to book key sites in advance, now you absolutely need to do so.

I visited Amsterdam in 1983 and visited again in 2023. I had visited the Anne Frank House and the Rijksmuseum in 83 without booking in advance. Now, you must book those in advance.

Later, we took a mix of tours using rail or bus, as well as ocean and river cruises. I retired in 2010 and we would frequently combine a cruise with some touring on our own or group tours. We even did three transatlantic cruises to avoid flying in one direction, also did one transpacific cruise.

Since we are in our late 70s, we now take group tours. Group tours take care of everything, transportation, lodging, most meals, admissions and local touring. In my opinion, local tours save time and allow you to do more. We have found that Gate 1 Travel is our favorite, especially the prices. We did do a great Italy tour with Road Scholar that was great.

Also, when visiting third world countries, I believe that traveling with a group tour provides more security. Example, Egypt, I don't recommend doing on your own. Also, we did a safari in Kenya and Tanzania, which almost requires you find a tour company. We used Good Earth Tours and it was great.

Also, in some countries, especially poor ones, language may be an issue. Another issue, we discover in our recent tour of India and Nepal, was that particularly in India the road traffic is unbelievable awful, and you need to travel in a large bus. China is another country where group tours are a must.

On your last question about skipping some planned activities on a group tour, yes, you can generally do that, unless the activity is a follow up toward moving to another city. You will probably find that you won't skip much on a tour.

The tours I am considering are to Greece and Turkey

I’m not a fan tours at all but Turkey is a tough country to visit on your own. I went there on a tour and would go on a tour again.

Marco, would you be willing to elaborate on any specifics regarding why Turkey is more difficult to tour on one's own?

Second, I would say that I want to do about 70-80% of the planned
activities on the tours. Can I assume that I can opt-out of an
activity as long as I have informed my tour guide and I don't create a
logistical problem for myself or the tour? I do have plans for this
time to pursue additional activities not included in the tour.

This has been pretty well covered, but I'd suggest that if you're not interested in 30% of the tour offerings, going on your own is going to be less frustrating and probably more affordable. As has been noted, a group tour offers intangible benefits like a good guide that cuts the logistical red tape for efficiency. If you're only planning to go Istanbul, that is a city in my opinion that can be planned on your own. Using day tours is a good way to have a bit of structure too (I recommend a good food tour),

So I expect that I could get in a few beer-focused dinner locations
during a trip. The tours I am considering are to Greece and Turkey, so
not really beer-centric cultures.

At least for the Turkey tour, you're probably going to be pretty disappointed in the beer selection. I live in craft beer country so maybe I'm just a snob.

I’ve taken the Greece tour and I strongly urge you to do so as well. It is such a great layout of what Greece has to offer. It is one of the most universally popular tours I kept hearing about and it was fantastic. My husband went along on this tour and he loved it as well. I’ve done 13 tours, he has done 2.

For me it's also about the money. Rick does great tours by all accounts and you will absolutely hear from many folks on these boards who love them. They sell out all the time. It's just just way more of an upcharge than I'm comfortable spending. Sicily for 2 people for 11 nights/12 days is $7500 + air is almost twice what we spent on our recent 18-night Sicily trip. I didn't have guides at every stop, I had to drive myself or take transit and I was less efficient than being guided and dropped off. But I saved a lot of money and I enjoyed the freedom of going on my schedule and interacting with a lot of locals because I wasn't part of an English-speaking group. It's not apples to apples, I realize. I know I'm missing out on making lifelong friendships with fellow RS tourists. I know their guides are among the best and I'm sure they enrich the experience immeasurably. It's just not what I want right now in my life.

But my experience is through my own lens. I'm a human and humans tend to project our preferences onto others, plus we encourage others to follow suit and validate our choices. It's natural psychological tendency.

Rick began this whole thing by trying to teach folks how to travel independently, find back doors on their own, travel 2nd class, interact with everyday locals as much as possible. The tours are great, people love em, but it's a far cry from "Europe through the Backdoor c 1982"

jkh,
My 2 cents....I began travelling in Europe with hubby in 1974, on the cheap, on our own. He had traveled before and previously lived in Europe, so I could rely on him to "guide" us around. Back then we spent 4 months (bought a VW beetle at the outset and drove for 3 months before putting the car on a long boat ride to the states). All our other trips to Europe, and to western hemisphere countries were on our own, sometimes with a car, sometimes not...a great way to travel!
However, we have taken tours as well, when in a country where we couldn't read the language or felt uncomfortable moving around or were very unfamiliar with the place/culture/customs. And I am glad we did, as we got so much out of the tours, having had some excellent tour guides. (China, Kenya, Turkey, Egypt)
As we have aged and slowed down (now 82 and 83), I suspect we may even take a guided tour for someplace in Europe. (I am looking at you, Sicily.) Driving on unfamiliar roads is a bit more intimidating than in the past (except for France, where hubby has lots of experience and is a native speaker), so joining other tourists on a bus is well worth it to get to see a new place. I have never turned up my nose at group travel. It can really work well, and if it gets a person "on the road" to new experiences, then bravo!
I love being an independent tourist and plotting out an itinerary, but I don't feel that makes me a "better" or "truer" or "more sophisticated and worldly-wise" traveler. There's a lot of wisdom to be had from the tour guides, bless them.

I would not disagree with a single thing you wrote, Judy

A factor that we use to decide if we are going to travel independently or with a group is how comfortable we are with the predominant language of a specific country and the various ways directions may be communicated. Technology has made some of that easier, but I remember arriving in Athens and finding that the guidebook spelled a street name one way, a map had it spelled a different way and the street sign offered a third spelling. It’s one thing if we’re fresh off the plane with travel enthusiasm in place but after traveling and navigating for a time, some of our brain cells have quit doing the job. We now find a combination of group travel and independent travel works best for us.

I think Rick's "buddy system" is great! I don't know why other tour companies don't use it. We were part of a (non Rick) tour that included two roomies who were ALWAYS late/last. The peer pressure from a "buddy" might have made them think twice about holding up the group.

Thanks for all the responses to my post. I have decided to do my Naples, Athens, Izmir and Istanbul trip on my own. Primarily because I couldn't make tours and dates work for these cities when I want to go next year. I will probably do one or more group day tours (e.g. Ephesus) during my month-long trip.

We went to Turkey on our own-Istanbul, Ephesus, and Troy and did have language issues at times when locals did not speak English. We have not experienced this elsewhere in our 16 trips to Europe and the UK. I think Spain is also a place where fewer people speak English, but we were on a tour when we were there.
EDITED: one of the advantages of tours is that you see things you wouldn't have chosen on your own- tours that included Finland and Albania, for example. A visit to a bull farm in Spain. Visits to local botanical gardens in Australia and a sheep farm in New Zealand.

I think Rick's "buddy system" is great! I don't know why other tour
companies don't use it. We were part of a (non Rick) tour that
included two roomies who were ALWAYS late/last.

I've never done a tour myself, but I have to wonder - if the two people who are ALWAYS late/last were assigned as buddies, what would happen if they both missed the bus! Or with any other two buddies, that is a remote but real possibility - right?

Stella, My guess is that the tour guide would reassign these two buddies.

I have never done a whole-group group-guided tour. My top reason is, I don't want to keep worrying about how much or little I have to talk to my fellow tour members, and what if there is a problem person on the tour?

I imagine you can skip certain portions of a whole trip guided tour but if you are going to skip more than ten percent of the panned activities, you probably would be better off traveling without the Rick Steves tour.

As for beer, I wouldn't have any suggestions. I don't consume alcohol.

Edit: I took a 4-week summer Yiddish class in Vilnius, Lithuania, when I was 24. I didn't manage to travel far from home again until I went to Quebec Canada for 5 days total just to see if I could take a solo trip. Then I took 7 solo trips to different parts of West/Central Europe, Mexico, Peru, and some shorter trips to cities in the United States. My mother freaks out every time I travel far from home. I am a single man without travel companions.

"I do have plans for this time to pursue additional activities not included in the tour." My tentative suggestion is, either plan the rest of your trip and travel without a tour, or do the tour and stay with the group the whole time.

Another consideration — what is the tour schedule like and does it fit your travel style? If the tour is blasting off from the hotel at 8:00 am sharp every day and you like to stay out late that could get old.