back to back Italy tours - dreaming and hoping for next year

good for you--go for it! It is heartening to hear your attitude, and it sounds like a great plan.

Sorry for your previous tour issues.... Italy sounds doable to me. My thoughts exactly about doing back to back tours. You spend so much to fly over there. I want to stay 2-3 weeks. Since I am semi-retired (have a part-time job), it is easy for me to do this.

I will be doing back to back in a few weeks (8 day Ireland and 10 day Scotland). So it will be the first for me on a RS tour, kinda..... last year I did a river cruise, then ended up in Barcelona and did the 8 day RS tour..... gone three weeks and it was wonderful.

2019 --- looking to do the same again for Paris and Heart of France, combined with London 8 day.

I think you should dive in and go for.

Happy travels.

Kim

Kathy,

Go for it!! Back to back tours do help spread the airfare around. Feel free to pick our collective brains with any questions you have. Did the March 5th court day get delayed again or ???

I think that's a great idea. I don't know how the tours are scheduled (what day of the week they start and end), but I'd recommend having a few days between the two tours to catch your breath. After Tour 1 you'll be an Old Italian Hand and ready to take care of yourself until the second tour begins.

For example, you might spend 2 or 3 nights in Orvieto. It's a quick and easy train ride from Rome. It's very pretty, and it has enough sights to occupy you for a couple of days.

TC, thanks for asking about the Therese's trial. She was arraigned on 3/5. On 4/20 and 4/23 she has a disposition on each charge which I understand is like a plea bargain. Depending on what happens then, she will go to trial a few months later. I may be missing a step or two. Court cases in Colorado are not like a Perry Mason rerun.
Kathy

Kathy, go for it! You will love RS tours. We haven't done the Best of Italy, but we've done Village Italy, Best of Florence, now defunct :-( and the Best of Rome. We have on occasion taken back-to-back tours, and loved it. It's definitely more economical, and less stressful, than taking two separate trips.

And I strongly suspect that once you've visited Italy, you will change your mind about this being your only European trip.

Kathy, go for it! You will love RS tours. We haven't done the Best of Italy, but we've done Village Italy, Best of Florence, now defunct :-( and the Best of Rome. We have on occasion taken back-to-back tours, and loved it. It's definitely more economical, and less stressful, than taking two separate trips.

And I strongly suspect that once you've visited Italy, you will change your mind about this being your only European trip.

With Go Fund Me you are asking people to pay for your trip? I think that is a bad idea. I live by my mother’s words, if you don’t have the money you don’t buy it.

Kathy,

It's great to hear that you're starting to think about travel again, and back-to-back RS Italy tours would be a good option (provided your budget will allow). I'm glad to hear that the scumbag scammer is now facing justice, but the courts rarely move quickly so this may not be settled for awhile. It's doubtful that those who were victimized will get a full refund.

Depending on your budget and time, you could perhaps expand on your plans and see a wider part of Europe. For example, using open jaw flights you could spend a few days in southern Germany or Switzerland, before travelling to the starting point for your tour. Both the tours you mentioned would provide a good look at Italy, and I'm confident you'd have a wonderful time. The South Italy tour doesn't quite get down to the heel, but it's a wonderful tour. One question though - have you travelled in Europe before?

The V-F-R tour is listed as a more "strenuous" tour, while the South Italy is listed as "very active". I'm in the same age range and my back also "twinges", but I've been able to manage the tours without too much trouble. I'd suggest you start doing some conditioning about a month prior to the tours, such as walking. You'll have to carry your own luggage, so keep that in mind when you're packing.

It's unfortunate that your friend has given up on travel, as she will be missing a lot of great experiences and lifetime memories. Is there any chance she might change her mind? Does she read this forum? In any case, there's no problem travelling solo on a RS tour, which I've done on eight tours. Many of your fellow tour members will be in the same age range, and you'll probably find that everyone gets along well.

I've never heard of anyone using a Go Fund Me site to fund their holidays. I tend to reserve my contributions on GFM to those who are suffering a catastrophic illness or tragedy, so I probably wouldn't contribute to a "holiday" request.

Happy travels!

jvb, since I live on a fixed income, if I can't pay for something I don't do it. It was a random thought that I doubt if I really would consider.

Jane, the above is why I think this will be my last trip to Europe. My horse eats my earning from my parttime job but I wouldn't give up his sweet nickers and whiskery nibbles for anything.

Ken, It's been 25 years since I went trail riding and touring in Ireland. Before that, it was 20 years prior when I went to northern Europe after graduating from high school. That tour included Soviet Russia. I think I'd like to narrow the focus on my next tour to concentrate on Italy, the one country I really want to visit.

Kathy,
I think you have a great plan! Assuming you can get dates that work, those two tours should mesh very well. After being in three large cities on the first tour, the Southern Italy tour will add variety to your experience. I loved that tour, which we combined with RS Sicily tour.

We’ve done many back-to-back tours for exactly the reason you mentioned. Another advantage is that you’re only dealing with jet lag once for two tours. We’ve found that having a few days off between tours gives us a chance to decompress a bit and be ready to start tour number two refreshed.

While I’ve contributed to Go Fund Me accounts, I know nothing about setting one up. I’m not sure how it would work without a social media presence, but that may be because I don’t know enough about them.

Good luck to you!

First of all, GOOD FOR YOU to keep planning for a trip. I think RS tours are one of the most economical ways to see great stuff and not spend a fortune doing it. I also agree that back to back tours will make the best use of your airfare.

Second of all, plan ahead for a budget and transportation between the end of one tour and the start of the next. You'll have to make your own arrangements there, so start thinking ahead about convenience, cost and if the hotel includes breakfast.

Third - I am familiar with GoFundMe. From what I've read, they only work if you know a lot of people to ask for money. The site does take something off the top for use/bookkeeping, but they explain that in their terms. If you think you could get people interested in your story to donate, it's a thought, but I'd never do it myself.

Last - If you travel with RS, you won't be traveling alone. You'll have a bunch of new friends.

Definitely go for back to back tours. Definitely give yourself some time between tours just to not have to be somewhere in the AM, get your laundry caught up etc. I might consider moving to the 2nd tour hotel right away as it will likely be different from the hotel for the VFR tour. You'll also want to plan to arrive a few nights ahead for Tour #1.

I like the idea of the big cities and then the smaller towns!

By the way...we can all guarantee you won't have issues with this company!

As I see it, the VFR tour gives you three nights in Venice, which is really only two days. It takes a little while to get a handle on Venice, to figure out how to get around (streets full of water etc.), and to recover from jet lag.

My suggestion would be to give yourself Several extra nights in Venice before the VFR tour officially starts, maybe staying at the same hotel that the VFR tour uses. From comments on other threads, I think it is very close to the Rialto market, so convenient to get just about anywhere.

While the VFR tour will cover the big ticket sights in Venice, the Piazza, Rialto, Doge’s Palace, Accademia gallery and so on, sometimes it is the second tier, the “B” list of sights that can grab you. I could rattle off a list of dozens, because that’s how Venice works for us.

Have a look at the book “Secret Venice” by Jonglez in your library. Heaps of things there.

Kathy,

Thanks for the additional information - Italy it is then!

I agree with some previous comments.....

I've found that it's a good idea to arrive at least one and preferably two days before the tour starts. That will give you time to get over jet lag, and also see a few sights not covered by the tour. When you sign up for the tours, I believe you'll be given a credit for purchases in the RS store. I'd highly recommend that one of the items you buy is the RS Italy guidebook, as that will provide you with a lot of good information.

I also agree with the suggestion to take a few days in Rome between tours to do "housekeeping" like laundry, but also to have a look at sights that you may be interested in that weren't covered on the tour. You could also take a day trip to Orvieto.

Good luck with your planning!

Thanks everyone for your encouragement and suggestions. I had planned on a few days in Venice before the tour, preferably, for convenience, at the same hotel as the RS tour. That was our plan for the failed tour. My research showed me that there is a lot more to see and do than just San Marco.

Now I just have to start planning and saving. Hopeful travel dates Spring 2019 but may have to wait until 2020 because of already planned/ budgeted expenses.
I’ll have lots more questions when the 2019 RS tour dates are posted. Thanks again!

I just thought of something else. Do you have the Tour Catalog? If not, be sure to get it and when the 2019 tour catalog is announced, get it as well. I spend a lot of time online but there is nothing better than leafing thru that book!!

We did back to back Sicily and South Italy last year. We acclimated in Rome, then flew to Palermo. After Sicily, we stayed in the Trastevere where the South Italy tour starts from. Loved that neighborhood. If you’re a walker, it’s not far from the ancient sites as well as the Vatican.
Also, there were 2 other couples who linked these tours (a third tried but didn’t get on the S. Italy tour). We all spent the days between differently, though we eventually met up and had dinner together.
You will have a great time.

Woofie - you can do it! Right now we are planning on possibly several days in Rome followed by a triple tour of Rome 7days (or maybe just Rome on our own), South Italy, Sicily, with some spare time thrown in, and then maybe a last destination on our own.

On another note, I despise Go Fund Me pages, and am glad that was just a fleeting thought, but you had such a miserable, heart wrenching experience with Mystical Tours that I would HAPPILY contribute to make your trip happen!!!

Here is another vote for back to back tours. We have done this a couple of times. Try to stay at hotels that are the same ones used by the tours, book your extra nights as early as you can. It is a lot more relaxing that way. We are pretty tired at the end of the first tour, and use the days in between tours to get to the start of tour 2 , do laundry or send it out, and relax. We do maybe one or two mini excursions a day. Be sure not to duplicate any sites you will be seeing as a group. Time to just chill is sometimes called for. Sit in a cafe and enjoy coffee and people watching.

You will not be travelling alone. You will have a travel family if you are on RS tours.

Start the second tour refreshed. You will have a better time and likely stay healthier if you are not dead tired at the start of tour number two. (We are late 60s)