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Big News: email from RST about coronavirus.

Posted by (Vancouver, WA) on

Dear Tour Member,

We are closely following the Coronavirus situation in Italy, as you undoubtedly are too. It has always been the Rick Steves tour philosophy to travel without fear — but also to travel smartly and safely. As of February 24, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that older adults and those with chronic medical conditions consider postponing nonessential travel to Italy.

As a tour operator, we put our travelers' safety first. At the same time, we owe it to you not to overreact to headline-generated anxiety. As of today, we are still planning to operate all of our tours. But if you would rather postpone your travel to another time — or go to another part of Europe — please contact us at 425-608-4217 and we will transfer you to a new 2020 tour of your choosing.

Thanks for being part of our touring family.

Rick Steves' Europe
Tour Sales and Service

Posted by
367 posts

Thanks! There are many of us watching this closely. I'm seeing friends cancelling their trips but I'm still planning to go in May

Posted by
31 posts

Mine is in April. They are not offering a refund.

Posted by
8369 posts

They are not offering a refund, but I find their offers of changing the dates or locations of the tours quite generous. April is still a way off. Unless you are someone with higher risk due to age or health conditions, you may want to observe the situation for awhile before making changes.

PS. I hate that CDC just lumps people together as “older”. What exactly is older? I did go to CDC site. While they don’t specifically define this for travel purposes, they have several articles relating to health of “older people” which describes a group of individuals 65 or older.

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