My Way tour to Italy

Some things to consider that might help you decide:

When you traveled with your travel partner, how many nights did you stay at each location?

Are the number of hours on a bus of tours you’re considering similar to the number of hours on your Turkey tour where you felt like you didn’t have enough time at a location?

When you arrived at cities on previous tours, did you feel excited to explore, or did you feel much more comfortable during the initial city orientation walk with your guide?

Would you be uncomfortable on your own independently traveling by train in Italy and going to cities in closer proximity to shorten the transportation time?

Would you miss the fun companionship of a Rick Steves tour if you traveled on your own?

Between all of those questions, your answers might help you decide which options of everything you want to choose.

only caveat being not having enough time to stop and enjoy the cites and towns we visited.

Even though a My Way tour sets up transportation and hotels for you, they also limit the amount of time you stay in a city/location. That doesn't differ from a regular tour or a My Way tour. The only way around that is an independent tour where you decide the amount of time you wish to spend in a city. Quite honestly, booking hotel rooms and taking trains isn't difficult, unless it is something you prefer not to do on your own.

It is quite easy to mimic a tour on your own and book hotels and transport yourself from one place to another. If you prefer the company of others on a bus, then the My Way tour might be for you. It all depends on your travel comfort level.

I am not quite retired, though of an age, and I have travelled solo. I have taken about 10 RS tours and often head out on my own before or after the tour. I took the My Way Alpine a few years ago. It fit my needs because I did not want to be making lodging and transportation arrangements. Our group was very friendly and travelers could venture on their own, but also find someone to dine with or spend the day with, if they chose.

I often plan (maybe overplan) lots of activities, but on this tour, after a few days, I decided to vacation. I knew what was available to do and see in each location, but I discarded my inner pressure to check a list. I found the trip truly relaxing in locations I wanted to visit.

I am someone who enjoys visiting places more than once, and am looking forward to repeating this trip. There are things to try and places to visit that never hit my radar first time around. For me, My Way worked.

I took the Alpine My Way tour last year as a solo traveler and loved it! Everywhere we visited was beautiful and I had enough time in each spot to do plenty. I did a lot of research beforehand and had an idea of what activities/tours I wanted to do in each town. I bought tickets in advance for some things. Having the hotels/transportation covered was really nice but I most enjoyed not traveling completely alone and having the opportunity to hike or share a meal with others on the tour. I’ve considered doing this My Way again and the Italy one is on my list too.

Thank you all for so much to think about. I really enjoyed reading your experiences of solo travel since I am new to that type of travel. I am looking for a middle ground between a full tour and a completely independent trip.

The other thought I have is that doing Italy as a My Way tour may not seem as rushed since I have been to the stops before and therefore will not be checking must see sights off my agenda. Maybe I can manage to slow the pace by just roaming and taking the opportunity to truly be there.

How to best manage a keep traveling attitude as I age.

We did the My Way Italy tour last year and loved it. The group was more cohesive than we expected and we could set our own pace, taking breaks when necessary. We had been to half of the places before so there were some familiar places as well as some new ones. We arrived on a Friday in Venice before the tour started on Sunday. We were glad we had the extra time as we’d never been to Venice before and were able to schedule most of what we wanted to see. There were fellow tour members willing to split the cost of a gondola ride. In Ravenna fellow tour members helped each other figure out which dock for the correct ferry and how to find the right hiking paths. Cinque Terre was a repeat, but then we were able to explore Corniglia which we hadn’t seen before. The guide pointed out restaurants and made sure that we had reservations to the ones that would need them. I could go on, but that gives you and idea. The guides are there when you need them with additional suggestions and some of them arrange a few group activities. It seems like most groups develop a camaraderie as the trips progresses and are great about sharing suggestions.