Solo to Italy...... Independent or Tour?

I'm traveling solo this April on my first trip overseas. I can't wait. Every decision is my own. What I'm doing, and you could also, is booking tours for when I arrive. That way, I'm on my own but yet I'll meet lots of travelers so I'm not lonely. It's a win win! Some things I'm seeing independently and some things I'm seeing with a group. I love the idea that I'm in charge of my own itinerary.

I did a solo trip to Italy in 2014 and had a great time. I didnt do a lot of places but spent a week in Venice, a week in Florence and the last few days in Milan. I really liked making all the decisions myself and didn't get lonely. I did take a few small group day tours, and think that helped me not feel lonely.

Admittedly, I'm not a fan of group bus tours like RS, and only did one before beginning to travel with family and friends on trips I planned.

I now live in Portugal and have taken many solo trips since the one to Italy in 2014.

Jim,

My husband is 13 years older than I am. I, too, encouraged him to travel while he could and I couldn't as much due to work. Many people don't understand this. I had women at work chastise me for letting him travel alone as they had the attitude "if I can't go, he can't go either". Very narrow-minded. My point is, if either of you run across these people, walk away! I commend you both. Now that I am retired also, my husband encourages me to travel alone, as well as with him, because he had such a great time traveling solo and he does't want to prohibit me from having that joy!

That being said, both my husband and I are introverts and we each enjoy doing things on our own. Each of us does not need, but do like, to socialize. The question to ask yourself, IMO, is whether you are an introvert or extrovert. Do you do enjoyable, out of the house, things on your own or do you always join with people? If you are unsure, perhaps your first trip might be a RS tour, or a RS My way tour. If you love doing things alone, than stick with independent travel. It is true what your friends say, when you travel alone, you do not have to consider anyone else, and that is unusual in this world. Also, I find more people speak with me more when I am traveling solo so that provides experiences that don't occur when I travel with my husband. I never am lonely traveling solo, but I do find on day 16/17 I'm ready to go home for a while...but I believe that is with or without my husband. I will add I am taking my first RS tour this year for two reasons: 1. in spite of himself, my husband worries when I am in Europe on my own. 2. To see what I want to see in Greece would have been too much of a hassle trying to get myself to the various sites due to their poor public transportation. And I had no desire to rent a car and navigate in Greece. So make the decision and just enjoy...but pay the single supplement. Wray

Your friends have correctly identified the advantages and disadvantages of independent solo travel and group tours.

I have done four independent solo trips to Europe. I love traveling on my own. But there are stress factors that you don't have to deal with on a tour, such as making transportation connections, figuring out how to get where you're going, and organizing your time efficiently. And loneliness does come up from time to time. The question to ask yourself is whether you are able to treat those stress factors as opportunities to stretch yourself outside your comfort zone. I've made some great connections with people that I could never have made if I was spending all my time with other travelers.

You might also want to consider a "My Way" tour. The logistics are taken care of for you, and you will have some opportunities to connect with other travelers, but you have the freedom to spend your time however you want.

But I highly recommend independent travel if you are willing to do all the planning and handle the logistics yourself.

Jim, with all due respect, I think any additional advice will probably not be all that helpful. At some point, you need to make up your mind and just live with the outcome (for what it's worth, I think all will turn out just fine and you'll have a great time). It seems like you've gotten plenty of input on this during your previous queries...did the prior comments not successfully address your question(s)? Please advise what other input you may need so you can move on with a decision.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/should-i-tour
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/first-time-tour-to-italy-first-tour-ever

Jim, it really depends on your comfort level with what you choose. I'm a 73 year old out of shape traveler. Since I have been on a number of ETBD tours, I was looking for new horizons which meant independent travel. Two years ago I toured Strasbourg, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Dinan and Paris using rail travel. Last fall I spent two weeks driving around Sardinia and Corsica before heading to Assisi, Parma, Ravenna and the Veneto using trains. This autumn, I'm looking for a return trip to Sicily and will be booking a tour with ETBD after which I'll take another week or so on my own. Since I have the time, I look forward to planning a route, choosing sites to visit, reserving hotels and exploring transportation options. For me it all adds to the experience of travel and heightens the anticipation of what's to come. Happy travels either way!✈️

I also have been traveling solo most of my life.

Good suggestion to sign up for a walking tour or other small group tour if you want company.

Another plus, you get to have your trip twice - when you return and relive it with your wife.

Have a fabulous time!

I went on my first trip to Europe last June. I too went solo. I loved the planning and research (till I burnt out after 5 months lol) one hotel I chose based on recommendations plus the fact it had nightly "happy hour". Hotel Davanzati in Florence encourages guests to meet and mingle over the days adventures with a glass of wine and I looked forward to it every day. Met people from all over.

I enjoy going at my own pace and doing what I want when I want very much. Also I chose hotels that serve breakfast which gives the opportunity to chat and get ideas from like minded travellers. I say go for it! You might just love it!

There really is no answer to your question other than "it depends on you." Both types of trips have advantages and disadvantages. I have done both but usually find I personally prefer a combination of the two. I generally take a tour with a few days before and after either seeing more of the starting stopping city or going someplace new. For example, last year I spent a week solo in Paris, took a tour of Western France, then went down to Lisbon for several days. Again for me, I dislike being solo for more than 5 or 6 days. So BOTH ways work (IMHO no matter what anyone says about one being superior to the other) and it all depends on you.

Jim,

It doesn't have to be one or the other. Why not combine a RS tour with some self guided travel, and that way you can enjoy the best of both worlds and compare the two methods. I've done that many times and it works well.

Well I've certainly met a lot of travelers on RS tours, and they've all attested to the physicality of the tours, you have to keep up with the guide and they are Fit !
You get your money's worth and the tours are highly satisfying, and the travelers do have some time on their own. The RS tours are a good way to get acclimated back to travel, and it sounds like you could use a break from all the planning?

I took my first adult trip to Europe just last year (at age 42) and I decided to go on a tour---and it was the best vacation I ever took. Not having to plan meals, travel arrangements, etc was so incredibly relaxing. We had fabulous food and wine (and I didn't have to figure out what restaurants to eat at). Everyone had a great time. It was a tour of Rome and Naples (archaeology tour) and I've already booked Sicily for this year. One thing you could consider is doing both---take a tour and plan a few days before or after the tour (or both) to do your own solo adventure--that is what I am doing--adding a return visit to Rome on my way back from my tour.

Jim, I have been traveling internationally through much of my life, solo, or as one of a couple, or for business, or in small travel groups, in various parts of the world. Now retired and traveling solo, I have adopted a travel lifestyle which combines RS Tours plus extra days or even weeks before and/or after, on my own. Combines the best of both worlds. I can tell you, RS Tours are really excellent: guides are superb; traveling companions are very nice and friendly; hotels and group meals range from more than adequate to truly excellent; plenty of free time to pursue your own interests or relax, alone or with others in your travel group. On a tour you will visit both the "main sites" and other spots and experiences that you would not know of or would have difficulty accessing on your own. Buses are comfortable and spacious, and stop every couple of hours for pit stops, or sometimes meals or visits to sites en route. I think the activity level in RS Tours is fine, unless one has mobility issues. I generally walk more on my indecent travel days than on tour days, in terms of amount of walking, etc. I think the pricing of the tours is quite modest, given everything that is included. Of course you can easily travel on your own, with considerable time and work making your own plans and arrangements (especially travel, lodging, and visits/tours of popular sites which may require advance reservations. You can get up and out early, or sometimes sleep in to relax or rest up. Although I am quite extroverted, I still find lengthy travel on my own gets lonely, including most meals alone. This is why I mix it up, tours plus solo travel, on the same trip. I have taken 7 RS Tours since 2013 and have numbers 8 and 9 already scheduled for this year. If you have never taken a group tour, I encourage you to try one, and maybe spend an extra week on your own in nearby places that interest you, before or after the tour. Always try to arrive in the starting city at least a day in advance to settle in, adjust to jet lag, and give yourself a buffer day in case of any travel delay.

Hey Jim in Slidell, this is Jane in New Orleans. I am in my mid-60's and have traveled to Italy twice solo in the last three years (and quite a few more times with a family member or two in tow). Solo is fun and wonderful for all of the reasons that earlier posters describe. One way that I mix it up, is to plan a walking tour or day tour every two or three days or so, and thus get a chance to enjoy and share new experiences with other people. Such tours that I have enjoyed have been a day tour with Tours by Roberto out of Florence; a wine tour out of Florence with Walkabout Florence; a Cicchetti tourin Venice with Walkabout Italy; a tour of the Florence Duomo and Baptisty with Weekend in Italy; and a one-day mosaics making workshop in Ravenna at Koko Mosaico. All of these have been wonderful! Perhaps you can "mix it up" by flying solo some days, and finding tours, workshops and experiences during your travels that will give you the chance to engage with others who are delighted by some of the same experiences that are delighting you!

I took my first solo trip to Europe when I was 31 -- 4 months, pre-Schengen, no camera, phone calls made from special facilities usually in post offices, post cards to let friends and family know how things were going and where I was. I took my second solo trip last year at the age of 70 -- 6 weeks in England and Scotland. The big difference between the 2 trips is that much more planning is needed 40 years later. I love doing the planning myself, with lots of help from many resources, including the RS website and the Travel Forum.

Orthopedist willing, my next solo trip will be this year to Italy and be similar to what many have suggested. I hope to take the RS Village Italy tour sandwiched between some self-planned days before, primarily in Rome and Venice, and some after in Milan. The Village Italy tour attracted me because it includes some fun activities that I normally would not, or maybe could not, plan or do on my own.

A few years back I would never have considered going on any kind of a tour longer than a day, but when I started planning a 4-week trip to Greece for my husband and I in 2014, it became apparent that we could start with the RS week in Istanbul tour. I had no problem with the planning for Greece, but I felt totally out of my depth to plan a trip to Istanbul.

I agree with those that say that you are likely to spend less money if you do it all on your own, but the RS Istanbul tour wasn't only about logistics. The knowledge of the guide was well worth the price alone. Based on the reviews, I think that also will be true with the Village Italy tour.

However you decide to do it, you will have a great time. And you can be as sociable as you want.

IMO it comes down to whether you are going to enjoy being on your own or not. If you can be quite happy doing things solo, you may feel too confined by the tour schedule. If you think you'll be lonely being on your own day after day, then you'll have to compromise your independence on a tour. There are ways to interact with people while travling solo, but it's still much different from the camaraderie of a group. Be honest with yourself.

Thank you all for some exciting insights from your travels and advice for my next trip. My "must do" list from traveling with my wife and her mother has become the basis of a new "to do list" for my trip. Once completed I plan to compare my list and with what is included in RS tours and determine which is right for me. Maybe a combination of a tour and independent travel as some have suggested might be best. It is a real blessing to everyone struggling with these decisions to have this travel forum and such wonderful and knowledgeable travelers willing to share their experiences. I'm sure I will be back with more questions, but I appreciate what you have given me so far. As Rick always says, "Happy travels".

Jim