Hi!
Since all tours in May 2022 to Scotland are booked via Rick Steves I’m looking to duplicate his 13 day itinerary along with the accommodations. Looking to hire either a private guide or do multi day overnight tours with a company. Does anyone have that information?
Thank you!
You might consider getting on the waiting list for the RS tour. Since he's allowing cancellations through December without forfeiting the deposit, it's likely a number of folks who double booked, or booked "just in case" will drop out.
I did. Joined several waitlists. Thanks!
Have a look at Rabbies Tours. Shorter than the RS tour, but you could cobble together a couple of these, plus fill in some days on your own.
https://www.rabbies.com/en/scotland-tours
Do click on the "accommodation" tab to see how they book it for you, or allow you to choose and book hotels.
Do you have this book?....https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/best-scotland-guidebook
The tours do not necessarily use only one hotel in each location, so you could use one of the recommended hotels in each town and come close to replicating the tour. Should also have info on local guides
I do have the Rick Steve’s book and. 2 others. Looking at Rabbies tours as well. Thanks!
jgombas, you don't necessarily need the same accommodations as the tour, and the 2022 tour accommodations may not even be set in stone yet. The same itinerary may also not work for you as the tour would have private transport at hand that you wouldn't have, as an independent traveler.
Are you looking an escorted GROUP tour that's very similar to the RS Scotland tour, minus maybe the same exact accommodations? It's not clear what you're wanting.
Yes I’m Looking for similar itinerary, similar activities with a different tour group. There will be four of us and none of us want to drive. It doesn’t matter if the accommodations are the same, just looking for something similar.
It seems to me that, with four people splitting the cost, you might find a private tour to be no more expensive than a quality group tour. Rabbies does get excellent reviews, but if you worked with a travel agent (probably in Scotland), you'd be able to structure an itinerary that would align more precisely with the desires of your particular group.
I would encourage you to allow more time if you can; there's a lot to see in Scotland, and it would be nice not to be so rushed. There's the issue of weather--specifically, rain--that can affect plans for rural sightseeing by less-than-hardcore walkers.
If half of the group is limited to 2 weeks but the other two are in a position to add on more time, I'd recommend considering that. I did that with a friend in 2019. She could only manage 19 days, but I had 26. There was a lot I wanted to do in and around Edinburgh and Glasgow, so I added extra days in those cities before she arrived.
One of my former co-workers, who often takes RS tours, used CIE to tour Ireland and was quite pleased..
OOps! Edited to put the correct link in for Scotland
https://www.cietours.com/tours/scotland
