I'm contemplating the 11 day Scotland tour and I would be traveling solo. It appears that once we arrive at the various villages through out Scotland (via tour bus) we'll do our own exploration of the towns on foot during our leisure time. Is that correct? This would be the ideal for me. It looks like a fantastic tour.
Many thanks.
Great tour. We were in the tour April 2018. It was one of my favorites. We had a single on our trip, she had a great time. Our guide was James and very exceptional and passionate about his country.
I didn't do this tour, but I did a Rick Steves Tour as a solo last year and it was great. The people on these tours are very friendly. I did pay for the single supplement and I was glad that I did. I liked having "my own place" that I could take a break if I wanted one and where I could follow my sleep/wake schedule and not have to worry about a roomate. I decided that with all that I had already spent on the tour, it was almost like a bit of "insurance" to pay for the single supplement.
I didn't do the Scotland tour, but I've done other Rick Steves tours. I find that you do have time on your own. Sometimes you link up with someone else on the tour, but other times, you just fly solo. I've traveled in Scotland a fair bit and I think that the tour looks good.
Pam
Invest a few leisure hours reading through the dozens of tour reports from Rick Steves participants. Not all of them are here on the forum. You can search the intertubes for the name of the tour +"trip report" and come up with literally hundreds of mostly enthusiastic, but brutally honest, reviews and day-by-day narratives, most hosted at blogs with photos. IN the many reports I have slogged through, I can only recall negative information in less than 10% of the total number of days covered and that was usually about weather or other unpreventable issues.
The philosophy of this organization includes deliberately not scheduling every waking moment. This allows participants a tremendous amount of free time to explore, read, nap, shop, or get into trouble.
You will find there are some folks who are not happy about anything but maybe they shouldn't go on these adventures.
I just returned from the Best of Scotland ten-day trip, traveling as a solo. I had a wonderful experience and so will you.
I did this tour last year and altho I was with family members on this particular tour I've done 6 out of 11 as solos. I'd not hesitate to do any RS tour on my own. Give yourself some time ahead in Edinburgh and perhaps a couple of days after. Lots to do there!
I've been on 4 other Rick Steves tours with friends and family and they have all been exceptional travel experiences. What I'm getting at (without trying to sound like a baby!) is, does the Scotland tour require navigating any local metro systems - other than getting to and from the Edinburgh airport?
And my thanks to all for encouraging me to tour on my own!
I did 3 weeks solo in Scotland not on a tour. I found the bus system in Edinburgh to be very easy to navigate and if you miss one bus you literally only wait 3-5 min. I have also traveled solo on RS Tours I find his Tours attract friendly inclusive fellow travelers. You would have a wonderful time.
Kathleen
