When does Rick normally release the next year's tours? As a recently retired person, I haven't had the ability to tour with him previously, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to schedule for 2023.
Posted by
Phoenix🌵
2719 posts
From the tour homepage: Rick Steves' European tours for 2023 will be available later this spring! Subscribe to Tour News to be notified when the 2023 tours open. (emphasis mine)
Sign up page https://www.ricksteves.com/publications/tour-news-email
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8346 posts
Welcome to retirement! There are still plenty of tours with seats available in 2022 if you don't want to wait...........
Posted by
OP
45 posts
Actually, my big fear is that he's going to release them while we're on his Sicily trip and then joining another tour so gone all of May, and everything will be snapped up while I'm over there. Like the teenagers, FOMO.
Posted by
Tennessee
384 posts
Will you have a Smartphone or I-pad with you? If the 2023 tours open for reservations while you're away, you could reserve a spot that way. In May 2019, I was in England when reservations opened for 2020 tours. That night using my I-Phone SE I booked a spot on Best of Greece for May 2020. By the way, I am finally taking that tour in a few weeks!
Posted by
Sapulpa, OK, USA
6289 posts
Norhwestcoyote, me too! But I do have my tablet with me, so I can grab something that way. Or two somethings...
Posted by
OP
45 posts
Elizabeth and Jane, how do you handle the down payment part of it so that nobody grabs your financial info while you're booking? I'd thought about the possibility of booking for next year while on this year's tours, but what do you do about security? Thanks!
My son, who's up on this kind of thing, told me to check to see if Rick Steves' site is encrypted. It appears to be; there's a small padlock just in front of his site name when you get to the area where you would select a specific date for a tour. So it should be safe to sign up and make down payments on tours.
Posted by
Tennessee
384 posts
Please forgive my lack of tech savviness... Are you referring to concern that my credit card would be hacked if I was using public wifi? In my case, I was staying at a top notch B&B in England where I was comfortable I wouldn't be hacked. Re the security of accessing the Rick Steves website, I trusted it via my I-phone in the same way as I've been OK with paying the initial tour deposit using my laptop at home.
And, to be honest, I wanted so much to book the tour immediately I doubt I was really thinking about security. That Best of Greece tour was originally planned for May 2020 to celebrate my retirement. I'm now 3 weeks away from actually beginning the same tour.
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8423 posts
nwcoyote, maybe your son can do it for you. The RS folks are pretty used to dealing with stuff like that.