Anyone ever repeat a tour?

Charles, we've repeated two. We did the Best of Sicily some years ago - 2014, I think, and enjoyed it very much. We did say afterward that we would have preferred a somewhat different itinerary. Well, as it happened, the very next year they did a Best of Sicily that pretty much followed our fantasy itinerary, so we took it again, and enjoyed it, as well.

In 2011 we did the 21 Day Best of Europe. When we were faced with a milestone anniversary in 2018, my DH said he'd like to celebrate by redoing that tour. We did, and had a wonderful time.

So go for it! You'll enjoy things more the second time. You will have more insight the second time, and if you have a different guide he or she will emphasize different things and have different bonus or optional excursions.

I would like to repeat R.S. tour. But there are still so many I haven't done.

I wonder if doing the same trip, one year right after another might be too close? It is really up to you and if this is the only thing that makes sense to you, why not?

Have you also looked at the Switzerland tours?

I haven’t repeated a tour myself, as there are so many countries I have yet to visit. However, if you want to practice your German further, consider the Munich-Salzburg-Vienna tour. I took that one a few years ago and loved it. I added additional days before in Munich and afterwards in Vienna. I was traveling solo that trip, and found the extra days on my own were easy to fill.

If there are several places missed, then why not do it again as a DIY? Cities will be familiar, language is better than many have and plenty of resources to help you with fine tuning logistics.

We didn’t repeat a tour, but we have been to almost every location again that was in our RS Best of Italy tour itinerary. I agree with you that there’s so much to see at the locations he picks for the tours!

If you want to repeat the tour, do it! If it was me, I might consider flying into Germany and spending a week by myself at 2-3 locations before joining the Berlin (& Dresden), Prague, Vienna RS tour.

I’ve not repeated ~yet~, lol but I’ve considered it!

I’d also suggest looking at Road Scholar tours if you haven’t already. They are my back up company to Rick and I will use them if they have an itinerary Rick doesn’t offer. I’ve found the guides are as educated and proficient as Rick’s are and they are similar in that they list exactly what you will see - no surprises like some companies. Also tips are included as with Rick’s programs.

www.roadscholar.org

I’m a veteran of 14 of Rick’s tours. Over the years I’ve done Best of Paris (2000, 2005), Best of Rome (2001, 2008) and Best of Florence (2002, 2006 - no longer available) twice. The second trips were extended by substantial independent travel and all were done at Christmas. Ho, Ho, Ho! In 2017 I took the Best of Sicily tour and wouldn’t hesitate to repeat it.

If you want to do a tour again, by all means do it.

But as was stated earlier, why not do it yoursellf? You can customize it anyway you want rather than go back to all of the same places.

I have taken RS tours that overlapped portions of previous tours taken. While it is nice to go back to revisit some of the places (restaurants where you had an amazing meal for example) as part of another tour, I don't think I would take the same tour again unless there were major changes to the stops and sights seen. There are just too many places out there I have not yet been I still want to see!

I would go back, and have done so, to places I toured that I just felt I did not get enough of. But not as part of a tour rather on my own. I like taking the tours so I become acquainted with a place and feel comfortable knowing I can ride the pubic transit and can order a meal in a restaurant so that I enjoy the revisits on my own at my own pace even more.

Loved the 2015 My Way Italy so much that I went back in 2017 by myself and took a couple
family members with me so I played the tour guide. It was great to share those cherished memories
with my sister and her husband. Also great to know how to get around a bit the second time. If you
love it, go back.

I have taken the Venice, Florence, Rome tour twice. I am about to repeat the Munich, Salzburg, Vienna tour this year, and I most likely will take the My Way Alpine at least twice. Small tweaks to tours make them different as does travelling at different times of the year.

You may find yourself enjoying a repeat experience in a different way. Maybe you have learned something in the interim that will have given you a different perspective. OR, you can opt out of some scheduled activities for something calling to you on your own.

The Alps call to me so I return there regardless of a tour, sometimes pre or post tour. I have never been on BOG. Must give that some thought.

Enjoy. Debbie

I haven’t repeated a RS tour yet. We are taking our 6th and 7th next month. I have taken both ireland tours and have repeated cities that I have been before ie london, Paris, Edinburgh, Florence, Rome in other tours or on our own. One of my favorites was the holland and Belgium tour in 2016. We are wanting to do the scandinavia tour in 2020 and trying to think of a way to get back to Bruges.

I am jealous of the people who have done the week tour of Florence. That is one of my favorite cities in Italy. If they ever resurrect it!!!!! I will jump on it. Hint hint RS office. 😊

kim, some years ago one of the RS guides told us that after the Best of Florence was cancelled, she suggested a Florence-Sienna-Lucca (I think) tour. And word is out there's a new Tuscany tour next year.... Hmmm....

Would you consider going back on your own to the places you first saw on the tour and now want to repeat? Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, etc are all easy to navigate on your own, and the German train system can easily get you to many interesting places. You could also consider renting a car to drive to some other areas not as easily reached by train -- I did that a number of years ago on my own and was able to see lots of interesting towns that would have been more difficult to get to otherwise. The German roads are easy to drive and with a good navigation app you can get around pretty easily and independently. Also I find that when I travel on my own I find that it's often easier to talk to other travelers or locals when you are on your own as opposed to with a group of people, and that has been some of the most memorable moments for me. And with your German language skills, that would make it an even better experience. Use the guidebooks and travel websites to figure out what you want to see -- besides the terrific places that you saw on that Best of Germany tour (I took it as well), there are lots of interesting other places to see all over Germany. And with a car you could even make side trips to Austria, for example, which is amazingly beautiful. I'm a big proponent of solo travel if you can't find a tour you like or people to travel with -- go for it!!