My husband and I are considering The Europe Family Tour experience 2020 that includes London, Paris, etc because it covers more of what we want to do and go. I really love the itinerary and what cities and experiences it covers that I haven’t found when comparing with other tours.However, we don’t have kids. Can anyone suggest if we would still get a lot out of this type of trip since it’s more geared towards families/kids?
Posted by
North Carolina
2492 posts
This might be a good question to ask the Rick Steves folks directly - contact info is on the blue bar at the bottom of the page.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14723 posts
I thought I'd give this a bump to the front page so perhaps someone who has taken the Family trip will see it and respond.
I saw your other thread with this question and agree it might be a good idea to call the RS office. The Family tours do have a RS guide and a tour assistant so in theory they are able to break up the group and take the kids to do one activity and the adults to do another. I have not done a family tour so don't know if this is actually how it works.
I agree it is a good itinerary. I have not taken this particular tour but I have done the 21 day Best of Europe tour plus many more. For myself, this would not be my favorite situation but it might work for you. I do remember a report from a young adult a few years ago who had done this tour solo. He'd just graduated college and this tour time frame worked well and if I recall he had a wonderful time.
You ~could~ also consider doing the regular 14 day tour and adding independent time in London ahead of the tour. I'd want 4 nights in London, then take the Eurostar to Paris the day before the tour starts for an extra night in Paris. I am very risk averse when it comes to being in place for a tour start and want to be in place the night before. London is pretty easy to do on your own as there is no (or, laughing not much) language barrier.
To me, 2 nights in London and 2 nights in Paris is not enough in any event. I've done RS tours that had that amount of time in each city and extended time in both.
Of course, I am retired so may have more time available than you if you are still working!
Whatever you choose, I'm sure you'll have fun. My guide from the 21 day Best of Europe, Dimitri, used to do some of the departures for this tour and he was wonderful. Really, such an awesome guide!
editing to add: LOL, Inbsig beat me to it!
Posted by
Folsom
2732 posts
You’ve got a couple of long bus rides on this tour. I actually enjoy those days for the quiet time-journal, snooze, watch the scenery. I’m not sure it would be that way with the kids on board.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
I took my daughter on a RS family tour some years ago .
Of course it was all families of various sizes and ages ( grandparents taking grand kids younger families , aunt with niece etc )
However we had one single man on the trip !
He was 26 and had just finished getting his masters - so his grandmother wanted to give him a tour as a gift - however by the time she went to book , limited by the dates of him finishing school and then starting his job / the only tour that fit was our family tour .
So she booked it !
He had a great time !
Most of adults hung out with other adults at meal times ( especially at the dinners ) as kids frequently wanted to either sit with their new friends at spectate tables or at one end of a long table .
After dinner kids often hung out in hotel lobby or in a few places that had a yard ( place in Austria had a yard and trampoline , place outside Florence had a pool ) and parents sat in lounge or at bar , or just outside at tables watching kids and having a nightcap with other adults .
Also the kids all invariably wanted to sit at the back of the bus ( apparently still the cool place to sit ) so I usually had time to myself on bus !
The tour itself is absolutely suitable for adults - I have been to Louvre at least 5-6 times before the tour - I was going to jam out on going with group - but daughter still wanted to hang with group - so I went along on “ child friendly tour “ of Louvre - it was excellent ( guide was Paris Walks , and was highly knowledgeable) - I learned more I didn’t know ( and I had been in private day long tour once before !
Although the tour is aimed for families - there is nothing babyish about it - I can’t compare it to other Rs tours - but it really seems like a tour anyone would enjoy .
We had a lot of kids on our tour - but they were all “ no grump “ kids - no squabbling - interested in most stuff .
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you all! This info helps a lot!