Is this my last Rick Steves Tour?

" I miss having the guide help with end of tour transport."

If your guide isn't doing that be sure to let the RS office know in your tour feedback; even better would be a direct message once you're home. The itinerary section for every RS tour says the guide helps out. It sounds like you're on the Sicily tour and it says

Breakfast is provided, but there are no group activities today. It's a breeze to reach Catania's airport by taxi or shuttle bus. Your guide will help you with any post-tour planning, leaving you well prepared for the road ahead.

I certainly understand about your nutrition comment. I am a vegetarian and when I went on this tour (which I loved BTW, as I had the wonderful Alfio as our guide) I ended up being served an omelet for several days in a row for my secondi course where you usually get meat. I finally just told the guide they could skip that course or give me a cheese plate or something. I love omelets, but I don't usually have one more than every month or so. I thought the use of Whats App would be an improvement, but sounds like it got irritating. What sort of announcements were you being sent.

I suspect the tour office may be aware of some issues with the Sicily Tour. They are still fine-tuning the itinerary for 2027 and have not posted those tours yet. So, hopefully it is just an issue with this particular tour.

Sometimes it is worth trying something different to see if you like it better. Last year, I took a small group tour in Japan and really enjoyed a group of 14 as compared with a group of 28. I am trying two different tour companies (Road Scholar and Seymour Travels) this year to see what I think. I also think that sometimes a particular tour just isn’t your favorite. I didn’t love the RS Portugal tour in 2022 but I really enjoyed the Ireland tour in 2025.

In general, I have been satisfied with the RS tours but I do think the tours that I took in the 90s and early 2000s had better meals while the tours I have taken more recently have had nicer hotels. I’ve noticed that there are more travelers who have dietary restrictions or preferences (e.g., don’t eat fish) and I suspect the meals have become more basic to cater to this. In the early tours that I took, there was no choice of meals and they were often served family style. The last couple tours have typically had 2 or 3 set menus for participants to choose from. I generally find the meals to be fine but usually my best meals are ones I have on my own time.

I’m surprised that nutrition and protein has been an issue in Sicily. I took the tour 20 years ago and there was a good amount of fresh vegetables and seafood in the meals.

When you say you miss the ”old ways”, what specifically has changed? My tour last year did not use Whatsapp although I’ve used it with other companies and appreciated having it. Are they still posting the daily schedule?

I’d definitely list your specific concerns on the evaluation.

It sounds like you've come to a crossroads and maybe as your needs/wants change, so do your plans. What about considering a My Way tour?

We've been going on RS tours for a decade and have never had a mid tour survey. If I had a real concern, I'd just talk to the tour guide.

As for diets, we are fortunate to not have any specific dietary concerns, so we just can roll with whatever is available on the group dinners. The breakfasts have always had a wide variety of options. But, I have to say that it could also depend on where you are traveling. Maybe Sicily is carb heavy, but we've been to Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland and now Switzerland. They've been really protein heavy. So probably more problematic for vegetarians.

I don't think this is a function of RS Tours diminishing. This is one organization that doesn't rest on laurels but is striving to balance quality and value in the face of changing travel dynamics.

When I was a Financial Planner I encouraged my clients to travel in their 50's, 60's 70's. These are the go go years. Then it becomes slow go. Eventually No go. It's natural. How fast slow go and no go happen is a function of physical and mental health as well as attitude. I observe attitude and gratitude are the biggest drivers of successful aging.

As life changes, things become more acceptable or non acceptable. Managing expectations comes into play. Leaning in at a restuarant and asking for something you need rather than hope they can read your mind. Technology is here to stay and What's App is a gamechanger for communication. How one embraces technology is another part of aging. The bus rides have to be broken up with breaks. Those breaks are fabulous looks into fellow travelers.

Look for the positive and control what you can control. Also, others that may be sharing your view will end up creating more of a self fulfilling prophecy. Your other tourmates will notice and you all will become THAT person.

Last year when I finished Paris and the Heart of France, I thought that would be my last RS organized tour (I've only taken two, but loved them). I am happy traveling solo, but sometimes I want the advantages of a tour. I was tired by the last couple of days. Much to my surprise I signed up for the 14 day Ireland trip in 2026, which I had heard was wonderful, but tiring. Feeling tired this spring, LOL, I wonder if I was nuts. However, I need to figure out all this Irish DNA that I, surprisingly, have. I've already accepted that I will turn it into a My Way Tour if I have to do so. I know my PHOF had quite a few people my age on the tour so I'm not an aged one, but perhaps toward the top now...as Mo R says (and Azul): towards the end of GoGo years, but with plenty of slow go left in me. LOL. Had RS had their new My Way Ireland tour this year, instead of 2027, I would have taken that.
--Food: Greece was not good. France was wonderful. I don't think of the Ireland as having particularly good/healthy food, but I shall see.
--Strenuous: I need to double my 7-11K step daily activity, which should be fine with the good weather coming. What I really think is tiring for me is the 7 AM breakfast for my non-morning natural circadian rhythm.
.. So this is likely the last of my group tours, but only because I think I will be aging out for the ones I'm interested in. It's not due to poor quality, but due to speed and my interest in going more slowly in the places I enjoy the most. I have no interest in any other company's tours.

I hope it's not your last RS tour. I always enjoy your takes and insights.

I'm a little concerned that I too will come to a point that the allure is diminished because of changes in my temperament, tolerance or age. There is still so much to see in Europe (as well as the world beyond) but there are other ways to travel -- so there are always tradeoffs and choices. Most of my European trips have been without Rick Steves tours but the value I get out of his curated experiences and his outstanding guides always has me looking forward to selecting a new tour even if I have traveled to the country before.

Either way I hope you keep having great adventures.

Happy travels.

I think that for me it was less that the tours changed and more that I changed. I loved my first two RS tours (BOE21 in 2014 and BOEE in 2018). And I was so excited about the Village Italy tour I took in 2024. I’m still trying to figure out exactly why that tour was only “okay” for me, and left me debating whether or not to sign up for a 4th tour.

The group meals on the Village Italy tour were by far the best of any of my RS tours. The weather couldn’t have been better. Our tour leader had fantastic restaurant suggestions and was very helpful. We loved the places we visited…..

But I do think as I’m getting older and finally feeling a little more financially independent (college tuition paid in full, retirement accounts in pretty good shape—phew!) my standards have changed a bit. I still follow Ricks philosophy of finding small centrally located hotels, but I’m finding nicer ones these days. A number of the rooms on our Village Italy tour were only okay; one was outright lousy. And I think that matters to me more than it used to.

Also for some reason the third tour group just didn’t gel the way the first 2 did. Our amazing tour mates were such a bonus on our first two tours. Like the OP, our leader didn’t do a halfway evaluation. And didn’t do the name game or active team building with us. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered….maybe it was just the make up of the group (which is certainly not anything RS can do anything about).

Last year we traveled independently, mostly by train, throughout Ireland.An Irish tour agent helped us customize our itinerary, hotels, and arranged for a couple of guides/drivers along the way. It was a great trip. Pretty much all the pluses of a RS tour…and much nicer accommodations. I did really love the hotels, and snuggling up in a warm robe with a cup of tea in a pleasant room at the end of a long wet day.

I’m trying a different small group tour company this summer. It will be an interesting experiment. I haven’t totally ruled out future RS tours….but I may have changed enough that they just aren’t as good a fit for me anymore.

It sounds like your travel priorities are shifting toward more comfort and better control over your meals. There's no harm in outgrowing a specific tour style. Sometimes a 'my way' approach or a different company better matches the pace you want now.

These are thought provoking observations by the OP and responders. The world keeps changing, along with technology and people's norms. We've taken several RS tours and enjoyed them all, but we break them up with independent travel in between. I think if we did an RS tour each year, some of the things we don't love about group tours would be harder to ignore.

And I love the characterization of go go, transitioning to slow go as we age. Truth. I believe the RS tour planners, and RS guides in general, are trying to determine the average travel stage of their group and trying to hit the sweet spot. You may want to move to My Way tours, or realize you have aged out of this style of travel and move on to a different company. All good - no company can be all things to all people. I don't want RS tours to lose their focus on independent, active travel.

By adding two new My Way tours RS is keeping us around a little longer. My husband just hit the 80 mark and the pace a of a traditional tour is getting to be too much for him, especially as most of our trips are in the 27 day range. We’re doing My Way France and Best of Switzerland the end of May. I am hoping we can do the longer Scotland tour next year, but that may be the last fully guided one for us. We’ve done river cruises and they’re OK but not as immersive as we prefer and he can’t fold into a passenger van (not fair to always ask for the front seat), so that really isn’t an option. I do think trying to keep the cost down has impacted some of the decisions about hotels and meals. One recent guide remarked that it was getting harder to find independent hotels centrally located because they were being bought up by larger entities. Just today our plumber, whose family still lives in Romania, was talking about how expensive Romania has gotten and hotel prices there are crazy.

For lack of a better term, we’ve aged out of RS tours. We’ve done many, loved them all, some more than others as would be expected. But, now in our mid to late 70’s, and fortunately able to afford more when we travel, we’ve moved on. We like group tours, but the company we travel with now provides: 1) private transport to and from the airport, 2) 4 and 5 star hotels with concierge service, many with pools and spa’s, 3) terrific food, drinks included, When your bags are loaded at the airport other than packing up when you move to another hotel, you never touch them again. When you return from your departing breakfast they’ve been taken away and you see them next in your new room. Our aching backs appreciate that. The cost is significantly more than RS but at this stage in our lives we find it money well spent. The guides have been very good for the most part, but none superior to the ones we had with RSE.

Each year I feel more aging issues beginning and wonder if it's my last tour or if it's my last trip. Last year on the South of England tour, I felt I lagged behind the group a little more than the previous year's Village Italy. I used SoE as test: could I easily keep up with the group AND stay focused. The answer was "maybe".

This year is another test. No tour but three weeks solo and independently. I've added four to nine days independent travel before and after each tour for the past four years but now I need to concentrate more on what I am doing and where I'm going. I'll see how I do and let you know in September's trip report.

If all goes well, My Way England looks promising and Scandinavia Capitals has quite a bit of free time to reenergize, plus I’d love to return to Denmark and Sweden after 58 years. I'm not signing up for either yet. Late September when I get home may be too late for warm dates and solo rooms. I can't get enthused about a cruise so that's out for now.

I have no complaints about guides on RS tours. They all have been helpful and knowledgeable. Tour mates for the most part have been very friendly and inclusive. I've never thought the food exceptional but it's indicative of the regions so few complaints; there is always something to eat. I'm not a foodie. The hotels are usually better than the monasteries I stay in on my own, although I do like elevators.

Full disclosure: I have never been on an RS tour or any other group tour.

However, after reading all the posts, there seems to be a common theme, especially tours in Italy. It should be noted that protein is expensive and the goal of all tour operators is to make as much profit as possible. So, providing a filling meal like pasta, pizza and other starch heavy meals are usually a less expensive cost and invites a better margin for the tour operator.

I know from speaking with friends who have traveled on Tauck for instance, they enjoyed better meal experiences, but the cost of a Tauck tour is much higher than most other group tours.

I think if I were to do a group tour, if possible, I would prefer dining at a local restaurant of my choosing versus a selected place the tour has already reserved. I would assume a restaurant cooking for 20-25 people or more goes into catering mode in the kitchen. It sounds like there are some exceptions, but I would assume off the regular menu meals are rarely prepared.

Carol now retired I appreciate your thoughtful insights about your current tour. Many comments I would have offered have been made already, but I'll just second the notion that sometimes a tour just doesn't gel the way you might hope. You may find that after you get home and reflect on the entire experience, you may have a different feeling (or the same). Regardless, feel the feels, they're yours! And plenty of other ways to experience travel besides a specific group tour.

FWIW, I've done 5 RS tours and don't recall ever having a mid-tour survey, though my first tour was in 2006 so my memory may not be reliable. Re: the food, I'll agree that has been the biggest quality variable on all 5. In Ireland, our guide didn't have very adventurous taste and so our choices were often the same things at every group meal. In Turkey we would joke about whether we would get the choice of kebab or kebab. In Spain the group meals were all quite good. I think there is an inherent challenge feeding a large-ish group so that all are satisfied with the choices. I started packing protein bars and packaged nuts just in case.

It is ok to make other choices. I have honestly had the opposite experiences. On the last two trips we went on Heart of Ireland 2024 and Heart of Spain 2025 we thought the hotels and food were better than what we had in the past.
Especially on the Ireland tour we had some tour members that probably should not have been on the tour. It was hard for them to keep up. I understand wanting to go but I felt bad for them and in some cases it did hold up the group.

Traveling on your own using the books can be a way to keep on traveling with Rick

I agree with Threadwear, we took a Tauck tour years ago so my 72 year old at the time MIL could see her mother’s homeland, Switzerland. No bags to carry, dropped off right in front of your beautiful hotel, wonderful meals included, the tour guide was exceptional and the itinerary strictly followed and pretty amazing. The furthest we walked was up the short incline to Gruyère so there really wasn’t a problem for all 40 people to keep up. Our travel agent at the time (yes, that was years ago) knowing the age of my MIL, recommended Tauck and she was right on. It was a trip that created very special memories that meant a lot to her during the last years of her life.

We've been on two RS tours now. Both were excellent. The hotels were better than expected, and better than we would have paid for on our own. Food was great, always had vegetarian options. Thanks to our tour guide, we learned a lot more than we would have on our own. Our fellow tour mates were all friendly and nice.

On each tour, there were events that we didn't participate in. Some because we didn't want a lot of walking. There was no problem at all declining those events. Of course we do have a responsibility to tell the tour guide and our "buddies". There was no pressure at all. Then we would enjoy walking around whatever town we were in. On a couple of occasions, a few of us would just wait on the bus while the rest hiked to something, no problem.

We appreciate that the RS tour descriptions tell how much walking, and "activity level".

I suppose some day we will have more trouble moving our backpacks around, and/or have trouble walking longer distances, or other issues. We have a family poem that ends with: "growing old is chicken poop". At that time we may look for RS tours with "low activity". As we all age, RS will probably offer more tours geared for a slower pace, all hotels with elevators, etc...

For us, it's "so far, so good"...

”What’s App is a useful tool, but it is not always as convenient, particularly when it gets flooded with announcement after announcement.”

This is something that could be handled immediately. Ask the tour guide to make an announcement on the bus for individuals to send a WhatsApp only to the guide if there’s a question. I certainly wouldn’t want (& would eventually tune out) texts repeatedly saying, “I’m at this restaurant.”, etc. from a tour member, for instance. As someone who needs to put on my reading glasses to read my phone, I would stop looking at them except when expecting a text from the guide. That reminds me of a work situation where a guy overused WhatsApp, and the project team had to give him a reset on team expectations.

Protein: I bring a handful of individual servings of nuts - the Costco pack, and eat those whether traveling solo or with a tour, when I need some protein to avoid a headache. Carol, I did run into this when I was in Palermo for five days. I remember a FaceTime with my husband where I jokingly/half seriously said I looked up the address for the nearest McDonald’s. ; )

”Several of my tour mates find the longer distances between the bus drop off/pick up locations and the hotels problematic.”

This may be due to personal expectations & overpacking. They would definitely be complaining if traveling with me! I am often walking 15 minutes between a hotel and train station with my Cotopaxi. Maybe a solution for their issue is to look at the 1-3 cities RS tours where they’re not changing hotels as often.

Other tour companies are using What's App for communication too. It also lets tour friends communicate after the tour rather than exchanging email addresses. Technology waits for no one.

Jean, thanks for mentioning Whatsapp again. I'm an Android guy, but I can install a Whatsapp app. I didn't want it on my main phone, due to not wanting Whatsapp to have access to my whole contacts list. A privacy thing. But I did put it on my spare backup phone. Fortunately, I never had to use it, as our RS tour guide did not use it. I'm very grateful for that. Each morning we would all take a photo of the daily agenda, and that was all we needed. Periodically our guide would pass around the next day's agenda on the bus. No muss, no fuss. I can understand some of the group not wanting to have to figure all that Whatsapp stuff out. All that tech stuff is a big headache to some folks.

The provided meals have ranged from excellent to awful,

I've only been on one and the sample size is small and we loved it and hope to do another one day when the exchange rate is better (current exchange from Canadian to American is 1.40). The only thing I didn't love about the tour was the food and dining experience. I think I may have given it a 2 out of 5 on the survey. To be honest, food not a priority for me and it's something I do because I need to eat, but late evening meals that took hours and I was fit to be tied. I want to eat at 5:00, be done in 15 minutes and get back to exploring.

I am surprised about the negative comments regarding the Sicily tour. If/when we do another tour, it will likely be Siciliy. On our Loire to the South of France tour in 2019 our group included many RS veterans and everyone talked about the Sicily tour as being one of their favourites.

I don't think we'll ever be dedicated tour people, but we would like to mix some in once in awhile.

First of all. Thank you to all the kind forum members that posted their thoughts and encouragement. I do want to clarify a few things.

1. I don’t have any physical limitations that have interfered with me “keeping up.”
2. I have used What’s App when traveling for years. I have no problems with technology and using technology. I have simply felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of announcements.
3. I already travel in a variety of ways and have used other tour companies as well.

It may be that I have become just a little bit picky about things………

Ditto with the WhatsApp! On our 2023 trip the guide used that as a way of communicating with the group, but for whatever reason, my WhatsApp wouldn’t connect. He tried to figure it out but wasn’t ever able to make it work, so it left me out of the loop. It wasn’t a huge deal, but if it’s going to be a common way of communicating going forward I’ll have to figure out the problem.

It's interesting to think about. I've taken 3 RS tours and 2 of the MyWays, which I really appreciated. I was so happy to see more added, and signed up for Ireland right away! Maybe it's just group travel vs DIY at play.
Someone mentioned the group dinners and I agree totally- I find them interminable, struggle physically to eat that late and have a bunch of dietary restrictions as well. OTOH, other tours feature them, also. But since I have such limitations included meals isn't a benefit.
I think the MyWays are just a better fit for me now, for all the reasons you list. Having the transportation and hotels taken care of and someone at least knowing if I don't show up (solo female traveler) feels much safer. I like choosing sites and setting my own pace, too. And it's still under the Rick business "umbrella".
Edit: about WhatsApp. I really like it for travel. But on my non-Rick tour other members kept uploading their 100s of photos from the day. I couldn't turn off notifications because I didn't want to miss an actual piece of information from the guide ..

I have never been on a Rick Steves tour and only on one group tour. I have used his guide books to assist with planning. I appreciate his philosophy, but want more comforts and convenience than his hotels have/had. Did we miss out on some aspects of his experience? Likely but we enjoyed our trips.

Thirty years later our travel style has changed. More comfort, shorter day trip. A concession to our age.

So, if you change your travel style or company to meet your expectations you win and no one loses.

I am going on my 3rd Rick Steves tour this Summer. I have always traveled independently to Europe before. I am more comfortable, at my age and with the passing of my wife, traveling on a tour. What I wish Rick Steves tour did better is having the tour start and/or finish in a city that made connecting to a city with an airport easier. Some of his tours leave you in a city where getting to a departure city is challenging. I think some of the tour planners need to realize that not all of the tour members have their knowledge and experience. I have tried to convince friends to take some his tours, but almost everyone said that they were not comfortable getting to the start of the tour or getting back home from where the tour ended.

I have used What’s App when traveling for years. I have no problems with technology and using technology. I have simply felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of announcements.

Are there a large number of announcements from the guide or are they coming from other tour members? I’m just curious. If there are 28 people sending lots of messages, I can see how that would be a bit much.

Carol now Retired appreciate your thoughts. I have taken 3 RS tours, but find we prefer DIY travel. Last year, I successfully replicated the RS Andalucia tour in Spain independently. We went to all the same locations (with exception of Ubeda), but stayed longer as we like more than 2 night stays now that we are retired. We stayed longer, ate better meals and stayed at nicer hotels, while using private guides and drivers. Our trip was 5 days longer than the current Andalucia tour. And hundreds of dollars cheaper! I kept track of expenses on the travelspend app so I could compare.
For us, tour mates who can’t keep up, are just “odd” and other unknowns are what discourage us from organized tours.

There is nothing wrong with looking at other tour companies. Many offer a lot of what RS offers and more.

Odysseys Unlimited, Road Scholar, and Insight are just some example of tour companies that offer small group tours with no tipping (except to the tour director.) But most have luggage handling, better hotels, better meals, and more.

And as we get older, sometimes those "luxuries" make touring easier.

The nutrition piece is a big one. For travelers who want to experience the regional cuisines but through a healthier experience, it can be tough. Most restaurants here in the States and abroad use a heavy hand when it comes to butter and oil. Vegetable-forward dishes are nearly absent from the group dinners unless you explicitly arrange with your guide well ahead of time. The breakfasts are egg/cheese/meat/pastry-heavy at hotels - there is fruit but it's not particularly nutrient dense. Essentially, finding cholesterol-free protein sources and nutrient-dense food is on you the traveler. The local grocer/co-op will be your friend. Consider bringing some ziplock or silicone storage bags to keep supplemental food on hand. If you are a meat eater and just looking for more protein, you'll probably need to target it with your free time meals. If you're vegetarian and don't just want a bunch of eggs and cheese or you are vegan, then for sure tell RS Tours ahead of time but also be prepared to source food on your own from time to time depending on the regions you visit. As a very limited pescatarian but mostly wfpb at home, I opt for dairy-free meals, sampling a bite or two of whatever meat/cheese is on offer, and keeping a small tote of fresh produce and plant based protein on hand. It's extra effort but I enjoy myself with a smidge of iconic local cuisine while staying the course health-wise. I have also found that many chefs are excited to creatively meet my dietary needs if I request in advance and provide some guidance.
I'm going on my first My Way tour this year...Italy...and have already plotted restaurants and co-ops on my Google Maps to give me flex. Very much looking forward to it!

Thanks so much for voicing your concerns about the last RS tour and giving us some things to mull over. I always enjoy reading about others' tour experiences, and end up thinking, 'nope, not for me' (yet, but that might change.)

The provided meals have ranged from excellent to awful. In Sicily?! Most Italians wouldn't have stood it for a single meal! My Italian uncle once sent back an inferior olive oil to the kitchen, saying, 'I'm Italian, what are you doing??" She apologized and brought a much better quality to us. Hahaha. I would speak with the tour leader about the cuisine & lack of protein. I hope you can enjoy the rest of your tour & thanks for the thread, it's always good to hear from you.

This is a very interesting topic. The RS guidebooks, TV shows, website, and this forum have shaped all of our trips, and I’ve always assumed a Rick Steves tour would be in my future. But joint pain/mobility issues over the past year have me wondering if I could keep up. About 80% of the time I’d be fine, but if I had a flare up during a tour, I would miss out. And I really prefer hotels with elevators. Time will tell—there are a few tours I’d really love to do, but at least one of them is strenuous (Istanbul).

I'm wondering if the meals on a tour are not very good or contain too much starch/carbs then how hard is it to just take a pass on them and go to places of your own choosing (as assisted by the guide book, Yelp or other sources) with menu choices/quality that you'd like? I could see if meals become a problem telling the guide in advance that we'll pass on a certain meal, ask others from the group if they're interested and then go on to a hopefully better establishment to enjoy lunch or dinner. We will be doing our first RSE tour in 2027 so I'm curious what veteran RSE travelers think about this?

Also, how far in advance do you find out what restaurant(s) you are going to on a certain day and what the menu selections are? Are you only notified the same day or is there notice several days in advance?

If the RSE tours are similar to the other companies I’ve been with, and I expect they are in this respect, it’s not a problem to skip a group meal although you should tell the guide as far in advance as possible so that food isn’t wasted and they don’t go looking for you when you don’t show up. But most tour members won’t be interested in paying for another meal in place of the one they already bought — they’ll save the individual culinary exploration for the “meals on your own”. And sometimes, such as when you’re on the road in the bus and stop for an included lunch, you won’t be in a place where a good substitute meal is easily procured. Or you can skip a course, such as go for a walk instead of dessert, at the included meal — although I’m one of those people who tends to eat what’s put in front of me even if I shouldn’t!

I skip meals often. I’m right in the middle of 3 back-to-back tours - one was a Rick Steves tour and two are Road Scholar.

This is Spain - where meals are routinely late, starting after 8 and returning to the hotel after 10.

I skipped whenever I didn’t want to be up that late eating - it makes it hard for me to sleep and gives me a stomach ache.

I always alerted my guides in advance. One of my guides told me “It’s your vacation - enjoy it the way you want to”.

Paying for an extra meal at an hour I like is just part of the deal to make it a happy vacation for me:)

I've been on 14 RS tours.
I think meals on tour are mostly quite good, though there is the occasional sub par meal. In recent years, many restaurants are asking for choices a couple of days in advance, so the guide will send around a list of the choices for people to initial. Most restaurants have 3 choices.
In addition, there are less group meals included in the tours now. I think the itinerary used to say 1/2 of the meals, now each tour seems to have a number.

@ Liz
On the Sicily tour there were no individual choices or options offered on any of the included meals with the exception of one lunch that was served cafeteria style in Agrigento. For that meal, the first 20 people got a variety of choices. Then they started running out of food. The last 8 tour members had fewer and fewer choices until the last two or three ended up with a small portion of the two plates of food still available. Good thing I like Spinach because that was one thing most of the people turned down and was left near the end. No hope for chicken for us!

I have found the topic and comments very interesting. This may be my last RS tour (it is our sixth). I am 83 and in decent shape but I am concerned about my wife keeping up with group. At 76 and a bad hip slows her down. I wasn’t going to book a trip this year (we are doing Loire and southern France). But she said she would be OK. Next year will be different as I was looking a barge trips on European canals. A little less changing hotels and a little less excursions. Oh well…….hope you all the best

Carol NR
Wow, that's really bad! How could they not have enough food for a group they knew was coming?

I did the Sicily tour in 2018, and recall that being a good tour with good included meals.

On the Sicily tour there were no individual choices or options offered
on any of the included meals with the exception of one lunch that was
served cafeteria style in Agrigento.

Am I understanding you correctly, that there was only one dish served- take it or leave it? I think you've talked me out of every taking this tour. I will absolutely not eat seafood of any kind. Even the smell of the most mild fish makes me gag. Was the menu of that evening's meal at least posted in advance?

On the Sicily tour there were no individual choices or options offered
on any of the included meals with the exception of one lunch that was
served cafeteria style in Agrigento.

This definitely seems out of character for RS tours, at least in my experience. I can think of the occasional group meal on the 5 tours I have done where there was only one choice, but there was never a situation where food ran out - that is simply poor planning or a serious communication breakdown between the tour office/guide and the restaurant. When food is such a big part of travel, I'm sure it is very disappointing and it is too bad this experience has soured your take on their tours. A robust tour eval is in order.

Don't worry Allan, it sounds like the odds of seeing protein at a meal might be nil.

We took the tour in 2019. There were always multiple options offered. I don't eat shellfish or crustaceans. If those were the main items offered, I'd ask for pasta norma or something similar and I was always accommodated. It helps to be in on the discussion between the RS guide and the restaurant. The restaurant always assumes you want the best local option.

I did OAT’s Sicily tour earlier this year, and honestly, in every respect — group size (maximum 16), hotels (excellent, with luggage service), food (can’t imagine any complaint with OAT about not enough varied food!), value for money (a single with airfare included, about the same as what RSE charges for a double on your own for all air arrangements), and length (OAT a bit longer) it was much better than what I’m hearing about the RSE tour. Itinerary similar, guides both good.

@stan. Things have changed in seven years…….

I don’t want to make it sound as if the tour was horrible. It wasn’t. There were a lot of great aspects. Interesting sites and a great guide. However, reality was that no menu choices were ever offered on included lunch and dinners except for disastrous lunch at cafeteria. There was a fixed menu established by guide and restaurant. You ate what was served or simply skipped that course. Protein was extremely hard to come by. I will say that great effort was made to accommodate those with dietary restrictions (gluten free, vegetarian, lactose intolerant) and no effort was made to accommodate nondrinkers most of the time.

There is a Sicily tour that starts every two days. One group leaves a hotel and the next group moves in. It is very a very well organized set of logistics by the company. Perhaps this has made things a bit less individualized than previously.

”However, reality was that no menu choices were ever offered on included lunch and dinners except for disastrous lunch at cafeteria”

Carol, that is so sad! I remember you took the RS Adriatic tour shortly before I went in 2023 - my most recent RS tour. Miriam, my guide, handed out a piece of paper during the bus rides where we were to initial which of the main dishes and I also think the dessert choice that we wanted at the upcoming group meal. I remember all of those meals being very nice!

Hopefully the RS Prague/Budapest meals will be similar to the Adriatic experience.

I will say that great effort was made to accommodate those with dietary restrictions (glutton free, vegetarian, lactose intolerant)

I didn't know "Glutton Free" was a thing. I would think it's just normal eating. (LOL)

Frank, thanks for pointing this out. I’ve gone back and edited….

This is just curiosity, and an interest in food, on my part, but can I ask what meals you have been served?
I think traditionally Sicilian food is very vegetable based with some fish. It’s not going to be as protein focused as you find elsewhere. That might be part of the problem, as well as keeping costs down.

With the cafeteria were they expecting a group to arrive? If they weren’t that could definitely cause issues. Or could it be different expectations in portion size. Portions are bigger in the US so planned Sicilian portions could run out quicker if people ask for more than expected.

I think it is pretty inexcusable to only offer one option especially for a main meal. Only having wine and no soft drinks is odd and should be something that the guide could easily sort out. It seems like someone is definitely taking cost cutting too far.

I recently returned from a RS Best of Ireland tour. At every group meal we had a choice of three main courses and even choices for desserts! I am sorry to hear of the lack of choice on this Best of Sicily tour. Just wanted to chime in that, at least for the tours of Ireland (I have also taken the Heart of Ireland tour and am considering the My Way Ireland tour) there were plenty of food choices. I hope this doesn't put you off other RS tours. This one seems to be an exception. I cannot recall you ever complaining about things in the past so I'm taking your comments seriously.
Wishing you better food on all travels in the future!

Traveler Girl

We are taking this tour in 3 weeks so I have been following this thread closely. I wonder if it’s guide’s discretion on how the meals are structured. Our first RS tour (Heart of Italy) there were no menu choices. Our second (Heart of Portugal), we were handed a sheet at the group meeting and we circled our meal choices. When I remarked we weren’t offered choices previously, several tour members commented that they always were offered a choice on every RS tour they had been on predating our first trip.

I wonder if the tour has changed significantly since my husband and I took it in 2019: the food was fantastic.

It sounds like the guide wasn't on the ball with the last part of the tour, maybe because of the change from one night to two nights in Catania? I can't imagine a RS guide that doesn't meet with every tour member to check on post-tour activities. That's been a hallmark. (In 6 tours we have had only one guide that was not top notch.). I wonder who your guide was? We had Stephanie (Bergman?) and she was great.

Parts of Caroline's tour definitely sound off, not sure where the fault lies.

My Greece trip this year went pretty much to form for RS tours. We got a mid-tour survey, and our guide spent time organizing tour end transport. Meals always had choices, but Greek food customs probably helped, as most meals are served family style with lots of dishes in generous amounts.

Ordering food solo outside of the tour always ended up in too much food! Every salad I ordered came in a large bowl with enough for 3-4 people.

On the Festival of Tours program a little over a week ago they said they hadn’t yet posted the Sicily tour and hoped to have it in a few weeks, because they were still working things out to give a good experience. So perhaps they are aware of these new issues with the Sicily tour.

Since then the tour has been posted.

Barbara N, 2027 Sicily tours are now open. I got an email from RS Tours a couple days ago and just checked; dates are open.
Oops! I see your update.

Thanks Horsewoofie—I changed my post again to be more accurate.

@Emma
The cafeteria was expecting our group of 28 to arrive and cooked those dishes especially for us. Team members did not serve themselves, their plates were filled by the waitress.

The cafeteria made no effort to find additional food for the last people! No leftover lasagna in a baking pan? Or sardines in a salad? Incredible.

These experiences would dampen my enthusiasm, too, especially at the prices this costs.

We traveled to the Italian Lakes last summer with a well-reputed French company that I found so-so.

When the company brochure arrived this week, it went straight into the garbage, still in the wrapper. The customer has to be satisfied.

On my first trip to Europe decades ago, I was on a tour--not Rick Steves--where an included dinner was at a Wine Garden outside of Vienna. They laid out a big spread of food and it was "help yourself." Well, a few of the tour members truly helped themselves. So much so there was hardly anything left for the last few people.

The gluttons realized this and did stop long enough between mouthfuls to say sorry.

No extra food was brought out.

Like Slate, I also did a tour to Sicily with OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel), in fall of 2024. It was our first time with them, after having done multiple tours with Tauck. We love Tauck and found them to be top-notch, but sometimes more top-notch than we needed. We don't really need a 5-star hotel when we're out and about most of the day. OAT used 4-star hotels with American-queen-sized beds (important since my husband is very tall) and elevators. The meals were fine but not as fancy as Tauck's. The group size (16) was fabulous. (Tauck's are ~24 or 40 depending on whether you choose "small groups," which of course cost a bit more.) But for a similar itinerary, the OAT tour was about HALF the price of Tauck's.

So what I'm driving at is that I think OAT is a good choice for people who are ready to stop schlepping their own bags and want a few more comforts than a Rick Steves tour, but don't care to pony up for the much pricier experience that Tauck (and I'm sure others) provide.

(Full disclosure: I can't compare OAT to Rick Steves from firsthand experience because we are about to go on our first Rick Steves tours, Heart of Ireland and Heart of Scotland. We shall see whether they will be our last!)

I have never taken a RS tour, but never had a problem like that lunch with either Gate 1 or Globus. That is a severe test of the "no grumps" policy. If "Always Positive" Carol is unhappy, you know it's bad! The guide should have stopped somewhere and gotten some takeout for those who weren't fed properly. The RS organization should have requested a refund from that restaurant for the meals that were not provided.

Carol NR, I'm curious whether you have made any decisions, or if you are still thinking about it. I will be interested to know what your decision is, and of course I think that whatever you decide will be perfect for you.

It does make me think about choosing a tour, and how everyone's preferences are different. I've read a lot of reviews of tours, and how some people really like a small group of people, whereas others seem to enjoy the camaraderie of larger groups. Myself, I don't know, because I've never been on a group tour yet. However, I am seriously considering one for Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and/or Kazakhstan in 2027 if I wind up going there. Of course, there's not a whole lot of tour companies that go there, so my choices will be more limited.

I also wonder if you ever had a problem listening to the guide or hearing everything they said. I had a few issues with that in Romania with our private guide, mostly because I wear hearing aids and he had a strong accent. Sometimes I couldn't always make out what he was saying, especially if he started somewhat abruptly, so I didn't have a chance to prepare myself to listen (if you know what I mean). Added to that; I am much more of a visual learner than an auditory learner, so that always affects my comprehension.

Mardee, most group tour guides these days use “Whispers” or a similar device so they can speak in a conversational tone and the group can hear the guide easily at a distance through the earphones provided to them.

Carol nr,

Is this my last Rick Steves Tour?

You've taken several RS tours. It sounds like this tour is the only outlier, for you and several of your repeat tour mates.

Is your experienced guide new to the RS company? Did you address your meal concerns with your guide? How did they respond?

I would let the RS office know that this tour has serious issues regarding meals. This is unacceptable, especially in Italy. The food shortage is inexcusable.

Find out why these problems occur and then you can make a decision to continue with RS tours or move on. Maybe this trip was just an unfortunate fluke.

Slate, thanks! That's good to know.

Mardee - There are actually many tour companies that go to Central Asia. OAT, Gate One, Smithsonian Journeys, National Geographic, and Odysseys Unlimited all have tours there. A company run by two Rick Steves guides called Lyuba Tours offer trips there. I traveled there in 2016 with a college alumni association and they used a company called MIR - excellent. They specialize in that area of the world.

Have fun exploring the possibilities!

Renee, I have been researching them. So far I found OAT and Gate 1, which I already knew about, also Road Scholar, Wild Frontier, G- Adventures and Adventour. I'll check the other ones you mentioned, though. Thanks!

But I don't want to hijack Carol's thread, so I will start a thread of my own once I've had a chance to go through all the companies and ask about those. Planning is still in the very early stages.

Update:
I've been off tour for several days now and thinking this through. I am not completely ruling out another RS tour, but I will be a bit less likely to take one now. It would have to have just the exact itinerary I want or some other feature that is a strong pull. RS tours are usually a solid product and this may be an outlier or it may just be that I am changing and the way I like to travel is changing.

I have a few more tours scheduled with other companies this year. Baltics with Exodus Adventure Travel and Poland with Gate 1. I always have some independent travel time before and after tours as well. It will be interesting to see how I feel about the experiences with those companies vs. this last RS tour. I have had positive experiences with Gate 1 in the past, but I also had positive experiences with RS as well.

I'm looking forward to your Poland trip report when you take it. Thank you for updating us. I would have been really unhappy about the running out of food.

I am also looking forward to your Gate 1 Poland trip report. I keep looking at their Poland tour offering.

We took the RSE Sicily tour in 2022 with only 1 night in Catania. I would struggle with an extra day there - it was not my favorite place but we did enjoy a great last meal. We have been on 11 tours and rate Sicily as one of the best of RSE in terms of food. The lunch at Maria Grammatica’s was incredible as was the farm lunch in the barn - those were family/ buffet style - with plenty of choices. Maybe things have changed but we had choices for most meals. We did get a mid tour feedback request from our guide Don. We have typically got requests for feedback mid-tour for other RSE tours. We have also had help from guides on every tour coordinating post-tour transport. The guide would try to coordinate transport to the airport for those leaving at similar times. Maybe the guide is not meeting the typical RSE standard. I do worry that as RSE continues to grow, can they find enough quality guides? Many original RSE guides have moved on to start their own travel companies.

@ Denise. Our guide was experienced and had been with RS for many years. Overall, I think he did a good job. We did not have a farewell dinner. Instead we had lunch at a cooking school. I think things have changed, particularly as they try to expand Catania to 2 days. There were some excellent meals, it was just that there were also poor meals or meals with little to no protein options.

There was a farewell drinks reception instead of a dinner. I skipped it.

There was no farewell dinner? On a lengthy ~2 week tour? I can't comprehend that.

Carol NR, did anyone approach the guide regarding the limited food choices and quantity? Just wondering what his response was and if he could have done anything to remedy it. I had an issue with two consecutive horrible rooms on my Village Italy tour last year and I did complain to the guide. It was difficult because I kind of felt like the grump on a no grumps allowed tour, but she did her best to fix the situation.

We have our 10th RS tour coming up in late August. Looks like it will be our last just due to our age and air travel. The tours have not really changed as far as hotels, food, guides, etc. I think the tours mates have changed more than anything. More people on some sort of special way of eating, no this no that. Higher expectations for hotel rooms from tour mates and more expressions of political views from tour mates. Our age is the main reason for ending but also the unpleasant experience of air travel is another. I think the air travel is more challenging than the actual tours. We have truly enjoyed our RS tours and sad that they are coming to an end for us.

I approached the guide on three issues. 1) lack of alternative beverages for non-drinkers 2) notified him restaurant was running out of food to serve last of group in line, 3) concern about lack of significant protein choices.
1) He made more of an effort to see if there could be drink alternatives as the trip went on.
2) I don’t know if he took any action. I do know last people had very little on plates.
3) the menus were fixed and very pasta heavy. I’m not sure he could have changed anything. The Sicily tour operates a bit like a machine. Every hotel and restaurant cycles a tour group through every two days. That is the main reason for Catania being extended to 2 days. That way RS books the rooms for a continuous period of months. They were excellent at accommodating people that had dietary restrictions for health reasons, but little to no flexibility beyond that.

lack of alternative beverages for non-drinkers

It's that not always the case? On my France tour there was wine only and so I had water with all meals for the entire tour. I could have asked for something else but I would have had to pay for it, and it was suggested that could cause confusion when it came to the bill at the end.

I hope the Rick Steves' Tour Office is reading this post.

The more we learn about Carol's Best of Sicily Tour, the worse it sounds.

I can't imagine taking a tour to Italy and not having fantastic dining experiences every night. And non wine drinkers being told to drink water because anything else is too "complicated" is ridiculous.

This certainly doesn't sound like the Rick Steves' Tours I've been reading about on these forums for years.

On five tours, I have always had the option of a soft drink as an alternative to wine. Always. Noting that often, it was the restaurant offering a free glass of wine, not provided directly by the tour. The Sicily tour in 2019 was my favorite and the food and hotels above average. And I dont eat seafood, but was given other options. People have different experiences.

”There was a farewell drinks reception instead of a dinner. I skipped it.”

That shocks me since the farewell dinner has always been a crowning highlight of a wonderful time together!. I just viewed the on-line tour itinerary and both 2026 tours and 2027 ones state this, so it wasn’t a mistake by the guide: ”After some free time this afternoon, we'll regroup for a festive farewell aperitivo to say arrivederci and toast to new friends. Salute!”. (Even the 1-week Prague/Budapest has a farewell dinner.)

I had sent Carol a PM before her trip because I am looking for options instead of going independent back to southern Spain early in 2027. Whoa, didn’t expect all of this! : (

I recently returned from The Best of Ireland Tour, 14 days. Wine was provided at no charge at the farewell dinner. The other group dinners I could order wine or other drinks with alcohol and the wait staff provided a bill at the end of the meal. I almost always ordered a soft drink which I also paid for at the end of the meal. It was the same scheme when I took the Heart of Ireland tour, 7 or 8 days in 2024. Every group meal had options for food and drink. Not sure I would be as happy with another way and didn't realize all tours weren't set up this way. I think before I sign up for another, and I am considering two for next year, I'd better ask some questions. I can live with another scheme but I'd like to know about it in advance. Thank you, Carol and others for sharing your experiences.

I’m shocked to read this post about a Rick Steves tour. I just returned from the Best of Tuscany tour and all our meals were delicious and with plentiful portions. We had a farewell dinner as stated in the tour documents.
I have been on 15 tours now and the food never ran out and it was clearly stated when you needed to pay for your own wine.

Truly this must have been an outlier of a tour experience. I hope the OP has contacted the RS office to share her concerns.

My sense is that many who take the RS tours were followers of his PBS shows from, say, 2000 to 2015; that they are getting older; and that with age, there are changed expectations, and alas some limitations and less tolerance for the structure of a RS tour.

In my case, hotel expectations have changed. Location is huge, but I want some level of comfort, do not mind larger hotels, and have outgrown "quaint" hotels with sloped-ceiling rooms. My sense is that in recent years, the RS tours have tried to upgrade the hotels they use.

The group dinners seem to highlight dishes each region is traditionally known for. In much of Europe, that means heavy meals.

Truly this must have been an outlier of a tour experience. I hope the OP has contacted the RS office to share her concerns.

I wouldn't be surprised if on the 1st Saturday she is home she is not down at the office providing "feedback".

@joe. You overestimate me. I filled out my post trip survey just like everyone else. Why would I be so aggressive? I have repeatedly said there were many good things about this tour. There were just enough things that seemed a bit off to me that is has made me question if RS tours continue to be a good match for me personally.

I am currently on the RS Basque Country tour (8 nights). So far, we’ve had a welcome dinner and three lunches in small towns along our route. All were high quality but had set menus (no choices). Admittedly, the smaller towns would not have been appropriate places for meals on our own. We still have tomorrow’s lunch and our farewell dinner ahead. All meals had wine and water. Those worked for me, and I didn’t see any tour members asking for something else.

Thank you to Carol and everyone in the comments for taking the time to share such thoughtful reflections. We love hearing from longtime Rick Steves' Europe travelers who know our tours so well. While Sicily remains one of our highest rated tours, we appreciate the meaningful conversation and feedback (beyond Sicily, too!), and have shared this thread with our leadership team.

The post, and most of the comments, were interesting. FWIW, we just finished the 13-day Turkey tour. Our guide was wonderful. Very knowledgeable and accommodating. Helped those of us who opted out of a particular day. Helped those of us needing alternate travel plans at tour's end. I think all meals had veggie options - and nearly all meals had a menu to choose from. Hotels were all good, though some ha some pretty small rooms. We did have a mid-tour survey, though our guide never said anything about it afterward. Several times we had walks from the bus to the hotel, but it was always short, and our guide accommodated the slow walkers. Our group was 23, and while I liked all the folks, I would definitely prefer a smaller group. But it wouldn't keep me from another RS tour. I have had super great luck arranging private tours (2-3 hours) through WithLocals when I've been on my own Europe trips. So I am intrigued with the My Way tours and will check it out.

I for one struggled with all the 'free' time in my recent tour and the one before; it might have to do with the destinations in the tour. As a solo traveller I often found myself wondering what to do with all the free afternoons, especially in those smaller cities/towns where one can't really plan ahead to fill the time.

Earlier, I thought about taking the GAS tour or 'Best of Berlin, Prague & Vienna' tour, but after a closer review of the itineraries, I had a change of heart, precisely because of all the free time in these tours.

As a vegetarian, I sometimes found the main course for dinners lacked vegetarian protein options.

”As a solo traveller I often found myself wondering what to do with all the free afternoons, especially in those smaller cities/towns where one can't really plan ahead to fill the time.”

Mindfulness & any others struggling with this, please put a post on the forum ahead of time if you’re having a hard time figuring out some options. You mentioned the GAS tour. Several of us have taken that tour and enjoyed each of the locations. My info wouldn’t be recent enough to share - it’s been several years, but I’ve been back to Salzburg, Munich & Vienna last year. I travel a lot solo & could give ideas in general of how I find info to obscure places.

... any others struggling with this, please put a post on the forum ahead of time if you’re having a hard time figuring out some options.

Another alternative is to buy the RS guide book for that area and read up on the places before you go -- or just take the book with you. Of course, there is always Google which will provide a great deal of information you can use.

You dont have to buy the book. That's one of the reasons they give you the RS tour guidebook for the places you are visiting on the tour - so you can read up and see other things you can do in your free time. On our first RS tour, at every free time, the guide was bombarded with questions about what to do and how to get there. He asked how many brought their guidebooks, and most of the people looking for help, did not.

We've been on a non-RS tour that had sights and activities scheduled every AM & PM. It was exhausting. We need some of that free time to just relax, go shopping, wander around, do laundry, etc. People have different interests and priorities, and we find the RS tours are designed to encourage some independence.

You dont have to buy the book. That's one of the reasons they give you the RS tour guidebook for the places you are visiting on the tour - so you can read up and see other things you can do in your free time.

Stan, I've read that before and think that's a great idea. I'm curious if they give you the option of getting an e-book. I wouldn't necessarily want to bring a heavy-ish book with me since I usually try and pack light. I suppose I could rip out the pages, which is a trick Rick Steves taught me a long time ago, but I'd rather just be able to access it on my phone.

Mardee
No, an e-book is not an option. It was explained that they are not produced/sold by RS.
A plus is that they are making tour kits/guidebooks available much earlier than they used to.

On the topic raised about e-books perhaps one day RS will evolve to at least offer this as an option. They may not produce them but they certainly have some interest in the product. RS would save on shipping costs and the environment wins from one less book that will be obsolete in a couple years when the next edition comes out. (Although I have used out of date Public Library e-books to do some early research.) We typically just purchase an e-book edition in our Apple Account which has family sharing. Both of us have access to it as we travel. The hard copy may get read before the trip and then donated to a local library.

I've done double digit number of RS Tours and just got back from my latest one. Here's my two cents:

I'm in full agreement with Rick's philosophy of becoming temporary locals. Love the idea of central hotels, but some of the hotels used on the tours are well past their prime. Two of the recent hotels had so many knickknacks over every horizontal surface there was no useable space (I clumped them all on one table and got by). Electrical outlets can be a challenge (I travel with an extension cord). One hotel had a very small breakfast room so the group was split into three different time slots. Lack of elevators isn't a problem for me but I know some of the group travel "heavier" and need the lift for luggage or health reasons. I've noticed the average age of the tour groups I've been with is trending upward, so creature comforts become more important. I wonder when the RS staff do the guidebook updates if they check out multiple rooms at each property or are shown "select" rooms?

The food on tour has been mixed. Some tours have great food while others I get by. But that is often a matter of personal taste and there are plenty of other opportunities to eat, so I'm not suffering. Most hotel breakfasts are very complete with offerings. My only wish is for more fruit and vegetables at both the breakfasts and the included lunches/dinners.

Bus travel times is a necessity due to the itineraries, but I'd prefer longer stays with more daytrips. Really lean into the "temporary local" aspect.

WhatsApp is a mixed bag. Useful (when it works for everyone) but can get annoying when there are so many "me too!" replies.

So, I think it's a mixture of aging tour members wanting creature comforts and aging hotels that might be just skating by on either delivering the product/service or financially getting by with RS help. The rest just comes with being in a shared experience.

You dont have to buy the book. That's one of the reasons they give you the RS tour guidebook for the places you are visiting on the tour - so you can read up and see other things you can do in your free time.

True. I meant to suggest buying the book and making plans well before the one supplied by the tour arrives. We've done that many times so we will have one to keep for future reference, and one to disassemble so we can take just the relevant parts on the trip.

TC, I received the RS Germany guidebook this winter for a tour that's not until fall 2026. As mentioned above, the company may be sending out the guidebooks earlier than they did in years past. Or, because I booked during the slow season, they were able to send the book out sooner--only they can answer that question. We also received our first and last hotels shortly after booking, which helps with making plans.

Again, I preface by saying I have never taken a tour. However, I have looked at many itineraries and noticed a lot of free time built in. Isn't the purpose of paying so much extra money for a tour is so you have guides to "guide" you during the day around the cities? With so much free time and you are own your own, how is that different than a My Way Tour or going independent?

Actually , I really enjoy a balance of tour time and independent time. It allows for people to persue their own priorities.

The guidebooks are available 30 days after you book the tour/pay deposit. Log into travel account after 30 days, request items you want (complimentary); book, security money belt, ear plugs, etc.

Agree with Carol. I like having free time to explore things I am interested in. It is part of the reason I like RSE tours.

Interestingly, I just saw an announcement on RS Instagram saying their 2027 Sicily tours have been posted, they apologized for the delay but said they wanted to sort out some things (I don't recall the exact wording.)
.

Carol and fellow RS alum. Yes, we've found some group meals good while others lacking. So now we seriously research alternatives for our solo meals. Ask locals 'if you were going for a special meal, where would you go?" (this hint came from a Rick radio show). And we give face-to-face comments to our guides, who constantly look for good group meals, while still keeping within budget (which I'm sure is getting harder).

As for tastes changing (pun intended), yes we're always evolving. And RS tours help in that evolution. So however you travel, just do it as long as you can. Enjoy.

However, I have looked at many itineraries and noticed a lot of free time built in. Isn't the purpose of paying so much extra money for a tour is so you have guides to "guide" you during the day around the cities?

Every person needs to look at what is included in the tour and decide if the value is there for them or if they'd be better off on a My Way tour or traveling independently. IMO the RS tours strike a good balance. They arrange activities such as lunch at a farmhouse on the Sicily tour that would be difficult to do w/o the tour, they have excellent guides to the museums and towns you visit, the efficiency of having their own bus minimizes the travel time compared to doing it on your own. Then instead of controlling your every minute they leave enough time to wander and explore things of interest to you. Admittedly at times it feels like a little too much free time in places without a lot to do, but overall they seem to do a good job of it.

Just came back from RS Central Europe Tour- based on this tour- definitely NOT our last Rick Steves Tour.

This was our third RS tour (Heart of Italy & Paris & Heart of France prior) and it was quite frankly, incredible, amazing, fulfilling.

Our Tour Manager, Levante Nagy, made sure that we were well informed and ready to tackle different currencies, dialects and cultures through all 6 countries we visited. He was absolutely incredible, as were the local guides in each city. We tried local cuisines and drink, visited things that I, as a seasoned traveler, would have been hard pressed to organize and plan out: a visit to a school in Eger to visit with Hungarian children and discuss their schooling, a wine tasting and cellar visit, a stop at the lipizzaner horse farm in Lipica, along with several villages and towns in between the overnight stops along the way were just some of the amazing included things!

This tour covered a LOT of geography, but was done in a way that made it very manageable. At the end of the tour, Levante made sure that everyone had local transport to get to their transport home or to their next destination in Europe. Bravo Rick Steves Tours, Levante and all the wonderful guides along the way. Already planning our next RS tour for 2027! Peter and Jan Huestis