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.

Getting protein in a meal has been tough.

This has been my concern about tours in Italy. I've not been on a Rick Steves tour in Italy, so I don't know how they handle meals. I'm signed up for 2 tours with other companies that both include Italy. I have had to call each company to discuss how they handle meals to make sure I can get protein.

One tour company said that we will choose our dinners from the standard menu, so I can choose a meat or fish main course.

The other company offers options for vegetarian or gluten free, but neither of those necessarily include protein. I'm waiting to hear hear back from them.

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.

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………