Large tour group?

We always thought the limit was 28 but sure enough, one time out of our 9 tours there were 29 of us. I was not happy about it. But 28 is the limit we’ve always read.

I read through the tour documents and it states 28 is the usual size of the tour group. It also state that occasionally there could be 29.

It does seem to be creeping up.

Before Covid we did have one tour that was 17, most of the tours we’ve taken, though have been between 24 and 26. The tour we just took in May was 28. We took a Tauck tour years ago that was 44 people and we wore name tags. If RS wants to keep increasing the number, fine, but don’t expect me to play that horrid “name game.” Half the people on the last tour just walked away when our guide attempted to do some “fun” rendition of it. But even then, the last guy picked had the 5th grade playground look on his face at being picked last.

I guess an RS tour is like a Leap Year February — when you get to 28 the last thing you want is one more.

It's always between 26-28 with an occasional 29. We had 29 one of our RS tours. 26 or 29 didn't make a difference.

I think those types of numbers happen more as a courtesy to guests than some hidden plan to make groups bigger. Imagine 2 slots left on a tour but a party of 3 wants to join….

It is possible the "extra" person is a guide in training or an assistant guide.

FWIW here here are a couple pages that list the "maximum" size 28 max:

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/rave-reviews-tour-groups

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/the-most-value-for-your-money

Only a couple of months ago someone on the Forum went on a RS tour with a total of 8 people. Maybe RS tours are maxing out numbers because more people are canceling this year and they want to keep the tours as close to capacity as possible? With the price of fuel in Europe right now, that’s understandable.

I have no idea whether or not this is true (not the most reliable source) but we were on a small group tour—NOT a RS tour— last month and our guide claimed Americans were canceling tour reservations in record numbers this year. He said for every person who actually joined his 2026 tours, 1.5 had cancelled. He claimed the same was true of other small tour companies as well as RS, but (again) I’m not sure where his information on other tour companies came from.

Our Heart of Scotland tour in May had 27 on the roster, but 4 canceled. So who knows, maybe you will have some no-shows too.

Maybe not a surprise with information on cancellations. The State Department has recently issued several Worldwide alerts. Crazy times!

I'll soon be doing my 11th Rick Steves tour and the unfortunately numbers have increased since I started traveling with them in 2018. I have to admit I'm finding 28 to be a bit too large now. I love the tours but I've recently done some Overseas Adventure Tours and their maximum is 16, most have been around 13 on tour, I'm really feeling the difference now having experienced very small groups. I wish Rick would trim them back again but 29 is definitely not the right way to go!

Thank you for your comments everyone. Yes, we, too, have done other small-group tours that have 16-person maximums, including OAT and Eldertreks, and we definitely prefer that size. Even Road Scholar has a 24-person maximum for the small group tours. We would have chosen one of these other companies, but none offered Poland (OAT has a new trip for 2027 that includes Auschwitz and the Salt Mine, which we would have preferred). On the other hand, people give Rick Steves Poland very positive reviews, so hopefully the large group size will not impact the trip negatively.

I agree with others that the group size has become an issue. I’m taking Best of Scotland next month, my 11th RSE tour, and it may be my last. I enjoyed the tours more when they capped at 24. I assumed that the increased group size was a means to keep tour prices down, but I’d rather spend more for a smaller tour group. I will check out OAT tours based on the positive comments on the Forum. One change I did appreciate from RSE was the reduced single supplement (which I note has crept up by $10/night on 2027 tours). Since most tours seem to sell out even at 28, I doubt we’ll see a return to smaller groups.

Getting ready to go on our 10th RS tour. We have had various numbers of tour mates on each tour we have taken. Last tour was 21 and the one coming up 24. I have no problem with one seat left and a couple is allowed to go making the number 29. For what the RS tours offer for the price, having 29 tour members is not a deal breaker for us. We enjoy the big bus with lots of room and the amazing drivers. Reducing the number might mean a smaller bus. I am not too fond of riding in vans or smaller buses all crowded together. We hope the tours are kept at 28 and if an extra is added once in a while not a problem for us.

I would add to jacq's point about the size of the bus: We've done one OAT tour (2 weeks in Sicily with a 5-day extension to Naples and the Amalfi Coast). We sure liked the 16-person group size; we did NOT especially like the just-barely-big-enough buses they usually packed us into. (We had several different buses and drivers.) I guess it makes things a bit less hairy than driving a large coach bus over narrow roads, but for a passenger, it was much less comfortable than the coaches on the RS tours. Especially for my 6'4" husband. That said, we wouldn't rule out future OAT tours, as the rest of the experience was very good.