Mask wearing on RS Bus - Consequence for non-compliance

Wouldn't it be better to send this question directly to the tour department?

I have to agree, this is a question for RS Europe. It is a good question, and one I have wondered about myself, but they are the only ones who can answer it.

Presumably you are staying in hotels, eating in restaurants and visiting galleries and museums where nobody is going to be wearing a mask. It’s not required in most places. You need to accept that travelling in Europe means most people aren’t going to be wearing masks.

I have recently seen numerous D Day private tour buses in France and nobody was wearing masks.

Sent via email to RS Tour email - hoping a response will be shared from RS to the forum and/or included in FAQs.

Thanks

That is true, Jennifer. But I think the point may be that many of us who signed up for a Rick Steves tour because we felt comfortable with the requirements of wearing a mask on the bus, and are now hearing of all the instances of tours where people are not complying and the guide is not being strict, we may now feel uncomfortable with the situation. And it is actually too late to make other plans for our vacations.

What is the expected requirement during group dinners which most likely will be inside?

Yesterday I completed a superb RS Best of Greece tour. All tour members submitted negative COV-19 self-tests at welcome meeting and wore masks for all bus time. No masks worn at group dinners. No colds or COV-19 symptoms among tour members, and all tested negative before returning to the US.

@Elizabeth. That is the type of report that I love to see. I am glad that you had a good trip and that all were healthy!!

Lisa, while this is a question for RS Tours, the last sentence of the Health & Safety Pledge that all tour member have to agree to is "I understand that noncompliance with the conditions listed on this COVID-19 Health and Safety Pledge by myself or those traveling with me will result in our party not being able to continue on the tour." So far from the trip reports, some tours have great compliance, others not so much. Has any tour had anyone evicted for non-compliance?

Yes, I know there is covid everywhere. As a tour member in three months, I know it's my responsibility to protect myself and others by being vax'd and 2Xs boosted, wearing a mask properly and social distancing as much as possible. But everyone on the tour has to do their part too since we'll be on a bus without windows that open (fresh instead of recirculated air), eating together, visiting sights maybe in close quarters and all this after spending 10+ hours on planes with who knows what. I'm getting really tired of people at home and away who don't give a rat's ass about others.

EDIT: Yay Elizabeth! Great to hear about the success of your tour!

Jennifer - It is true that masks are not being worn by Europeans but that doesn’t mean we can’t wear masks. On our next trip to the UK and Ireland we will be wearing our masks when inside museums, public transport, crowded outdoors situations and get takeaway meals whenever possible. On tour we will be wearing our masks on the bus as well and plan to wear our mask unless we are eating. Aside from getting covid which can be bad enough, if we test positive we are not allowed to come back to the US for 10 to 12 days and those of us on a RS tour will get kicked off the tour. What a hassle! Those are main issues for all of us taking these tours.

What is the expected requirement during group dinners which most likely will be inside?

Obviously nobody is expected to wear a mask while eating dinner. However, there is a big difference between those group dinners and riding the bus. 1. If you're uncomfortable about the dinners you can opt out of the group dinner, you can't opt out of the bus. 2. The buses, while roomy, are still quite a bit smaller space than most dining rooms hosting group dinners. This is why even in many countries in Europe masks are still required on trains and buses, they are smaller enclosed spaces with less air circulation creating greater exposure.

Anyone taking a RS tour is required to wear a mask on the bus. But where else are you required to wear a mask per tour rules?

Been back about 2 weeks from Southern Italy RS tour. Reminders on bus for mask wearing...not sure if those who "forgot" were also addressed individually, but the guide would remind us all each time we boarded to mask up. Group meals were mostly indoor and maskless....some did put back on fairly quickly. As far as I know, no one had symptoms or tested positive during our trip.

My husband and I were on an Athens and the Heart of Greece tour at the end of April/beginning of May, and our experience was similar to Elizabeth's. All members of our group were great about wearing masks covering mouth and nose on the bus, in the hotel lobbies, in museums and other indoor areas. I don't know what others were doing when they were in indoor spaces during their free time and away from the group; my husband and I always wore masks indoors. Our guide never had to remind anyone in the group, at least not that I was aware of. She did motion for us to put on masks one day when we were in a crowded outdoor area, and everyone complied. In one museum, a group of people (not with our RS tour group) got a little close wearing masks under the chin, and she gently reminded them to mask up. And no one in our group tested positive, either during the tour, or when it was time to fly home - at least those of us who were leaving at the end of the tour. The whole experience was very positive.

So as usual, there is a general overall policy (everyone mask) and then it's up to the particular guide to enforce. This is really a matter for the RS office, you should mention your concerns and hear their answer. And I guess during the tour meet and greet, you should ask your tour director how they plan to handle this (the subtext being that you expect them to insist on masking).

A very appropriate and relevant question which leads to the question, why the resistance to wearing a mask?

Here on public transport , bus, BART and CalTrain mask compliance is almost total, 90% if not more. The I look at who is it in particular who is unmasked.

@Jennifer: Your reply misses the point of the OP's question. She is not asking generally about travelers in hotels, airports, museums, indoor dining, etc. She is specifically asking about those on RS tours who are not complying with a RS policy regarding mask-wearing on RS tour bus, and about whether RS tour guides enforce that policy. Obviously there are numerous risks regarding travel where one can become ill, and whether one wants to assume those risks to travel is an individual decision. If what tips the decision into the "Go" category for someone is that RS tours have a policy that requires all participants, guides included, to wear a mask properly in specific situations, than it is relevant whether or not the policy is reliably enforced. It's not relevant whether you or I or anyone else thinks it's a good policy. OP, as others have recommended, your best bet is to call the RS travel office and speak to them about your concerns.

If you do receive a clear answer from the tour office, I would appreciate it if you could share it here. Thanks.

WEBMASTER EDIT 6/7/22: I'm leaving this post for transparency, but note that some assertions here are either out of date or not representatively accurate. Please see my post later in this thread. (end edit)

I don’t know where you are reading about a RS mask requirement, but here is a quote from my email regarding a recent RS tour:

Face masks on tour
Mask mandates in Europe continue to be in flux depending on the country and number of COVID cases. While on tour, we’ll follow the local masking protocols, but we strongly encourage all tour members to wear a mask on the bus and when social distancing is not possible. Please be prepared by bringing medical grade (N95, KN95) masks along with you.

Since local masking protocols have been dropped for most of Europe, there is no local requirement and therefore no RS requirement. Nevertheless, masks were worn on our bus by all but I see no way to enforce this against those who elect not to. If you find a RS “requirement” for masking on the website, please post it here.

Well, there's this:

COVID-19 Health and Safety Pledge

To help safeguard your health and wellbeing as well as that of your fellow tour members, RSE staff, and RSE tour partners, we are asking all tour members to agree to the conditions outlined in this COVID-19 Health and Safety Pledge. Please indicate your agreement by checking the box next to each item and signing below...

There are 7 items preceded by a checkbox. Here are the last two items (bolding here is mine, not theirs):

☐ I agree to follow all safety precautions and health directives
set by my guide, by RSE, or by local officials. I understand that
these safety precautions may include maintaining proper social
distancing, the use of face masks (covering my nose and mouth),
regular temperature checks, proper handwashing, the use of hand
sanitizer, etc. If exempt from wearing a face mask or other such
requirement due to health impairment or disability, I will carry
proof, such as a doctor's note, to show if requested.

☐ I understand that noncompliance with the conditions listed on this
COVID-19 Health and Safety Pledge by myself or those traveling with me
will result in our party not being able to continue on the tour.

IMPORTANT: Each tour member must  complete, sign, and submit this form
prior to participating in this tour.

OK, if your lawyer wants to argue the wording, that agreement everyone must sign does say face masks MAY be required, not ARE required. But there's also this:

From the tour web page On the Road with Rick Steves Tours, there are weekly updates posted. Under the update for "Week 13: May 13, 2022", under "Pandemic Bumps — Lessons Learned", here's what the second bullet point says:

Wear a mask: We currently require medical-grade (N95, KN95, KF94)
masks on our buses. We also ask tour members to be proactive about
wearing a mask in crowded and indoor spaces whether they're with the
group or enjoying free time. When travelers test positive, it's a
headache. Being diligent about wearing a mask and other basic COVID
hygiene is a must for a successful trip.

That seems pretty clear to me, where it says: We currently require medical-grade (N95, KN95, KF94) masks on our buses.

Admittedly, that requirement is not exactly front-and-center, and is easy to miss for those who have not been following along closely. I suspect that when it was first posted, most people had not yet become so brazen in insisting to others that the pandemic was over so stop hassling them about not wearing the mask. Maybe a web page was edited later and a more prominent, more explicit requirement fell off inadvertently. Edits happen.

It's also possible that RSE has quietly dropped that mask requirement -- but if that's the case, it would be a very recent change, as staff from RSE responded to a couple other posts just a few days ago how they would touch base with a tour guide who seemed to be lax in the enforcement of the mask requirement -- the clear implication being that the mask requirement was still in effect and tour staff needed to be more clear about that.

Assuming the policy has not changed, and the requirement to mask on the tour bus remains in force, then I'd offer the friendly suggestion that staff might want to update one of the FAQ pages or ensure this requirement is posted very prominently, reflecting the fact that wearing a mask is not optional, that it is a requirement and that it will be enforced. Just a suggestion.

If the policy has changed, and masks on the bus are no longer required, that should probably be made more transparent, as I think many regulars are working from the assumption that masks are still required on the bus.

Hope that helps someone.

I flagged the post for the webmaster to review for accuracy.

I'd love to hear from someone who has been on the Scotland or even England for this year. We're on day 8 in Scotland and it's rare to see a mask anywhere. I feel sorry for an RS guide trying to enforce a mask mandate when everyone else isn't.

*we were on 2 Rabbies day tours last week and the drivers on both said we were welcome to wear masks if we wanted. 1 on each fully packed 16 passenger bus wore one.

I am about to pay for two more back to back tours and I wish the webmaster or someone from RS would chime in here. We had, with two exceptions on our last tour, total compliance with the mask rule and we all made it home safely as far as I know. I know that masks aren’t a 100% guarantee that we won’t get the virus but it would be nice to know that we are all doing our best to ensure that doesn’t happen especially now that we are allowed to fly to Europe sans mask.

We just returned from two back-to-back RS tours in England. On the Southern England tour, nearly everyone complied all the time on the bus, just an occasional slip up usually getting back on the bus after an outdoor activity. No one intentionally unmasked. Most tour members masked for indoor activities, but not all. Everyone who left after the tour tested negative.

On the London tour we all showed our negative tests at the welcome meeting and we all masked a lot because we were in subway stations, on trains & buses and in crowds at museums. Knowing we had to test to fly back to the US helped to remind everyone to be cautious. About half of the people on our flights were masked. While I never felt unsafe, I did use more hand-sanitizer than I have since 2020 and there is always a subtle awareness that Covid is still out there. But it is background thought and did nothing to dampen our spirits. Both tours were superb!

On our tour in late April, no one purposely flaunted the mask-on-the-bus rule, although sometimes it was momentarily forgotten. When a mask-less person remembered, the mask went on. A few were diligent about masking when we were visiting an indoor site, or a crowded outdoor site, others were not using masks unless the site itself required it. The masking decision was left up to our individual discretion in those instances. Our tour itinerary shows about 20 hours of bus time. We had 8 group meals that averaged about 2 hours each, all indoors. So that's about 20 hours of being masked while seated on the bus, with the ability to socially distance because the bus capacity was large. On the bus, our group tended to be quiet . . .reading, sleeping, listening to what our guide had to say. Versus about 16 hours of being unmasked while seated shoulder-to-shoulder indoors at group meals, talking and laughing, eating and drinking. And that doesn't even include breakfast each day in the hotels, our impromptu happy hour and nightcap gatherings, etc. Does the bus rule become irrelevant in this context? If someone is intending to skip all the group meals, and even breakfast, because of the presence of unmasked people, does it make any sense to choose a group tour vs. independent travel? Everyone in our group was covid-free at the end of the tour. I accepted the risk that I might get it while on this tour. On this forum, we're hearing reports of tour members getting covid despite vaccination, double boosters, and diligent masking while on tour, both when required and when not required. I think that if you aren't comfortable with the risk of getting covid abroad, you shouldn't travel abroad. Don't rely on the "spirit" of some tour expectations to protect you. Covid is here to stay. I'll mask when required but look forward to the day when everyone decides we can't have masking be our new travel norm. Rates of serious illness and hospitalization are so low. It's the test-to-travel-home requirement that causes me concern, but it's a concern I've overcome.

To answer the OP's question about the consequence for non-compliance, first I'll say that we haven't had an instance of non-compliance when a tour member has been approached about an issue. As such, it hasn't come to anything heavy handed. The guide does have the ability to remove someone from the tour (e.g. not allow them on the bus) for non-compliance, and that could apply to a spectrum of scenarios from masking to poor behavior (no grumps! :).

Per the head of our Tour Sales dept in response to the concerns being voiced in this discussion: "At Rick Steves’ Europe, we value direct communication, so if the guide hasn’t noticed that some on a tour aren’t masking appropriately, bring it to his/her attention and ask her to address the matter to the individual or the group as needed. We all slip up from time to time, and polite reminders are appreciated so we can all contribute to a healthy touring environment."

For some clarification, as there is some assertion that masks "aren't required" as if mask wearing can't be enforced, you are to expect to wear your mask on the bus, etc. Here is our current policy in the Covid info in your Rick Steves Account for your tour, and I'll bold the most relevant part:

Masking: Traveling in a group requires each person to take responsibility for the group’s health and wellbeing. In addition to being vaccinated and boosted, we know that wearing a mask reduces the spread of airborne viruses. On tour, expect to wear a medical grade (K95, KN95 or KF94) mask while traveling on the bus and when social distancing is not possible. Please pack along medical grade masks and note that you may also need to wear masks outdoors at times.

Thanks to the webmaster for clarification.

Thanks for the clarification, webmaster.

I am not a big worrier about Covid since I've been vaccinated. I don't wear a mask to the grocery store anymore. We eat in restaurants. We've been on several driving vacations in the US and Canada and stayed in plenty of hotels. I've flown. If I get sick, I get sick.

BUT there is one place that makes me nervous and that's a bus. For good reason. Ventilation on a bus is poor especially when you can't open windows. We're booked for a My Way tour in a couple months and we're going, but you better believe I will be wearing my N95 on the bus. And insisting everyone around me wears one, too. I don't care what everyone else does outside the bus, but on the bus they better be masked. Or prepare for my wrath.

You have probably read Bob's South of France trip report. His ongoing narrative about Covid is scary but also a learning experience for tour members and RS tours. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/woes-on-the-loire-valley-tour-5-29-6-10

I was just about to cancel my trip yesterday when I first read his report. 50% of tour members leaving the tour because of their covid or their spouses is just more than I can handle. I called a friend who leaves in two weeks on another RS tour. She talked me down. We think and hope this is a one off disastrous trip. So as of today, I'm planning to go, have fun but be super cautious.

Besides mask wearing compliance, meals need to be addresses by RS. Tables spaced farther apart with less people instead of longer, larger communal tables and more outside meals.
From Bob's report: "Someone mentioned masking and confined spaces; since RSE groups dine together, I think that’s probably how it’s spread through our group. While we mask whenever we’re on the bus or in a confined room, nobody can mask while eating."

Besides mask wearing compliance, meals need to be addresses by RS. Tables spaced farther apart with less people instead of longer, larger communal tables and more outside meals.

Is that totally in the control of RSE? I doubt it, seems more like that would be upto the digression of the restaurants and since RSE is probably competing with all the other tourists for restaurant space, I'm not sure how accommodating all the restaurants would be.

Is it really a group dinner if half are outside, half are inside dispersed about?

I'm on tour now, and skipped a group dinner due to it being indoors. Realistically, you only talk to your seat mates, so being dispersed at dinner is not an issue. Our guide has accommodated us as best as he could, but dining is the high risk event. We will continue to miss indoor dinners for the rest of our trip. Just not worth being stuck in a room quarantining over a meal.

I called a friend who leaves in two weeks on another RS tour. She talked me down. We think and hope this is a one off disastrous trip.

@horsewoofie - RSE posts a weekly tour update every Friday. They include a short update about COVID issues, and include basic stats about how many people tested positive in the past week.

You can find that here: On the Road with Rick Steves Tours

Here are the numbers they've posted for the past few weeks:

• Week 12 - May 6: 1.9% tested positive
• Week 13 - May 13: 2.4% tested positive
• Week 14 - May 20: 3.1% tested positive
• Week 15 - May 27: 2.4% tested positive
• Week 16 - June 3: 2.3% tested positive

Those numbers do not look too bad. Kudos to them for being transparent and for both tracking these numbers and posting them for all to see.

I would expect to see an increase for the next weekly report (that one Loire Valley trip is probably going to push their number up a bit). Going forward, hopefully, that's an outlier, not a trend. I'm sure they are watching these numbers carefully and will take whatever steps they can if needed. They do not have unlimited control: dinners can't all be outdoors and distanced. Tour members can sneak their masks off when not in view on the bus, and nobody can control what anyone does when they're on their own.

Their business depends on tours running successfully, and on customers not testing positive in large numbers. They were shut down for 2 long years with zero income and I am sure it is beyond frustrating and concerning (understatement) to RSE staff when tour members test positive or bail because a spouse did. I am sure they are watching the numbers carefully. We should all give them credit for being transparent, and doing what they can.

Yes David, I look at those percentages weekly too. 2% is manageable. Hopefully Bob's trip is an outlier. There are a few reports of 5 people testing positive on tours, which is +/- 20% of participants. But there also reports of zero cases. There's just no way to know which tour you'll be on. Unless I see a uptick in weekly cases I plan to go. I still have a few weeks to decide. If I cancel I will lose my deposit since I will be in the 60-90 day window.

I'm curious how many people who extended their trip pre-tour and after have faired with covid testing. I'll be in London for 5 days and Paris for 4 before the tour, then in Venice for 5 days afterwards.

Ptgal not to ask a dumb question but what does not doing a group dinner look like? Did they allow you take that meal to-go? I don't want to sound like a cheapskate but obviously the group meals are part of tour price.. altho I suppose if it helps prevent paying more to stay longer due to COVID positive test then its worth it.

Angela, I think that’s a good question. I would presume that if you didn’t want to attend an indoor dinner in a close space, then the restaurant would provide a to-go meal if requested (they get compensated for the meal either way), but this is just my presumption. Does anyone have experience or knowledge on this? Thanks.

Angela and Mike, I’m wondering the same about “to go” group meals.

I would presume that if you didn’t want to attend an indoor dinner in a close space, then the restaurant would provide a to-go meal if requested (they get compensated for the meal either way), but this is just my presumption. Does anyone have experience or knowledge on this? Thanks.

As this is the 1st year that anyone would have any reason for a 'meal to go', I doubt there is any 'experience' .

The dinners that we had on tour do not lend themselves to a 'to go bag/box'

My spouse wasn't feeling well, and he missed our group dinner in Colmar last month. The guide did get him a to-go box. I would think this option would vary depending on the restaurant and the circumstances.

Hi Joe32F,
I agree that the tour dinners don’t lend themselves to to-go boxes, but I have been on several RS tours where I observed the guide arranging for some form of tour meals to be made available for a tour member who had felt under the weather and had stayed in the room. Usually it was a spouse taking something back with them to the hotel.

That said, maybe this was just a (typical) very conscientious RS guide doing a good deed to help someone else in an unusual circumstance. I can’t imagine that many guides or tour restaurants would want the hassle of adding a ‘substitute take-out meals’ option to the tours, but maybe it becomes a more pragmatic option to consider if people really do feel uncomfortable about the risks of close-in group meals. I have been in many very tight seating arrangements at RS group meals, that I would not be comfortable with today. I suspect many of these tighter seating arrangements have been improved or eliminated, but clearly not all.

I’m taking the Scandinavia tour next month, and given the unusually high restaurant prices there, I’m not relishing the need to make an on-the-spot risk/extra expense assessment when we arrive at a group restaurant. Pun intended.

I’m betting this is a topic that has come up before this thread, and I was hoping someone here may have discussed this with a guide or the office. I don’t want to send an email to the tour office (yet) as they are super busy and it won’t impact my go/no-go decision at this time. It would be a great option to offer that could provide some reassurance for folks that are nervous because of some of the recent negative experiences discussed on the forum.

From a recent post (6/8) by Julianne in the RS Office: "We are requiring masks on the bus so I will send a message to your guide's manager to remind them that this is important to our tours."

I assume the RS guide will take responsibility for this requirement.

We were on the southern Italy tour that ended May 20th. We had one tour member who abstained from every group meal including the final tour dinner. She went to dinner elsewhere by herself on her own dime even though at some meals she would have been able to have a table to herself outside. She did not ask for a meal to go. I thought it was a bit weird but maybe not after learning of Bob’s experience on the Loire Valley tour.

Once there are positive cases, the risk is much much higher than 2-3% and grows with each additional positive traveler.

I think a reflexive approach to dining would be smart. Once you’ve got an outbreak in the tour (RSE would have to define “outbreak” but, for example, two or more cases across two or more traveling parties) if the dining setting isn’t outdoors, to-go boxes should become an option (and they should probably even be the rule once you get to Bob’s level of outbreak). You could still have a picnic with your spouse and tourmates.

I think thinking about mitigation strategies like this is a part of living with covid. Changing some of the approaches to dining during an outbreak is better/more sustainable than gradually losing half the people on the tour. I was recently in Europe and in response to covid more restaurants than ever are offering takeaway. I’m sure they could figure it out.

RS Tours could do what London Walks did during the pandemic--virtual walks.

RS could offer virtual tours. With a virtual tour you don't have to eat with your tourmates. You don't have to travel on a bus with others nor fly in a plane. In fact, you don't have to leave the safety of your home. And there is no worry about testing positive the day before flying home.

The guide will do what he/should would have done with the group, but instead of the "whisper" audio system, she uses a camera.

As for the audio walks, just make them video walks.

What about the comraderie of having tourmates? You could watch the guided virtual tour sergments with everyone on Zoom at the same time.

As for the food, you could get sent the recipes and cook them yourselves. Or perhaps pre-cooked dishes that you heat and coordinate eating with the others over Zoom.

You could even have a virtual buddy system.

You might laugh at all of this, but some of this is already being done on the net.

Just got off a RS trip. Our group was pretty lax with the masks, for the most part, and the guide can't see you the entire time on the bus to lecture you about it. He reminded people when he saw them not wearing a mask to put it on. Not a single person on the tour tested positive at the end of our trip.

@Angela
No meals to go. We just missed out on the meal. We did do an indoor meal today, and just pulled down the mask when taking a bite or drinking. Outside was not an option since it was raining, and we were on the road. Not ideal by far...

Best of Italy tour recently concluded. Out of 26 one couple tested positive on arrival so they dropped out. Then 4 more people, (3 couples) had to drop out mid tour, then at the end one more person and his spouse had to drop out. 10 out of 26 could not complete the tour. We all wore masks on the bus, all the time. One or two would occasionally forget but they would put it on and leave it on. We felt like we did all we could to be safe, and based on who was hanging with who, it appears everyone who got it, got it from locals or other tourists in crowded towns or crowded museums. My advice is wear your mask, use hand sanitizer a ton, and develop a 6th sense on crowd density so you are putting it on outdoors in crowded areas. A couple of folks opted out of the group dinners, but they were a highlight of the trip so we didn't miss any of them. Be careful and don't ruin your big trip. My .02. Jim

jgcpa, wow! Nearly 40% got sick! Sounds like a Typhoid Leslie in the group (Leslie is non-gender specific name in the UK). To think they all had to quarantine and pay for nothing. Maybe not a good time to travel

That’s frightening. My tour is in 2 weeks, and I realize there are 5 different countries to potentially be left behind in… if I catch Covid.

I don’t know, guys….. Since July, 2021, I have taken five independent international trips to 9 countries - always wearing masks when and where required but not when not (most recent trip to Jordan). Early on, I made choices about countries where I felt safer. And I have been prepared to catch Covid each time.

Not having caught it doesn’t mean I have superpowers because it is obviously very contagious. Maybe I have had a mild case while traveling and didn’t know. But it truly makes me wonder about group travel and many people who are choosing group travel.

I will continue traveling independently; but the risk of having to leave a tour to be left on my own when not wanting to make plans and be on my own is much of the reason for taking a group tour somehow seems counter-intuitive. There are countries I might feel uneasy about traveling in on my own, so I decide to take a tour. Then I come down with Covid and get left behind in the very country I was most nervous about…… neither scenario makes sense. And it it’s not going to bother you if that happens, then why worry about it?

As someone on another thread pointed out, in many countries, just like many areas of the U.S., masks are not required so people aren’t wearing them. It stands to reason if you travel now, you WILL be exposed. You can mitigate risks but you can’t eliminate them. And traveling in a tour group does not seem to eliminate risks (and probably doesn’t mitigate them either).

If we are going to travel, we have to be ready for what may happen. If not or it’s not fun to go, then it is probably not time to travel yet.

TexasTravelMom - I agree with all your points. In my case, my tour payment is non-refundable, my airline tickets have to be utilized within a year of initial purchase, and I thought that testing requirements would be lifted by now. I thought wrong… and now I hope for the best, and stress for the worst. 😂

Carla, yeah, it’s crazy stuff. But on the other hand, you could just relax with it and go have a good time. Travel is pretty great. And with a plan for the worst (maybe some insurance to help with costs in case you get stuck?) and reimbursement if you have to drop the tour, missing out on good stuff is probably the worst. And many of us are at risk for something serious, but the odds are really good that won’t happen health wise with Covid. And if someone’s odds ARE bad, it is still probably not time to travel yet

Currently on a RS Tour, day 7. So far 2/25 have tested Covid positive, that I know of. Mask compliance has been mostly good except for one gentleman who is wearing his surgical mask below his nose. We had a local guide with us on the bus yesterday for 1 hour plus, no mask. A couple of our group meals felt like we were in a Covid petri
dish. One dinner we were in the basement of a restaurant, packed like sardines, and they did have outdoor seating available. Another lunch we were elbow to elbow combined with another tour group inside a small room. Frankly I have been surprised that more changes have not been made regarding dining locations, given the current climate.

@agrotz34 Which tour are you on? Tour members are supposed to be wearing N95 or KN95 masks.

Mary, in case she is not where she can reply to your question about which tour......I looked at her posting history, and I would "put money on" that she is on the Best of Ireland tour.....and when she posted, halfway thru that tour.

Sad to read that masking is still not being enforced by all guides. Agree that tight, group dining provides a big risk exposure. Hopefully the RS tour team is reading these posts and taking corrective action STAT. If I were on a tour now, I sure would appreciate the option of having my meal "to go" or a "table for two" at a minimum, best outside.

Recently returned from a RS trip. There were a few group reminders about masks early on in the trip, but no one was ever singled out for it and no consequence was ever stated. Frankly, the tour members were far better about wearing their masks on the bus than the guide.

There was no effort made to have group dinners outside though, so mask wearing on the bus probably wouldn't have made any difference anyway. No members tested positive on the tour.

agrotz34 - Did anyone on the tour speak with the guide or the noncompliant tour member? If I were one of the two tour members who tested positive, I might be concerned. This brings up a related question for others; what is an appropriate response if a guide or fellow tour member is blatantly noncompliant? My wife and I will be on upcoming back-to-back tours and have discussed this situation because it seems to come up fairly often. I tend to be assertive and think it is appropriate to discuss this directly with the guide and request mask compliance. In addition, I think it would be appropriate to assertively express my thoughts to a nose-out noncompliant member although my wife thinks this might not be in line with the 'no grumps' rule. Are there thoughts about this?

We just recently concluded the BOEE tour. We all made it to the end. Masking on the bus was mandatory and everyone complied.

Jim, re: the question you asked:
If I were on such a tour, I would definitely talk with the guide about any non-compliance (and I would discretely take photos of the non-compliant). If the guide was non-compliant, as the leader of the group, I would mention that to him/her, and I would also email a photo (taken discretely) to the Rick Steves' Tour office with your concerns.

I skimmed (key word) thru the covid guidelines for tours, and I saw where it was clearly spelled out re: tour members wearing masks, but I failed to see such a requirement spelled out on the web site for the guides. If anyone else has spotted such, please let me know.
But, it should go without saying that the guide(s) should be setting the example, and it should be in their guide instructions from the RS Tour office. And, as a tour-goer, I would assume if the precaution of masks applied to paying tour members, it would also apply to those being paid ;o

I thank everyone for sharing their "on-the-ground" info....both the all-clear, no-positives tours and those that had positives, as well as non-maskers or improperly worn masks. Makes me reconfirm to myself, nope....no RS group tour for us yet.

“I think it would be appropriate to assertively express my thoughts to a nose-out noncompliant member although my wife thinks this might not be in line with the 'no grumps' rule.”

The best strategy is to bring this up with the guide with respect to the non compliant tour member. We ran into this problem on our southern Italy tour and I didn’t know what to do. I had quietly brought this issue up to the guide after the first meeting of the group about proper masks and masking as we had been with two other couples in Costa Rica in January where masking was inconsistent and 4 out of the six got covid in the end. We had one couple on the southern Italy tour who consistently wore their masks below their noses. The guide put up signs everywhere on the bus and still non compliance. One tour member got so frustrated at the end that he told the couple to put their masks on properly and they did. Yes, I know masks are not 100% effective and we are eating unmasked in a group and we can still get covid but we can all at least make an effort for ourselves and others.

Maggie - we completed two back to back RS tours in May and no one got covid. Masking was good on the first tour and one couple on the second tour did not wear their masks properly. Both of our guides wore their masks. The guide on the southern Italy tour understood the importance of this and wore her mask because she said she didn’t want to get sick either and then not be working. I am sure this is stressful for a lot of the guides. And now we are all flying in a metal Petrie dish with no mask rules.

I was on an Eastern France tour that ended June 11. Mask compliance was pretty good in the beginning, but as we all got more comfortable with each other it was interesting to see how some tended to forget to mask on the bus. My take was that I could not control others' behavior, only my own. So I was careful to mask anywhere indoors. Group meals were often indoors in close quarters, so all my efforts to mask seemed a bit futile. But I trusted my mask, vaccinations and immunity from a prior infection and I managed to stay Covid free.

Out of 23 tour members two gentlemen tested positive a couple of days before the end of the tour. Their spouses remained negative as far as I know. We sadly left them behind in the next to last city. There was one other solo traveler who tested positive before his flight home. I think he quarantined for 5 days til he could return home without testing. The rest of us did not fly home til after the June 12 lifting of the testing requirement to return to the US. Was that ever welcome news that we received just before the end of our tour!

If proper and timely masking by your fellow travelers is that important to you, then you probably should not be on a group tour. In a group of 25+ people, there will invariably be some who are more diligent than others. Guides cannot be masking police and should not have to devote time to monitor everyone.

Our Village Italy tour ended June 19th. I'm not aware of anyone contracting covid. We had good compliance with masking on the bus; a couple of reminders were given by the guide. However, in all other indoor activities, no one was masked except our RS tour members and sometimes staff. No one else is masked! Even on the trains, despite recorded messages to mask up, no one outside of our group was masked. We had some very long unmasked dinners indoors, some in crowded restaurants. You have to be comfortable with one-way masking as you can't control anyone but yourself.

“Guides cannot be the masking police”

Simpgolf, I respectfully disagree with you on this one. Those of us on tours this year were assured by RSE that proper masking on the bus would be the expectation. We even had to sign a waiver to that effect. That is why I am choosing to venture to Europe during this tumultuous time. I have every faith and expectation that RSE and their employees (see guides) will ensure adherence to the rules.

It is definitely not MY job to police irresponsible tour members, but it is the tour guide’s responsibility to make all efforts to ensure the safety of the tour members. A hands up in the air “well I tried, and they just wouldn’t listen!” is no excuse. Yes, sometimes people still will test positive whether from contact with locals, other non masked tourists or tour members. I take a risk by going on my tour, but I have every expectation that my tour guide will have my back. If I see them ignoring repeat offenders, I will be be discussing reimbursement with RSE.