Masks on the bus on a RS tour

Thanks for your report. It will help others. I am glad you are ok and getting to come home but would strongly suggest that you retest yourself a few days after you get home as some who test negative to exit Europe subsequently test positive at home. I hope you continue to test negative.

We had two problem tour members on our recent tour to southern Italy who were wearing their masks below their noses despite our guide doing everything but stand on her head and spit wooden nickels to get them to do the right thing. In fairness to our guide, she was in the front of the bus and doesn’t have eyes in the back of her head. Everyone else on the tour acted responsibly. The only time we ourselves were maskless is when we were outdoors and well distanced from others. Toward the end of the tour, one tour member got angry and told these people to bring their masks over their nose. I had informed our guide at the outset of the tour that we had run into covid issues on our recent trip to Costa Rica where tour members were not wearing proper masks and 4 out of the 6 of us got covid. She insisted that everyone wear an N95 or KN95 or FFP mask while on tour and not cloth or surgical masks. Luckily, we tested negative to come home and, as far as I know, everyone else on our tour did as well.

My sister is a pathologist and says that anything you can do to keep the virus off your face and reduce the covid viral load is a plus. So maybe the social distancing helped a bit and that you wore your mask albeit not consistently.

For those who are stuck in Norway, that is going to be a very pricy lesson to learn with regard to proper, consistent mask wearing.

We are taking two more back to back RS tours in two months. I am going to read people and the tour guide the riot act if I see this improper masking going on. We ourselves have decided to wear our masks to the group dinners as well until the food is served and then put the masks back on. I hate that we have to do that but I don’t want to get stuck somewhere overseas. I am going to do whatever it takes.

Mary,
I plan to be tested when I get home as I know of friends who tested negative then their spouse was positive and in a matter of days they were too.

I thought I was going to be tough before this tour began but I ended up being lax on the bus. At group dinners and inside crowded places I wore my mask.
I have to remember Scandinavia in general did not have widespread mask mandates but there are markers everywhere to remind you to social distance. Therefore our guide who is Swedish is not in alignment with masking. She did wear hers many days but she didn’t strongly advise that RS required it. Her focus was guiding the tour which she did brilliantly. We all loved her!

This, is a problem. It is not like when traveling on your own and there are maskless people. This is a singular group traveling together under the same auspices. Surely the rules are known ahead of time. The guide can only do so much. Constant reminders to scofflaws is unsettling for the guide and the group members who comply.
My travel during covid on our own has no group rules, or expectations. I do what I have to. Others are not mandated to wear the masks if it is not stipulated. I know that. I accept that level of risk.
But, if I were on a RS tour and the members routinely did not comply, I would not be happy.
It would seem that RS group tours would be full of the types of people who would be compliant with the rules. Obviously that is not true

“It would seem that RS group tours would be full of the types of people who would be compliant with the rules“

Sorry, but this made me smile. I’ve done 9 RS tours and found the tour members to be mostly interesting people who were eager to learn and experience new things. Never evaluated them in terms of ‘rule followers’.

If I was heading out on a tour right now, I'd rather know the truth than what I hope and believe will happen. The truth is, not everyone on the bus will wear their mask consistently, or correctly. Some will wear a cloth or surgical mask rather than a KN95. The tour guide can't be everywhere at once. You will likely choose congeniality over constantly asking others to mask up. Those who don't want to wear a mask likely have been on many RS trips and don't believe they'll be kicked off the tour over failing to mask. And with all that, the RS tour positivity rate is around 2%, likely better than the current rate in your home town. I think this all is the new normal.

I was on a recent 21 day RS tour and tour members complied with mask requirements on the bus as well as inside spaces and in crowded outdoor situations. Tour members did seem to have varying degrees of what constituted 'crowded' outdoor situations, I erred on the side of caution, as did many other tour members. I felt comfortable and safe given the level of compliance.

Edited to add: by 'comfortable and safe' I meant, I felt comfortable on the bus and amongst the tour members in that we were doing as much as we could in terms of masking as a preventative measure. This was also a tour that required a negative result for a professionally taken Covid test which added to my level of comfort.

I have been curious, are they opening the windows on the bus for more airflow?

You may be putting too much faith in masking. I am currently on a RS tour where masking and other Covid protocols have been practiced. Nevertheless, 4 tour members plus our guide tested positive and left the tour. Of course none were more sick than minor illness I have experienced on several pre Covid era tours and none would have been booted from those tours. I would say it is just a roll of the dice whether you test positive regardless of masking and other precautions. I hope Rick will exercise whatever political clout he has in Washington to get the test to return requirement dropped like every other logical country. This USA requirement, not fear of disease, is creating huge issues for RS travelers, all of whom are vaccinated, and for other Americans who wish to vacation in Europe.

our guide doing everything but stand on her head and spit wooden nickels to get them to do the right thing

Sounds like those folks were lucky to not have been banished

I agree completely, its crazy to have this extra stress. I keep hoping the negative test will be lifted.

We recently finished 2 back-to-back RS tours, Sicily and My Way Italy. While I didn’t watch the rest of the bus 24-7, it seemed that everyone wore masks all the time, and all wore the required type. There were one or two on the second tour that weren’t fans of mask-wearing, but they complied. During the required bus stops, everyone gathered outside instead of inside. 22 out of the 25 went home the day after the tour ended and all got a negative test.

I have been curious, are they opening the windows on the bus for more airflow?

On many modern coaches, the windows don't open.

After all that’s gone over these last few years, I guess that it’s going to take awhile for people to remember that rules for traveling on these group tours are generally put in place for the safety and convenience of all the tour members. Please be respectful of what’s asked of you and if you don’t want to follow the rules of any particular tour group then don’t go versus making it uncomfortable for others.

“I have been curious, are they opening the windows on the bus for more airflow?”

No the bus windows don’t open but there is a vent above your head like on an airplane where you can get additional airflow.

I agree with treemoss2: If I had signed up for a tour with a mask-on-the-bus requirement and the guide didn't enforce that rule, I would be extremely angry. Rick's guides are well paid. They do not depend on travelers' tip. There is no excuse for not enforcing a well-publicized rule like that.

I think the vents recirculate the air, rather than get air from the outside — but I’m not an expert on this.

I find it upsetting that tour members chose not to mask properly. They knew the rules and agreed to the masking policy to take the tour. The guide wasn't doing her job if she allowed masking violations. Using Scandinavia's lax masking policies as excuse is not acceptable; the guide is employed by Rick Steves' and knew the policy.
I'd like to think this is a one off tour problem, but there have been other trip reports about lax masking on buses.

What are the rules off the bus but indoors in a country where masks are not required indoors--like in most of Scandinavia? Do you have to wear them whenever you are with the group?

It is amazing to me that this remains an issue. It has been discussed multiple times on other threads. I'm not going to debate those who deny the efficacy of mask wearing. I do think that nothing completely stops this virus from spreading but N95 masks reduce the likelihood. The more important point is that we signed up for tours with the understanding that RS tours would take certain precautions to mitigate the chance that we would contract COVID. They have assured me and others that they have contacted their tour guides and that this problem was solved. I guess not.

To answer your questions re: opening windows on the bus— no, Windows didn’t open.

2 people were wearing their masks on the bus occasionally but more often than most. They were positive.

I agree testing positive is more of a roll of the dice. Social distancing is important and we did practice that. I still believe masks are important.

I, too, wish our government would drop the test to return requirement when you can fly domestically without a test. So inconsistent!

Judy, How did you enjoy the tour, apart from Covid related issues? They likely won’t post any reviews for several weeks and I am taking this tour soon, so I would appreciate any insights, suggestions, warnings, etc. I am extending the tour, taking the ferry from Bergen to Flam, and taking the scenic train from Flam to Myrdal the next day, then on to Oslo for a couple of extra days. Were restaurants so expensive that people resorted to supermarkets for meals? Any Covid impacts on sightseeing? Was the overnight ferry fun? Your experiences and thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Mike,
I plan to write a trip report when I return home. Right now I’m in the Bergen airport waiting for our gate number for our flight to AMS. I’m typing on my phone.

I loved the tour, my 8th RS. It is expensive in restaurants and I only went a couple times to the grocery for picnic fixings. Scandinavia is clean and orderly. I really loved it here.

Overnight ferry is pleasant, the tour works like clockwork. I loved all the cities and the small towns. Oslo is young and hip, Bergen is a working city with a young vibe. We had 2 full days of brilliant blue skies and sun in Bergen, an unusual occurrence!
I will stop for now.

Right now I’m in the Bergen airport waiting for our gate number for our flight to AMS.

Please let us know how you fare in AMS.

Schiphol is a nightmare! Mobs of people trying to get through passport control. KLM put me in a middle seat when I chose an aisle seat when I bought my ticket with Delta. I’m so unhappy but I guess I should be grateful we are on the plane home. Because KLM canceled our flight from Bergen to AMS, my booking with Delta was messed up as far as seating. 9 hour flight ahead of me.
Other tour mates said CDG was a mess too. Summer travel has started.

Thanks, Judy. Good luck getting home. Glad to hear you got onto a flight and enjoyed the tour.

AMS is a bigger mess than anyplace and none of them are running well this summer.

Hello Judy,

Thank you for letting us know. 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 am glad to hear you enjoyed your trip!