Wanderlust,
I'm so glad that you've found my posts to be helpful. :) It's great fun chatting about our European Alps vacation!
What we're doing differently this trip vs. last summer on our RS Alps My Way adventure?
Wow.... where do I begin ??
Planning some. Not a huge amount but more than last time. We were all working full-time or in college last year and had never taken a tour with any group. Honestly, it was absolutely fabulous that we had nothing to worry about and were at peace knowing the accommodations, breakfasts and transportation was all provided for us. Aside from getting airfare, and making a reservation for the castle and a few extra nights at our beginning and ending hotels, we completely just went with the flow. Paid close attention to what tidbits our guide would talk about on the bus and read up on the next city as we enjoyed the bus rides. It was incredibly relaxing and we had the time of our lives. The most stressful part of our adventure in the summer of 2024 was finding adequate care for our pets at home. Eventually, we hired a lovely and competent caregiver for our elderly pets but it was the first time we'd left them and finding just the right person took a lot of effort. So, enough of that rabbit trail (haha!) - my work situation this year went from full time to part time and 2 of my triplets are no longer full-time students. More free time has given me the luxury of reading more about places we'll see. From what I've read and from what travelers on our '24 tour told us, no 2 trips will be the same. Already, we have different hotels at the beginning and end. We'll be flying into a different city and taking a train into Salzburg. We know that it really is important not to have your carry-on bags be too cumbersome. I actually tripped on the stairs as I exited the plane when we landed in Salzburg. It's really a miracle I didn't tumble all the way to the tarmac. All because my backpack was just way too heavy for me to be sure-footed. Thankfully, I landed smack on the stair, right onto my bottom and only my little bag went to the ground. Lesson learned.
I am not bringing sandals. Cobblestones are everywhere and cute footwear is absolutely not as important as lace-up strength for my ankles. We're learning more about Mozart before traveling to the city of his birth, along with more about King Ludwig whose castle we visited. Also, watched the Sound of Music recently and will take a SoM tour this time. Didn't do that last time. We will have a list of 4 or more excellently-rated restaurants that we've researched, within our price range, on hand for each city. Last year we wasted time looking up google reviews instead of just going to eat. Also, making sure we have a plan for Switzerland. That is the country that, although we loved every moment, we didn't take advantage (as we should have) of the mountain destinations. More research and a loosely-held, flexible plan will be on the ready. We're staying more than 1 extra night in Chamonix. The flight to get overseas is the most costly of any portion of this journey so staying longer only makes sense. Our children could likely be departing to the four corners of the earth once we return to the real world after this Alps trip. We're spending the money now and have no regrets doing so.
We'll most-likely have a different RS guide, a different bus driver and definitely a different group of fellow travelers. I'm hopeful we'll love all the new peeps as much as we did our group in '24.
I hope these thoughts help :)
I'm happy to answer any questions. I'm confident you'll have a life-changing, FABULOUS Rick Steves Alps adventure! Be thinking of a song you'd like to contribute to a playlist that the guide might compile for the bus trip(s). I loved that part! I listen to ours all the time. Such an eclectic mash of music :)
~Mitzi
