My Way tours

Which my way tour are you looking at? I’m signed up for the my way alps tour later this year.

What appeals to me about the my way tour is that the hotels and transportation are taken care of. Yet, I can still do all the planning myself for each destination. Also, I am not a people person, so I like that group meals (other than breakfast) are not included.

The tour scrapbooks give you a good sense of what the tours are like. These are the most current ones:

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/scrapbooks

Number 15 is my way Italy.

Number 19 is my way alpine.

Older scrapbooks can be found here:

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/scrapbooks/tour-alum-scrapbooks

You can check each year to see if there is one for the my way you are interested in.

If you have questions about a specific tour, I’m sure there will be some here that will be able to answer for you.

I took the My Way Alpine tour in September 2023 and absolutely loved it! Just as Carrie said, hotels and bus transportation are included which leaves you in control of planning your activities! I was able to spend more time at each place I was visiting, a big plus compared to the fully guided tours. And I’m a proponent of the guided tours having taken 14.

My next My Way tour will be the 11 days in Spain.

I took the My Way Alpine tour in 2024 and absolutely loved it. It was only my second tour (first was Portugal). I thought the Alpine itinerary really lended itself to independent travel which is what I am most use to. Our tour manager Don was great and he even set up a few evening gatherings which were fun. He was helpful regarding the lift procedures and getting the group going sooner if the weather looked great for going up the mountains.
I just took the Adriatic tour August of 2025 which was fabulous and am set for the 17 day Best Of Italy April of this year. I really appreciated and learned so much from all the guides during the Adriatic tour and expect the same in Italy. That being said I did not feel I missed out on anything through the Alps by not having guides.
I would highly recommend the My Way Alpine tour. 10/10!
Regina

We’ve done two My Way tours (Spain & Italy) and are doing the French one this May. Initially we chose this format in addition to RS guided tours as a way to extend our trips without experiencing total exhaustion. After the first one, we found we really liked the camaraderie and ability to set our own pace. Most of time we’re revisiting places we’ve been before with the chance to see additional things.

The hotels have always been centrally located, sometimes the tour manager will arrange optional group activities and the tour managers have always gone above and beyond. On our My Way Spain, the guide explained which ATMs had the least fees, discretely took someone to the hospital, spent his free time chasing down a backpack filled with passports, etc.. that got accidentally left in a taxi and probably other things we never even saw. We continue to do independent travel, but we’ve come to appreciate having the hotels and transportation taken care of. Much like the fully-guided tours, there is always an optional orientation walk for each overnight spot and the tour managers are knowledgeable about local restaurants and how to navigate activities. We’ve also found a wide age range on these tours - the range on our Spain tour was 8 to 83.

We did the Adriatic tour last year and loved it. I’m happy to answer any specific questions.

Hello Kevin, I took the My Way Spain tour last year and loved it! I was considering Best of Barcelona and Madrid tour and went with My Way Spain since the My Way itinerary was much more appealing and provided a lot more of what I was interested in seeing while on my first trip to Spain.

The tour group of 20 people were fun to get to know and chat with during the times we spent together. The opening meet and greet, breakfasts and a few other meals together, and bus/train rides on the trip were perfect opportunities to connect socially and chat about our adventures and other things. There was plenty of independent time for exploring each destination, visiting the places that interested me the most - at my own pace. All in all, it was a great experience and one I will remember forever.

I was the only solo traveler on that tour but didn't feel alone. I met several new friends to enjoy meals with and do a few other things together. And I'm keeping in touch with some of them. A few of us are going on the Best of Istanbul tour this year!

I have done the My Way Alpine and the retired my way Best of Europe in 2019……and I have done 11 other RS tours and I would have to say that both the my way’s are in the top five……there were major hiccups in both tours and the tour guides were amazing at rolling with the punches and keeping everything running smoothly. I’m a solo traveler and I have found in both types of tours you find “your people” if you want. The my way tour guides are extremely helpful in making sure you know how to do what you want to do…In both instances, they would help with getting tickets, directions, etc…..….i did the Adriatic tour a couple of years ago and that tour does have a similar feel to a my way tour. ….if you love to hike, you will love the Alpine tour……..

My husband and I (both 60) took the My Way Alpine tour in 2024. We loved the itinerary. As stated above the ease of transportation and lodging already taken care of made the tour so easy. We used the Rick Steves guide book to decide what we were interested in seeing. I also loved the scrapbooks submitted by past travelers to get ideas. We used buses, trains, e-bikes and gondolas to see a variety of sites. Google Maps is your friend. It includes buses and trains. Our tour manager, Brian, suggested things to see and do as well. We flew in to Munich. I purchased train tickets ahead from Munich to Salzburg. We did a few sites we had missed from an earlier trip to Munich. We also purchased entrance to Neuschwanstein castle ahead of the trip.
Many people went on their own for sightseeing during the day. In the Dolomites and Swiss Alps, even Chamonix, many of us went places together. We often met in the hotels in the evenings to eat or drink while sharing our adventures. The people on the tour are so kind and friendly.
I would absolutely take this tour again.