The discussion about tour badges got me thinking about how, on past tours, we could purchase beverages on the RS tour bus and pay for them at the end of the tour. I was thinking it would be a great option if we could also purchase extra N95 masks on the tour bus. I would totally do that, rather than use up lots of my limited suitcase space for extra masks (and I'm the kind of person who would definitely want to have plenty of extra masks!). I wonder if anyone at RS Tours has considered this. Am I the only one who thinks this might be a good option to have available?
Posted by
Northern Minnesota
741 posts
I would think they would have masks available on the bus, but I have been trimming and adding adjustable elastic on the KN95s for a better fit, so I wouldn't purchase them. I will place used masks in paper bags overnight and reuse them several times. We will be in France for three weeks, so I will bring about six KN95s.
Posted by
Charleston & Birmingham
4546 posts
One of the things I loved about our Gate 1 tours is that they gave us a bottle of water every day-and yes I do know that causes a problem with disposal of so much plastic.
Posted by
bath, maine, usa
106 posts
Selling masks might make more sense for the Front Desk at the hotels used by Rick Steves Tours. IMHO, this may already be a service that Front Desks might provide.
Pam from Bath
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7114 posts
As long as RS is requiring masks on the bus, then I would assume that drivers/guides will carry some extras to hand out just in case someone comes on without one, but I'm not sure that would extend to selling them.
Posted by
Florida, USA
97 posts
I'm picky about the masks we use, e.g. they have to be made in the USA. I'd feel more comfortable bringing my own and, unless it was an emergency, most likely would not purchase any.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
5317 posts
No thanks. I prefer to bring my own- ones I know have a good, comfortable fit. They don't take up that much room in my luggage. And the European equivalent can be inexpensively purchased in just about any town or city if you need more. I would no more expect them to stock masks for purchase than I would hand sanitizer or tissues.
Posted by
130 posts
Though it sounds convenient, it seems it would be one more task for the guide. I'm good with bringing my own masks.
Posted by
Paris
10011 posts
Masks just don't take up that much room. I would prefer to bring my own.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14533 posts
I agree with Kim. When I went to France for a month last Fall I took 34 masks for the days I was gone. I packed them in a couple of ziplocks and stashed in the front pocket of my 22" TravelPro. I also particularly like a special style of N95 so I'll be using those and packing enough for my time this spring. The ones I use fold flat so they are not bulky.
I'll add that I went on a Road Scholar tour last fall in France and no masks were on sale on the bus. In fact I usually carried extra because someone often would lose or forget their masks. I had some blue surgical masks and offered those to the ones without.
I have a 3-zip pouch I carry in my day bag - one compartment for unused masks, one for used ones and one for a couple of plastic gloves.
Posted by
Minnesota
552 posts
I just finished an RS tour in Sicily. So fun! There were no masks provided or sold by anyone connected with RS. Everyone in the group seemed to bring a good supply of their own, but masks were for sale everywhere we went. Not a big deal.