Reserved seats on bus?

...will have to sit in the same bus seat every day...No
...can we move around whenever we want... Yes
...can we leave stuff on the bus...Yes

Have been on many RS tours and the above is what we have always experienced.

Yes I pack my Rick day pack almost every bus day with things I might need. It almost always stays on the bus and I only take my purse when we get off the bus. I figure if I take my raincoat or umbrella along every day it will help prevent rain!!!!!! They do ask you to rotate where you sit, especially in the front of the bus, but they are not militant about making sure you do. I get car sick and it helps if I sit near the front, but I do try to change my seat every day (but just in the front half.)

Hi Sunny, it’s nice that nothing is assigned, so you can get to know your tour mates on the bus rides & during breakfast & group meals. I brought a carry on backpack & tote on the trip, so I left my tote in the seat I picked out each day and carried my small purse when we stopped en route to our next city.

The kool kids always sit towards the back of the bus.

As has already been said, no assigned/reserved seats on the bus and tour members are often encouraged to move around the bus, especially for those that want to sit in the front row for the views. Sometimes, there are people that get motion sickness and they ask to sit in the front. As is human nature, people tend to find their “favorite” or “comfortable” seats on the bus and they happily keep the same seats for the duration of the tour.

"The kool kids always sit towards the back of the bus."

Hahahaha...yes, lots of joking about that!

RS treats its tour members like adults and expects us to rotate and be cheerful about it. I agree that the only time anything was said was if someone does have motion sickness and needs a front area seat. The guides usually request that the very front seat, usually behind the driver since the guide sits in the other one, be rotated so everyone that wants can have a chance to sit there.

I also agree with being able to leave stuff on the bus during the day while touring. They will ask you not to leave anything on the bus overnight in case of break-ins.

This tour is just awesome, by the way! Do have water, snacks, guidebook, and yes, rain jacket, hahaha in your "bus bag".

As a solo traveler who does not get motion sick, I try to move around to get different views as well as interact with different tour mates. On a couple of RS tours we had extremely motion sensitive people who needed to always sit at the front - several were very apologetic they were "hogging" the front seats. I much preferred they sit there rather than barf on the bus. I always pack a small foldable grocery bag (like this one) that I put things like headphones, guidebook, extra water, kindle reader, foldable keyboard (I keep a travel blog), and charging cables (in case you can charge on the bus - not always an option). It is bright orange so I don't forget it.

Also you didn't ask, but you may not know that you can also store things on the bus (in the storage area) if you happen to start accumulating too many things along the way. Make sure your things are put in something sturdy (like a packable duffle with zipper) and tell the driver you want to put it in deep storage until your last stop (and DON'T forget to take it off the bus at your last stop).

And last, always, always, always take the opportunity to use the bathroom at any stop the bus makes. Your motto should be "go when you can, not when you have to." You'll have some long bus days and they will stop every two hours or so, but traffic can happen and your bladder will be oh-so-thankful you gave it a go (pun intended). Have a wonderful trip!

Your motto should be "go when you can, not when you have to."

As one old time RS guide said at the start of the first bus day, "Never pass up a loo stop".

I can only imagine with some tour mates some drama arises. People who need "their" seat, cliques that form, some imagined hierarchy of who sits where.

But then the sociology of tour groups has always fascinated me, they tend to be a whole social experiment.

Paul, I’m happy to say that of the 4 RS tours I took, none of them had the issues you’re mentioning- actually quite the opposite. I think it helps that the RS tours aren’t the most expensive & most catering to people’s egos. The “no grumps” policy probably helps filter out some potential complainers.

I will chime in and echo Jean’s answer to Paul, after our 9 tours we have never had those types of people to deal with. It’s yet another reason we keep taking Rick’s tours.

And last, always, always, always take the opportunity to use the bathroom at any stop the bus makes. Your motto should be "go when you can, not when you have to."

Ha ha, that reminds me of a travel motto I heard once.

Never stand when you can sit. Never sit when you can lie down. And
never miss a chance to go to the toilet. :-)

I've seen mostly good behavior on the buses during our 10 years of tours. I did note some deterioration though in 2024.

While RS doesn't perform the catering to the wealthy we did have a rather rich and rude couple (from western MI, our own state) onboard last year. The guy was terribly overweight and recovering from heart surgery so everyone tried to be accommodating but the couple constantly blocked others from proceeding on and off the bus. They were SO slow gathering up their goods and just getting moving. Many times they simply could have just waited for everyone else rather than impede them. This happened in many other situations than the bus too.

The worst thing they did? Another couple had placed their belongings on their selected seat and left the bus for a few minutes. In the meantime the "entitled" couple proceeded to remove all their belongings and put them elsewhere. They placed their belongings in that seat! The couple who had been displaced were our friends so we led them to their items and we also told them who was responsible. Most people on the tour considered their handling other people's belongings to be a real faux pas. Apparently the entitled couple had annoyed so many that no one was talking to them by the final dinner.

There was a rather whiny woman constantly moving about trying to find a location that didn't make her seasick. Not just one day....quite a few of them. She was much too young to be so needy.

younger people don't get motion sick? Ask my cousin.

After COVID, the first tours (spring 2022) had a different feel from past and present tours. We DID have assigned seats in that the first place we sat was where we had to seat the rest of the tour. I hated that as my first seat (got on the bus last so had to take what was left) had a blocked view.
But the tours I've taken since you can move around although many people seem to choose the same general area each day (front, middle, or back).
I like to move around.
And, yes, you can leave things on the bus. I do.

Before my husband’s knee replacement, his favorite seat (area) on the bus was the very back bench seat. As a fairly tall guy, he could stretch his legs out and actually stand up if need be. But yeah, he’s also kind of a kool kid lol.

Theoretically they ask everyone to move around everyday, but it's just to stop people from always grabbing the same seats that other people may want. In practice, most people tend to sit around the same general area everyday. If someone is hogging the front seat, for example, the guide will enforce the seat rotation policy.