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RS Family Tours

I am hoping to take my granddaughter on a RS Family Tour next summer. Unfortunately, she is a very picky/unadventurous eater. For those who have taken one of these tours, do they offer kids meals? Thanks.

Posted by
893 posts

It might help if you would give examples of the items that she will eat. Then people who have taken these tours can chime in about availability. Also, you could talk to the RS tour office. They are very well informed about the different tours and have probably heard this question before.

You never know, your granddaughter MAY try new things and then decide she likes them.
I hope ya'll take the trip and have a great time.

Mimi

Posted by
2541 posts

Mimi,

She won’t eat many veggies or fruit. She is a teenager so expecting her to change at this point is doubtful although we can hope.

Posted by
377 posts

Unless there’s an allergy issue, I would not request special meals. On the tours I’ve been on there are a variety of foods. You always get breakfast with a number of choices. At dinner you may get a choice to opt out of a fish dish if you do not eat fish.

I had a child that was a very picky eater. I refused to be a short order cook but I did offer a wide variety of foods. For foods he did not want to eat we would say try one bite before you decide you don’t like it. As an adult, his food choices include many different and healthy choices. You would never know he was so picky. Tastes for foods do change so encourage trying new foods as part of the travel experience.

Posted by
7135 posts

She is a teenager so expecting her to change at this point is doubtful

Don't underestimate the power of peer pressure. If there are other teens on the tour she may just follow the other (hopefully) more adventurous eaters.

As an adult picky eater who has traveled to Europe many times, I can vouch that she will find something everywhere she goes that she can (or will) eat. So, there should be no worries about that, and any tour company that allows children/teens has dealt with this issue and can accommodate it.

Posted by
2541 posts

Hopefully when she is away from her parents who cater to her and with some peer pressure she will try some new things. And as has been said there are always choices at dinner.

Posted by
444 posts

I can't directly answer your question, but I was concerned about my daughter when we went to Italy last year, but she was always able to find something she would eat. They didn't have kids meals at any of the places we went but luckily, she loves pasta... :) We are taking her and her more adventurous brother overseas this week and I hope she can find some things to eat in Prague and Germany too. Otherwise, she will be hungry lol.

As a former picky eater, even in teenage years, I can say that I expanded my tastes quite a bit once I lived on my own and dined with friends and was exposed to other ways of preparing vegetables. So there is hope for her too!

Posted by
11507 posts

I took my 11 yr old on a RS family tour.. it was one of our most amazing trips together.. she will love the tour..

I think you are over worrying about what she eats.. there is always bread.. give me a break.. she'll live.. her pickiness is HER problem.. not yours remember.. shes not a five yr old.

Also remember you buy your own lunches.. so she can buy an extra ham sandwich for dinner if starving.. ( which I highly doubt) .

The group breakfasts were all very basic and easy( and all seemed to be buffet.. so she can choose ) .. she eats cereal , toast, yogurt.... etc.. right.. and you only get half the dinners included.. and as I recall those were pretty basic.. sure they offer you a choice of some dishes.. she can choose the plain ones.
I recall things like basic meat and potatoes in Germany.. pastas in tomato sauces in Italy ( and she can request no sauce ) , nothing too crazy. We were offered to try cheese fondue in Switzerland.. but that was something you could option out of.. and yes.. snails were on the menu for our last night in Paris.. but so was a salad.. so she can opt out of some of the more fun offerings.

She is a teenager.. she will be surrounded by other teenagers and kids .. she will have a blast.. I promise.. and I also promise she'll manage without starving.. at her age I really and truly would just let it go..

PS .. as a teenager isnt she getting too old for "childrens meals".. here those are mostly for children under 10 or maybe 12..

Posted by
127 posts

I was a terribly picky eater as a kid and a teenager - I'm sure I was worse than your granddaughter could possibly be. It was less about taste and more about texture. The worst thing in the world for me was for anyone to draw attention to it, because eating already caused anxiety. We traveled quite a bit when I was a teenager and I often found eating in Europe easier, because there was always simple food available - bread, fruit, cheese. My advice is to put it entirely out of your head, and assume she'll figure it out. Don't intervene at meals and don't ask her how she liked her food. If at any point she asks you for $$ to buy a baguette or other snack just let her do it without comment. In my early 20's food textures stopped being an issue and now I eat everything.

Also, if any of your peers notice or criticize (as my aunts/uncles would do - my parents were amazing at letting it roll off them), just know that no one would ever choose to be picky. It's very stressful. So you can just shrug your shoulders and say "we are so thrilled to travel with her, we don't care if all she eats is bread. If we had her metabolism, we would too!" Good luck.

Posted by
2541 posts

Thanks everyone for your comments and help.

Posted by
11751 posts

If by "Family Tour" you mean the MY WAY tours, the only included meal is the breakfast buffet provided by the hotel.

Costs not covered: As this is not a guided tour, you will be responsible for the cost of all your lunches, dinners, drinks...

This from the "What's included" section on the RS website

Posted by
11751 posts

Obviously I need more coffee!

I scrolled too fast and missed it.