Tour Dates Up

Some dates are posted; the tour I was scheduled to take in 2020 (RS St Petersburg, etc) is not yet. Perhaps because the Russian government is not yet issuing tourist VISAs. Or perhaps the schedule just takes a bit more work and will be posted soon.

Not all countries though. Maybe they will be posted later. 14 days in Scotland, St. Petersburg Tallinn & Helsinki, 14 Days in Scandinavia are missing at this point.
I’m so glad to see the ones listed!

When you click on a specific tour, it says to “Notify me” when the tour is available for booking.

I suspect there are some "shadow" dates there as well. I just looked at the Best of Italy and see there is one date in April, then it jumps to May. On down when you look at Sept it looks like there are 7 departures scheduled for that month. Maybe they are more confident about being able to travel in a year? Just speculating....

Also, they did not post the Single Supplement $ amount.

Judy B - once you click on the "notify me" button it tells you how much the single supplement is.

I've asked to be notified about 2 of the tours - will keep my fingers crossed!!

The three tours mentioned above as “missing” are posted now.

Do the happy dance! It’s a small step forward and I’ll take it. I already put in for notification for Loire/South of France for solo trip. I’m wondering if I should put in Heart of France notification for two in case someone want to go with me....?

I called the tour office about something else and learned that it is not necessary to ask to be notified for more than 1 tour. (I'd already done that for 2.)

The "notify me" request for 1 tour will put you on the list to receive notification as to when booking will be possible -- for all tours.

I asked if I needed to somehow delete one of my requests and was told that the only problem with asking to be notified about more than one is that I might get more than one email when it's possible to commit.

I'm targeting the last Best of Ireland in 14 Days Tour, Oct 3-Oct 16 (Su-Sa) and hoping that by then, it will be okay to go.

Now I can really start to plan for this trip...again.

Happy dance!

Lo, I just signed up for two different dates for the South Italy tour; had I seen your post first I would have just picked one more or less at random. But, no harm done.

David, they do make it clear in the email response that there's no guarantee of when or even if the tours will go:

We haven’t committed to operating tours in 2021 yet. As soon as we determine that we can safely and reliably run this tour, we’ll email you an advance notification and you’ll have the opportunity to book your seat.

Once this tour opens for bookings, it will be filled on a first come,
first served basis and require a deposit to secure the seats.

That's still enough for me to join horsewoofie in the happy dance.

Thanks for the “notify me”info Lo. I won’t put in a request for the second tour.
I just hope a vaccine is tested and in general distribution by next fall.
I was sorting packing cubes and adding folding hangers to my travel laundry bag this morning wishing I could really plan to travel soon. Two weeks ago I sorted all my travel incidentals and moved them from bags hanging in my closet to a plastic dresser, inspired by a Forum thread a few months ago.

I went to “notify me” for Loire & South of France and didn’t see the Single Supplement amount. What am I missing?

I asked to be notified for the Best of Ireland in 14 days for late July and hope to do that back to back with the Best of Scotland in 14 days. This gives me something to hope for at least.

This is such great news. Even though there is the disclaimer, it means that things are moving in the right direction and we can start to seriously think about 2021 with a positive outlook

I'm not sure anything has moved forward on allowing US residents' entry or the public health crisis, but I am glad to see this too. I am guessing this as a way for RSE to gauge interest in the tours so they can plan (as predicted), since there is nothing firm or committed.

Regardless of when travel will be possible, it made me so happy today just to see dates for tours! I started a list of things to do to choose the date for my 2021 do-over tour. Yes, I know there are so many unknowns - but it's still fun to dream!

ETA: Lo, thanks for the mention about not needing to sign up for notification on multiple tour dates. Very helpful!

I am thrilled to finally have some hope for travel next year! I’m doing a happy dance. Yay!!

If your notify request is for one person you will be charged the single supplement. Apparently no singles sharing a room. You will see the tour and supplement costs when the notify process is completed. It seemed like the tour costs are slightly higher than 2020, guessing $200.

I have (optimistically) picked a tour for the first part of October. We shall see.

Mandatory single supplement is no problem for me, I am no fan of sharing a room with someone I don't know that well anyway, but it is a change that may make it difficult for some who want to go.

I found my registration from my 2020 tour (Best of St Petersburg, etc.)

The 2020 cost (double occupancy, before early bird or returning guest discounts) was $3195 and the 2021 price for all tour dates showing is $3195. No change.

Thanks for posting! I'm hoping for the Poland tour for me and my daughter. I know the folks on this forum will understand how excited I am just to click "Notify Me"!

Happy dance! We're not tour people (yet) but are encouraged that the RS team feels confident enough about European travel in 2021 to post dates! Maybe we'll stand a chance of pulling out the passports next year, and are crossing fingers for the folks who love the RS tours! 🤗

Sounds like everyone is ready to go! :)

Well I think we are skipping 2021 with uncle Ricky. My hubs said “you mean we won’t do any of his trips for two years”! Yup. I decided to check into doing two trips back to back with a small group tour. But only , if it is safe and allowed to travel to Europe. No deposits are required yet, just signed up at the present time.

Kim

Oh, kim, I know you have other prospects, but .... a year without an RS tour???

And to the rest of you: Let's all happy dance together! Yes, some people will rain on our parade, but we can dance in the rain.

Oh my goodness, a ray of light for optimists! ! Don’t we all just want to grab on to something that will make us feel positive and hopeful for a future trip with friends, family and new friends we havnt met? Do we not already know the pitfalls, the negatives, the Covid concerns of looking to the near future of travel? Come on, you Downer David’s, give us a break from your predictions, etc. And let us a revel in the fun of planning and seeing positive advancement of a near future that will bring travel, education, financial improvement, etc to the travel industry and mental health of a large group of travel minded people .

Yay judy ! Love it!

Yay! So very happy to have the hope of traveling in 2021! RS knows what they're doing and as it's posted, they won't go until everything falls into line, but I just love having something to look forward to. Thanks for all your hard work, each and every one of you Rick Steves folks!

About the single supplement:

I tested the system and found that you can get the single supplement cost by selecting 1 from the drop down box under NUMBER OF TRAVELERS.

I didn't have to fill in the CONTACT INFORMATION or actually click on the final Notify Me button.

I printed the first page of that screen which includes Your Tour Summary in the upper right corner. In the middle of the page at the bottom is the Price including the tour price, the Single Private Room cost and the Per Person Total.

Oh, so happy!! Even though we are waiting for a vaccine (which seems likely sooner than we thought, per the news from Dr. Fauci today) it does my heart good to start looking forward and start planning!! I couldn't sit still yesterday after I saw the possible dates posted! Best of Eastern Europe for me, in Oct. It will be my first RS tour!

I can't even afford an RS tour (well I could, but can travel twice as long on my own) and I find this heartening.

The way I see it is that Rick hasn't ruled out travel next year. I think if he truly thought it was a non-starter, he wouldn't list dates.

I'm not saying he's saying it will go, but I interpret it as its still in the realm of possibility.

I thought he'd start listing fall dates, then add earlier in the season as things changed over the next four or five months. Interesting he has early season dates listed!

Happy dance, indeed!

I too am hopeful and will join in the Happy Happy Happy Dance--WHOOHOO! Bons rêves de voyage!

Add me to the happy dancers!
While I'm not prepared to plunk down the money for an airfare, it's nice to see that Rick has goals into the future.
I'm quite happy to stay tuned...

I was so excited to get on the 'list'! I am so ready to begin traveling again. I know it is going to be beyond wonderful. My heart is full of joy just thinking about it! 2021 can't come soon enough! EUROPE, HERE I COME!

RS email yesterday said ‘no deposits will be taken until they’re confident the time is right- rather than risk having to cancel tours later, causing needless disappointment’.
To be ready for 2021 RS has booked hotels and buses and guides standing by. Smart business approach to an uncertain situation.
I like the advance notification e-mail list and the flexibility theme for 2021.

I got the same email as Diane above got. We are on the list for the same tours we should be on right now.

I agree with the vaccine being propaganda and I certainly won’t be getting it until it’s been fully vetted. The Russians can keep their vaccine.
I am not going to hold my breath. Time will tell.

Rick is betting on one of 3 things happening, or maybe a bit of all three:

1. A widely distributed vaccine by April
2. The bug just going away on its own
3. The world to reprioritize values, fears, etc

Either way,, Like I said, Full Steam Ahead. We all agree, nothing to loose and no reason not to. FINALLY!!!

My insurance was $175 for medical including COVID (but not avoiding travel due to fear outside of the "No Reason" window --- they actually said that) and "No Reason" cancellation and Pre-Existing Conditions coverage. Based on the total cost of the trip, maybe a bit much, but maybe reasonable when put against the cost of a RS tour.. Still I sleep better with the insurance. If I catch COVID in the next two weeks, I am covered.

We are very hopeful to take our canceled trip next year with RS, Paris & HOF. Not quite doing the happy dance till we actually make our deposit. We did hit the notify button for second tour in April. Fingers crossed.

Just thinking about a tour lifted my spirits yesterday. I have never taken a Rick Steves tour and have always just gone to Europe independently. However, this last year's experience of having to unwind a big summer vacation to Germany/Austria/UK, has made me stop and think about a tour this next time. I am very much leaning towards having someone else do all the hotel bookings and transportation for me. In addition, less public transportation may be better, post-Covid. Although the cost is going to be more for an RS tour, I am thinking it is now worth it. Looking at the My Alpine Tour with the added bonus of the Dolomites and Chamonix. If not for 2021 then 2022 will be my year for my first RS tour.

Margaret