Hello all, as the 12/31 deadline creeps closer for us to obtain a deposit refund for our BOE 21 Day trip next August/September, 2022, we find ourselves considering all options. I understand that the Rick Steves tour policy is to apply any deposits towards other trips within the same calendar year but what if this is not an option? If countries begin closing borders again next summer due to Covid or another reason, would we be able to apply any deposits or payments towards a trip in a different calendar year?
Posted by
Placerville, ca, us
158 posts
Best to call the office, but if countries close and RS needs to cancel they refunded very fast in 2020 all the deposits and tour $ as needed.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14725 posts
Rick Steves tour policy for a tour THEY cancel is 100% refund within 2 weeks which matches the Washington State regulations regarding cancellations. They did rolling cancellations in 2020 but he also notified everyone as to the procedure so people were informed.
Posted by
St. Petersburg, FL
146 posts
Hopefully by now you received an email that Rick is extending the deposit cancellation policy to 120 days prior to tour departure. I resonate with the above comments that Rick was very prompt at dealing with cancellations in 2020. I think their policies are very fair and flexible. Our plan for our Adriatic tour in May is to fly into gateways (not tour departure or termination points) and go somewhere else if our tour is canceled if that is an option. One just needs to remain as flexible if they can.
Posted by
Paris
10189 posts
More than fair and flexible, I would say the Rick Steves company policies / refunds etc have been extraordinary.
(Sadly so, as one would hope for such an honest and forthright approach across the board, but in the context of how most businesses treat people these days, I would say RS has been exceptional.)
Posted by
Colorado
471 posts
We have travel planned for May although it's not a RS tour. I'm taking the leap of faith that it's all going to be good. I suspect that COVID is just to be something we're going to have to live with. It's going to come in rolling waves where we'll need to be flexible and make adjustments. When it's cold we wear coats. When transmission levels are high, we'll wear masks. We'll have our booster shots and be fluent in the bureaucracy and tech of vaccine passports. Then again, I've made allowances for cancellations and am looking for travel insurance that will work for us. I'd think you are in pretty stellar hands with Rick Steves tours.
Posted by
CA
2141 posts
This is part of the email we got from RS today.
You’ve paid us a deposit for your 2022 tour that’s currently refundable until December 31, 2021. We recognize the stress of planning a trip during uncertain times. And so, to make things easier on you, we’ve decided to extend our "fully refundable" deadline on a rolling basis. Deposits are now 100% refundable until 120 days before your tour departs, or until December 31, 2021, whichever comes later. (For example, a tour departing August 15, 2022, could be cancelled and fully refunded up to April 17, 2022.
Posted by
OP
16 posts
Thank you all for alerting me to that email - I didn't see it prior to reading about it on this board. How ironic that it was sent the same day I posted this message. This is a wonderful gesture by Rick Steves and provides more time for us all to see how this new virus strain develops and impacts travel into 2022.
Thank you, Rick Steves, for extending your deposit refund timeframe!