RS tours versus Gate 1 tours

This is a pretty frequent topic, these prior posts may be of help https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=1y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=Gate+1&utf8=%E2%9C%93

I like the Gate 1 small group tours. I've done 3. Good hotels, good itineraries. I would absolutely use them again. I like knowing what the hotels are in advance - it matters to me when choosing a tour. Age range is varied. A summer Japan one we did had about 8 young adults, traveling with their various families. An Israel one had all people 60+.

They offer a wide range of tours - I'd certainly look them over. In addition, look out for their coupons. Sometimes you can get as much as 25% off - or half off the second traveler. They're great deals.

Have not toured with Gate 1, but have enjoyed tour with Odysseys Unlimited. Odysseys is very similar to Rick Steves in group size, age and activity levels. We found the people on our Odysseys tour to be friendly like our RS travelers and no grumps. I would rate Odysseys hotels as a step above RS. Also, Odysseys will book your air travel and provide airport transfers if desired, or you can book your own air and pay a reduced “land only” tour cost which is our preference.

I have taken 10 RS tours and one Gate 1 tour (India). I am signed up for a Gate 1 tour of the Baltics this summer. RS is my first choice for Europe, unless he doesn’t offer a tour to a particular location. However, my one experience with Gate 1 was excellent, a very good guide and itinerary, and a nice group of fellow travelers. The age range was perhaps 40-70 and the activity level was similar to RS.

I only consider Gate 1 Discovery tours. These are “small group” tours, limited to 22 people. Their other tours may have as many as 40 and that is too much for me! Discovery tours are also more inclusive (like RS) than many of their other tours (called Classic, Affordable and other labels). One way they keep costs down on those less expensive tours is by offering “optional “ tours that cost extra. Sometimes these are sights you wouldn’t want to miss (example: Ephesus in Turkey).

They do handle your luggage, which is kind of nice, and include airport transfers if you book air with them. On the other hand, they expect you to tip the tour leader (typical recommendation is $10-14 per day per person), another extra cost.

We have done Tauck and Rick Steves. We were in the same hotel in Lucca as a Gate 1 Tour on our RS Village Italy tour and chatted with some of the members during breakfasts. The group was much smaller than ours and seemed to be all older people. They said they loved their guide, were having a great time and enjoyed the slower pace.

I've come to greatly appreciate small group tours.

Mary Jane, you might appreciate this recent thread about both companies. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/turkey/my-thoughts-about-gate1-vs-rs-tours

We have taken 7 Gate 1 tours and 0 RS tours. Five of the Gate 1 tours have been to Europe, one to Canada, and one to Central America. We have been extremely satisfied with all of our tour guides, bus drivers, and hotels. The hotels have always been located in the city centers (except the resorts in Central America). The other tour members are generally between their teens to 80+ years old. I find that the kids add a fun dimension to the tour!

We like the mix of scheduled tour time and free time. We also like the fact that some tour activities are optional. We get to decide whether we pay for the activity or not. For example, I have Celiac Disease, so if a cooking class is offered as an optional activity, I don't have to pay for it. If is was included such as with a RS tour, I would pay for it but would not be able to participate.

There is usually one stop per tour at a retail shop for a restroom break, but we have never been pressured to purchase anything. The guides are very professional about that. You are expected to tip the tour guide, local guide (if you have any), and the driver. We don't mind doing so because they are excellent. We just factor that cost in at the beginning so that we are prepared.

One other difference that has been brought up is that on RS tours apparently the guide teaches you how to use the public transport in whatever city you are visiting. We've only been on one tour where the Gate 1 guide did that with the group. They expect that you have figured that out already or if you need help you will ask them.

We have not done the Discovery Small Group tours, ours have all been the regular tours, and we have had anywhere from 22 to 42 people in our group. Honestly, I didn't notice a huge difference between 22 and 42. The buses have two doors, so getting in and out quickly isn't an issue. The only difference was that with only 22, we got to know the other tour members better because we sat by them more often during the meals. With 42 we didn't sit by the same people as often. But we got to meet 20 more interesting people! The guides are organized and good at what they do, and can easily guide 42 people through the sites we have visited.

We have never thought that the activity level of any of our tours was strenuous in any way. In fact, on our tour to the Canadian Rockies, we had a tour member who was visually impaired, and he got along fine. The guides are good at setting a pace that is appropriate for the entire group. They are also very aware that some people need to stop in the shade and make sure to do their "talk" at a site where there is shade available.

We have never been unhappy with a tour, which is why we keep booking with Gate 1. We have a tour booked already for 2026, and I have about 5 more tours on my list! I think they offer a great value for the experience you get!

Odysseys Unlimited limits the number of passengers to 24, smaller than RS. Ages ranged from 40 to 80. Hotels were nice. We traveled with them to Japan and Egypt and Jordan.

I've just returned from the Premium Morocco tour offered by Intrepid and have a Gate 1 (my first) in the falll. I've loved all 4 of the RS tours!
Intrepid has a business philosophy that aligns with mine. I really appreciated that they used private riads and have developed relationships over the years that benefit the local communities where we visited.
They offer four "levels" of tour and small groups for all of them. I was one of 11 on this tour. My RS tours have been all Americans. I really appreciated the mix of Canadians, British and Australians on this one!
The suitcases were always carried for us. The average age was late 60s or early 70s. The trip was rated 2/5 stars for activity level. We had some very slow walkers and about half opted out of the two hikes.
Just another company to consider.

Where do you want to go? There are several former Rick Steves tour guides who have formed their own companies and offer small group tours (10-ish or so people) but they might not cover the parts of the world you are interested in?

We have not been on any RS tours but have been on two Gate 1 tours, Vietnam in 2023 and China in 2024. We have two more booked, Morocco this year and Egypt next year. We've been very happy with the tours we've taken.

Our Vietnam tour had 36 people. We didn't find this to be a problem. Age range was 30s to 70s. Hotels were central, guide was excellent, and we felt we had enough time everywhere.

The China tour was smaller, only 22, and we celebrated the 92nd birthday of one of the tour members! He really kept up with the group. The youngest group members were in their 40s.

I like that Gate 1 handles my luggage and the guides are excellent. They really go above and beyond to give you a good experience. We still prefer to travel to Europe on our own, but for places where I want more hand holding, Gate 1 really works for us.