Other Options...

There are several RS trip itineraries I'd love to go on...unfortunately schlepping isn't an option so I'll just have to read your reports and live vicariously (DH has limited my purse size since my bursitis is so bad...my current one is so small it fits iphone, tiny wallet and bent sunglasses-that's it). Since he's an orthopedic surgeon he kind of knows what he's talking about so I just read the website and sigh...ah well... first world problems for sure. Can't wait to hear about everyone's trips with RS! Small family run places, immersion in the culture--all sound great :)
 
I have been to Botswana, South Africa, and Zambia. I would not go on my own. I did an organized tour package with Alexander and Roberts. We stayed in very high end accommodations, and it was the best vacation of my life. I have also done the ABD China trip in 2015, and I would say that ABD does a better job with the added "magic" of Disney, but with Alexander and Roberts you're guaranteed not to have more than 16 people in your tour. I was fortunate to have only eight people on my ABD China trip, but that was a fluke. I really prefer small group experiences. It makes it so much easier to get around and adds flexibility. I am taking ABD to Peru this year, and I've booked Hollywood/Disneyland for next year, so I definitely like the ABD experience. I'm just not sure if ABD is right for every destination.
Thanks!! I've never heard of Alexander and Roberts. They have some North America trips that look really intriguing to me. Not a lot of companies offer trips like that in North America.

Sayhello
 
I have been to Botswana, South Africa, and Zambia. I would not go on my own. I did an organized tour package with Alexander and Roberts. We stayed in very high end accommodations, and it was the best vacation of my life. I have also done the ABD China trip in 2015, and I would say that ABD does a better job with the added "magic" of Disney, but with Alexander and Roberts you're guaranteed not to have more than 16 people in your tour. I was fortunate to have only eight people on my ABD China trip, but that was a fluke. I really prefer small group experiences. It makes it so much easier to get around and adds flexibility. I am taking ABD to Peru this year, and I've booked Hollywood/Disneyland for next year, so I definitely like the ABD experience. I'm just not sure if ABD is right for every destination.

I traveled to Zambia and Zimbabwe in 2001, and it still ranks as my favorite vacation out of all I have done. Totally agree with you that it makes sense to pick the tour operator based on the destination. We have also booked the Southern California ABD for next year since, obviously, that is a trip that cannot be matched by another tour company, and it's one we really want to do. But we much prefer the smaller group experience, so that could be one of our last ABDs. We did China with Thomson Family Adventures last year. It is a very similar itinerary to ABD, and we had 10 in our group, which was fantastic. Also one of my top-5 favorite all-time trips. We've got Peru booked with NatGeo for 2018 and have a deposit down with Thomson for Japan in 2020, since they guaranteed us 2017 pricing by booking now (and the deposit is fully refundable for any reason).
 
Thanks for the review! We are doing a Rick Steves tour later this year. I understand having to schlep my own bag as we had to do that on our G Adventures/National Geographic tour. I quickly learned why I should pack light, but I'm so glad to hear you had a good time.

We're visiting Sicily which I haven't seen done on ABD properly. Your review makes me that much more excited. Fingers crossed!
I would love to hear about your RS tour to Sicily when you return. My maternal grandfather was Sicilian, so it's pretty high up on my "bucket list" and I haven't come across very many tour companies that go there.

Thanks!! I've never heard of Alexander and Roberts. They have some North America trips that look really intriguing to me. Not a lot of companies offer trips like that in North America.
I had never heard of them either, but now I have another company to look up! I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, lol.
 




I think you can't mention specific TA's, but companies are ok?

Confirmed with my friend - he and wife did the London trip and he was thoroughly impressed. Nice hotel in a very nice area of London. No shared bathrooms, lol. He wouldn't hesitate to do another RS tour. He did say that they were specific about no kids allowed on this trip. Maybe they do adult only tours as well?
 
I think you can't mention specific TA's, but companies are ok?

Confirmed with my friend - he and wife did the London trip and he was thoroughly impressed. Nice hotel in a very nice area of London. No shared bathrooms, lol. He wouldn't hesitate to do another RS tour. He did say that they were specific about no kids allowed on this trip. Maybe they do adult only tours as well?

From the RS website:

Teens are welcome on all Rick Steves tours. Kids 8 and older are welcome on our Family Europe tours and My Way® vacation packages. Tour members under 18 must room with a parent or guardian.
 
Confirmed with my friend - he and wife did the London trip and he was thoroughly impressed. Nice hotel in a very nice area of London. No shared bathrooms, lol. He wouldn't hesitate to do another RS tour. He did say that they were specific about no kids allowed on this trip. Maybe they do adult only tours as well?

From the RS website:

Teens are welcome on all Rick Steves tours. Kids 8 and older are welcome on our Family Europe tours and My Way® vacation packages. Tour members under 18 must room with a parent or guardian.

Hmm. @Stinkerbell1973's 12-year-old was allowed on their Germany/Austria/Switzerland tour, so either they consider 12 to be a "teen" or they're more flexible with some itineraries than others.
 
@Stinkerbell1973 thanks so much for posting! I've seen so many RS tours that look wonderful but my mantra is "I've never regretted overpacking" so don't think his is the company for me! Would love to hear all about your next trip with him, however :)

I've always thought the same way! On our first family trip to Europe in 2014, which was a DCL Mediterranean cruise, I carried a 28 inch suitcase and a 21 inch carry on and each bag was filled to the gills. We are also a camping family so when you travel via RV, you don't have to worry about overpacking, you take what you want and as much as your RV can store (which could be my whole warerobe, lol).
I did really struggle with how to pack appropriately for this trip knowing I'd be carrying my own suitcase. I packed, unpacked and repacked five times the Sunday before we left and by the end of the day, thought I was good to go. Well then Mother Nature had her say....the forecast changed drastically (much warmer temps) so I had to rethink pants to capris and shorts, and less long sleeve shirts. So an hour before I left to go to the airport I unpacked and repacked for the final time.
And now that I've done it, I can't imagine going back to taking so much stuff with me on these trips. I packed mostly solid colored shirts and took a couple of sweaters and scarves to mix it up a bit. When you're changing hotels every 2-3 nights for two weeks, you get tired easily of unpacking and repacking. I'll take a lesson from some of my tourmates and better utilize packing cubes next time to sort things by day, that way I'm only unpacking a cube versus everything!
 
Thank you for the info/review! My youngest is still too young for most group tours (she turned 4 in May) but researching trips we may or may not take one day is kind of a hobby for me, lol. The RS website says kids 8+ are welcome on family tours & "My Way" unguided tours, and teens are welcome on all tours. I guess they consider 12 close enough to teen. I'm glad she enjoyed it even though she was the only child in the group!

The smaller, family-run hotels are actually a pro to me, I just called it out as a point of difference from a lot of the other tour operators that are discussed here. I'd rather be in an older hotel that's within walking distance of the sights or allows easy access to public transportation. Even the potential for no A/C and the bathroom down the hall doesn't bother me. I stayed in several such places in Europe & NYC when I was younger. I would want an en suite bathroom if I were traveling with my kids, but for me as an adult it's not a deal breaker if I don't have one. I also think older buildings (in Europe & the US) are designed to stay comfortable without cooling - windows & doors positioned to allow for cross breezes, high ceilings, etc. - so the no A/C isn't as bad as it sounds to Americans who are used to modern buildings with central air.

Have you looked through the country-by-country itineraries on his site? I've probably read most of them at this point, which is not helping my list of places I want to visit get any shorter!

My hubby MUCH prefers the smaller hotels to the ones considered "luxury". But he also prefers the smaller villages (Bacharach, Germany....Murren, Switzerland) to the big cities (Munich, Vienna). I actually agree with him though and that was solidified after this trip.

And yep, I've spent a lot of time looking over his other tours and trying to decide which is next for 2018 and which will be our 20th anniversary celebration in 2019. Next year looks like Ireland...the year after, I'm considering either Southern Italy or France.
 
Thanks for the review! We are doing a Rick Steves tour later this year. I understand having to schlep my own bag as we had to do that on our G Adventures/National Geographic tour. I quickly learned why I should pack light, but I'm so glad to hear you had a good time.

We're visiting Sicily which I haven't seen done on ABD properly. Your review makes me that much more excited. Fingers crossed!


Oh cool! Glad I could help you get more excited. Reading reviews certainly helped with mine so I get it!

I'm very intrigued by your trip to Sicily as I'm eyeballing that one for next year. I've heard it's pretty strenuous...which is ok, but dang....I like feeling like I have had a vacation when I get back. LOL
Can't wait to hear about it!!
 
I think you can't mention specific TA's, but companies are ok?

Confirmed with my friend - he and wife did the London trip and he was thoroughly impressed. Nice hotel in a very nice area of London. No shared bathrooms, lol. He wouldn't hesitate to do another RS tour. He did say that they were specific about no kids allowed on this trip. Maybe they do adult only tours as well?


Hmmm......I was told by the RS company that teens are allowed (and was specifically told that this was the recommended age, not necessarily a mandate) on ALL Rick Steves tours. I have the email from them stating this. Not that I'm trying to pick an argument saying your friend was wrong...
On our tour, I was talking to one of our tourmates and she mentioned that on her RS tour last year, one of her tourmates was a lady in her late 40's with her two daughters, who were in their early 20's. She said that an older, retired gentleman on the tour wasted no time on the first night saying that these tours are built for people over 45 and that no one younger than that should be on any of the RS tours. She politely informed him that he was incorrect and that if he only wanted to tour with people his age, surely there were companies out there that cater to that and perhaps he should find one. I've also seen a couple of similar sentiments on other websites where his tours are discussed (TripAdvisor, etc). Some people don't want kids on their trips. That was a MAJOR concern for me, especially when I learned that she was the only kid. But our tour group, who was just awesome in general, could not have been any kinder to her. Most of them sought her out to talk about her day, her likes, etc. In every single photo of the whole group, she's nowhere near my hubby and me, because someone would always pull her to them.
One other thing the RS offices told me is that obviously during most of the year, kids don't go on the tours because of school schedules. Where I live, we got out of school the Friday before Memorial Day and most other schools were still in session at that time....our tour began on May 30 so it didn't necessarily surprise me that no other kids were with us.
The RS offices had no issues with my 12 year old being booked on our trip. The lady I conversed with actually encouraged it.
 
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No offense taken, and I can't speak to what my friend heard vs understood. It was an anniversary trip for them and they weren't planning on taking their kids, who would have been 12 and up at that time, so they weren't looking for confirmation of availability.

I'm going to keep the RS on my list of potential trips. I don't need luxury, but I do get tired of being the sole travel organizer in our house. I want someone else to do it occasionally.
 
Hmm. @Stinkerbell1973's 12-year-old was allowed on their Germany/Austria/Switzerland tour, so either they consider 12 to be a "teen" or they're more flexible with some itineraries than others.

Maybe 12 is close enough. If ABD can charge adult price for a 12 year-old, I guess considering a 12 year old a teen isn't much of a stretch. :) And they did word it as "are welcome" which doesn't sound exactly like a hard and fast rule. BTW...on their family trips a guest is considered a child up to age 17 (Nat Geo is the same). For Tauck a child is considered 12 and under for US trips and 11 and under for international trips, which seems odd to me, but there's probably some logic behind it that is beyond my understanding of the travel industry.
 
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Hmmm......I was told by the RS company that teens are allowed (and was specifically told that this was the recommended age, not necessarily a mandate) on ALL Rick Steves tours. I have the email from them stating this. Not that I'm trying to pick an argument saying your friend was wrong...
On our tour, I was talking to one of our tourmates and she mentioned that on her RS tour last year, one of her tourmates was a lady in her late 40's with her two daughters, who were in their early 20's. She said that an older, retired gentleman on the tour wasted no time on the first night saying that these tours are built for people over 45 and that no one younger than that should be on any of the RS tours. She politely informed him that he was incorrect and that if he only wanted to tour with people his age, surely there were companies out there that cater to that and perhaps he should find one. I've also seen a couple of similar sentiments on other websites where his tours are discussed (TripAdvisor, etc). Some people don't want kids on their trips. That was a MAJOR concern for me, especially when I learned that she was the only kid. But our tour group, who was just awesome in general, could not have been any kinder to her. Most of them sought her out to talk about her day, her likes, etc. In every single photo of the whole group, she's nowhere near my hubby and me, because someone would always pull her to them.
One other thing the RS offices told me is that obviously during most of the year, kids don't go on the tours because of school schedules. Where I live, we got out of school the Friday before Memorial Day and most other schools were still in session at that time....our tour began on May 30 so it didn't necessarily surprise me that no other kids were with us.
The RS offices had no issues with my 12 year old being booked on our trip. The lady I conversed with actually encouraged it.

It's unfortunate that anyone would react that way, but I suppose there can be a curmudgeon on any tour. I can understand if the trip was promoted as adult only, but that is clearly not the case. Guess he should have done his homework. But for goodness sake, 20 isn't even a child! We happened to cross paths with a family (grandparents, parents and 3 granddaughters) on both of our Tauck Bridges tours. The grandparents had also taken the granddaughters on several regular Tauck trips, which skew toward an older clientele (really old in some cases :)), and they told me everybody showered attention on the kids and seemed to love having them there. I hope your (and their) experience is typical, and the grouch is the exception.
 

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