We’re thinking of signing on for one of these trips, probably to Italy. I’m wondering if anybody here has experience with this outfit and any recommendations. We’ve done extensive travel in the past, but it’s been a long time since we’ve been overseas, and we’ve never done any sort of tour group trip.
My parents did a bunch of them a few decades ago, and loved them. They stopped traveling when my dad reached age 88, so I have nothing recent to report.
I like the concept but always found those things to be way too expensive. If money is no object and you dread travel planning for yourself, go for it.
My sister and by b-i-l have done some (Utah national parks, Cinque terra) – My sister liked how she didn’t have to do the grunt work (book hotels, get museum tickets, etc)
Brian
If it was a stateside destination, we’d definitely do it ourselves. But it’s been 25 years since we traveled overseas and things have changed a lot.
Yeah, that’s what appeals to me.
My mom and i did one to Chaco Canyon, specifically becauae we didnt want to do the 20 miles of dirt road again.
The guides were suprisingly good. We also saw some things fhat we would never have opted to do but found really interesting.
I was by far the youngest, in my mid 40s. The other travelers were all kinda Boomer Nerds. Wed all read the same books: 1491, The Emerald Mile. Everyone knew who John Westley Powell was.
My mom went wirh them to Gallapagos about 10 years ago, and Egypt a year ago. She had a good time both times.
They seem to be solidly professional. Not a luxury tour, but everything was well run.
I’ve done two, both in the US.
Pros: Fanatic attention to detail, nothing is left to chance, you will receive detailed instructions and guidance.
Small, rather homogeneous groups. I am VERY crowd-averse and the idea of one of those 5000 passenger cruise ships is terrifying. Both RS tours I did had 30-50 participants plus about 5 regular guides/crew. The participants were all boomers or older, mostly retirees.
Unusual destinations: Because of their small size and “educational” mission, RS tours can go places the larger commercial tours can’t. For example, our guide told us during COVID the RS tours were the only groups allowed into Grand Canyon NP because they were considered educational rather than tourists.
Excellent guides and staff. Both tours employed naturalists (former university faculty) who led guided walks and delivered short evening lectures. There were also guest lectures from members of the local tribes (who were also usually college faculty).
Cons: Very expensive, especially if you are traveling solo and pay the single premium. This is expected because of the small group size. Gratuities were included though.
Shabby equipment and accommodations. Again, on a small tour you aren’t going to get the 5-star hotels and restaurants, especially if you are going to places like the national parks. If you want a luxury experience, you won’t get it here. The food was usually good and plentiful, but sometimes reminded me of eating at a mid-scale summer camp. The tour of the SW US I did required A LOT of bus travel, sometimes 5-6 hours/day, some of it over rough Navaho Reservation roads. And the bus was just a regular commuter bus with hard, non-reclining seats and little leg room. Ours also had a malfunctioning air conditioner that kept it way too cold for most of us. The ship we had on the Alaska cruise I took was small and cute, but also kind of run-down. The cabins were so small that two people could not have stood up comfortably at the same time unless one of them was in the toilet/shower combo. No fresh linen or maid service unless you requested it. The advantage, of course, was that when the whales swam by, the boat could get among them and we could see them clearly.
Generational discomfort: While the crew and staff were unfailingly knowledgeable and pleasant, I was uncomfortably aware of just how OLD I and the other participants were. This probably wouldn’t bother everybody, and in fact is probably true of cruises and tours in general. But I felt at times as though I was a member of an assisted living community being chaperoned by attendants.
In summation, I learned a lot on both excursions and I thought they were positive experiences. I’m glad I went, but would not do another one, largely because I just can’t afford it.
I was planning to open a thread to ask about traveling as a single person. I was wondering if tour groups like this would work well for me.
This was many years ago but my parents used to go on Tauck Tours. They liked that the food and hotels were always high end. Expensive tours. Looks like they are still more than RS
Never done it, but my big brother swears by Rick Steve’s tours. Rick Steve’s does the hotel, tickets and some meals, but you have to schlep your own bags to the hotel lobby and things like that. You might want to look into it as another choice
My parents gave us a gift of an Elderhostel (Road Scholar) to Savannah about 10 years ago and it was wonderful. We were in our 50s and the other people ranged in age, mostly older than we were. They were really interesting and with-it people and we had a great time, not only on the tour but interacting with the other travelers. There was a range of interesting presentations and activities, the guides were great, the accommodations were great, etc.
Not gone myself but my MIL is a big fan of these. There are special tours for grandparents-grandchildren that she likes.
My parents did many of these trips domestic and foreign. A while ago as my mother is no longer and my dad is 96. They were intrepid travelers, lifelong learners, and enjoyed talking to people. They also had enough money to go that route – and perhaps those packages were not as expensive back then.
Thanks for the replies, all. I think I’ve talked the wife out of doing these for the time being. She has a sister in Buffalo that she needs to visit soon, so we’ll likely be doing that this year instead.