The Scoop

Now that we’re veterans of two Europe Through the Back Door tours (Best of Europe in 21 Days and Best of South Italy in 13 Days), we can give you the scoop, the whole scoop, and nothing but the scoop.

We chose to visit Holland first, and it was a great idea. Not only did we get to enjoy this beautiful country and its friendly residents, but we also had a chance to adjust to the time change before the tour began.

The company is also very good about rescheduling your tour in case of an emergency, and you can get partial reimbursement if it becomes necessary to cut your trip short. Great peace of mind!

Your airfare to Europe is not included in the tour price, and you’ll be responsible for making your own travel arrangements. This will give you a great opportunity to arrive early or stay after the tour ends, or even plan back-to-back tours. (I personally think the South Italy tour followed by the Best of Siciliy in 9 Days would be awesome!)

You’ll get any and all your questions answered by the very, very helpful RS tour sales staff. I made many calls before our first trip, and each person I spoke with was extremely helpful, knowledgeable and friendly.

Francesca Caruso was a joy. We had her last time we were in Rome, and we were thrilled to see her again. She has a real passion for her city, and she speaks impeccable English.

You will have an experienced, safe driver at the wheel of your roomy, comfortable bus. Unlike other tour groups we came across (close enough to touch on those narrow mountain roads), you will not have a person sitting in every seat as they did. Traveling like that did not look like fun.

Before my first tour, I worried that the bus rides between destinations would be tedious. That’s not at all the case. You’ll be stopping for a break every two hours, sometimes for some great food, and you’ll make lots of interesting side trips along the way.

At the beginning of the tour, you’ll choose a “buddy” who’s not in your party, and you’ll do a buddy check before departing for your next destination to insure that no one is left behind.

Although I took loads of pictures on this trip, there were two shots that I regret not taking. One was of the other tour bus we passed so close to, with people lined up like sardines in every seat. I also wish I had taken a picture of one of the groups of 50 people from other tours who were walking down the street with their earphones on, or those we saw trying to take public transportation as a group. I could not imagine being with them! You will not have that on a Rick Steves’ tour.

You will have small groups on your tour, usually between 25 to 28 people, although ours was a bit smaller. Small groups combined with the “buddy” system made for very efficient touring.

If you’re a late sleeper and would rather start your day at a leisurely pace, a Rick Steves’ tour is probably not for you. Most of the time, you’ll have breakfast available at about 7:30 or 8:00 and will be meeting with the group about 8:30 or so. For me, it was great. If I’m traveling, I want to see and do as much as possible. I agree with one of our tour guides on the last trip: “Let’s get going. You can sleep when you die!”

Your time on the tour will be extremely well organized. You won’t spend a lot of time standing in long lines. I know we couldn’t have seen as much or done as much on our own in this amount of time, and it probably would have cost us more in the long run.

In no way could I have planned all the interesting little adventures we had. I don't have the time for all that research, and executing them so efficiently would have been impossible for me.

The nice thing about your tour is that the cost of all your group sightseeing is covered. We had very little expense outside of lunches and about half our dinners (most of the time just a snack or gelato in mid day was enough for us), transportation to do a little sightseeing on our own, and shopping. THERE ARE NO HIDDEN FEES!

And I liked the comfort of knowing that, should something unforeseen happen causing us to cut our trip short, we would get that partial reimbursement on the unused portion of our tour.

You’ll have plenty of time to make your own adventures and to mingle with the locals to get the true flavor of the city you’re visiting. These Rick Steves tours are a perfect mix of tour time and free time!

You will have great food on this tour! Your breakfasts and about half of your dinners are covered, which gives you ample opportunity to explore on your own.

Your meals with the group will be leisurely, with several courses and a variety of wines and plenty of time to enjoy the good company of your traveling companions.

On a Rick Steves’ tour, you’re likely to have both the young and young-at-heart on board. On our tour, both enjoyed the other’s company immensely.

You won’t be staying in fancy chain hotels on a Rick Steves’ tour. Many of your hotels will be family-owned with a friendly and helpful staff; they will all be clean and located right where you want to be to take advantage of whatever city you happen to be in on your tour. You will feel safe when you go out at night.

You’ll be staying in some very old, beautiful buildings, built without elevators. You will have to carry your own luggage, sometimes up several flights of stairs. Hence the rule for packing light on a Rick Steves’ tour!

Keep in mind that this is Europe. The cities and buildings are old, so rooms are usually small. Most, but not all, showers are also small. Elevators, if there are any, can likewise be small. Not every hotel is like this, but you didn't come here to stay at a resort. You'll be able to get a real feel of the city, and you'll come to appreciate how Europeans make the most of the space they do have.

There is no automatic surcharge for singles. You can share a room with another tour member if there’s another single; if not, you’ll get a room to yourself. However, if you do prefer to assure yourself of a private room, these are also available at a surcharge.

Believe it when you’re warned that there will be lots of stairs and rough terrain and that you’ll be carrying your own luggage. Heed the advice to pack light!

Occasionally the bus will have to drop you off on the street because it can’t go any farther down narrow European streets. It may be a little bit of a walk to get to your hotel.

You need to be in fairly decent shape and be able to walk for long periods of time and climb stairs, but you don’t need to be a body builder. We had teens to seniors in our group, and everyone was able to keep up.

You’ll have to wear your clothes more than once; and, depending on the length of your trip, you may have to do laundry. You’ll be told along the way where this is available, but mostly we just washed a few things in the sink when we first arrived in a new city, and they were dry before we left.

You will be limited to one carry-on size suitcase and one day bag per person, even on a 21 day tour. I never thought we could manage, but we did. Careful planning and packing. It works! In fact, on both trips I brought along several things that I never even used.

I must admit it. Before our first tour, I was worried that we wouldn’t have time to fit in shopping with all the activities that were packed into the itinerary. Also, since we were so limited on luggage, how could we possibly bring anything home if we did have time to shop?

Don’t worry, you will have plenty of time on your own to shop. Remember, though, that you have to bring everything home in your limited luggage. Except for the wine, we were careful to buy smaller items, and our luggage unzipped to accommodate our treasures on the way home. The wine, which we packed in the center of our suitcases, made it home safe and sound. And remember, you also have the option of having your purchases shipped home.

However, if you want to make the most of your time in Europe, want to see and do as much as you can at a reasonable price, don’t mind carrying your own luggage and are willing to pack light, are flexible, like talking to people and enjoy leisurely meals with great food and wine, can walk up stairs and are in reasonably good physical condition, don’t mind having others take care of the details, and like to have fun, then you pass the test.

If you’re grumpy, like to sleep late, are a couch-potato, don’t want to carry your luggage, can’t ever manage to ever be on time, or like to do what you want to do all the time, then I would say it’s not for you.

I can’t say enough good things about Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door tours. For us, they are perfect! Everything is as expected, or better. No hidden fees, just unexpected pleasures. It's a perfect mix of tour time and free time. And just so much fun!

So, go ahead and read the brochures, look at the web site, visit the Graffiti Wall and Travelers Helpline, or call the office and ask your questions. The hardest part will be choosing where to go first! If you’ve “passed the test” and go on one of these tours, I know you will have a wonderful time. And maybe, just maybe, you and I will meet on our next great adventure!