Ricksteves.com Forum (2024)

FAQs

How to search Rick Steves travel forum? ›

Try our Search (in the website's header). Narrow your search results with the "Travel Forum" Filter, then Filter by date range.

If you're looking to create a new set of travel memories, I have some good news: We've just opened our 2025 Rick Steves tours for booking. That's 30,000 seats on more than 40 itineraries, across Europe, all year long… ready and waiting for you to book.

Will Rick Steves' Europe take care of my travel arrangements for me? Rick Steves' Europe is not a travel agency, so we don't book flights, car rentals, or hotels. If you are looking to have most of your travel arrangements taken care of for you, you might consider one of Rick Steves' European tours.

Credit request process: If you need to cancel your tour you must notify RSE immediately in writing, sent via email to tour@ricksteves.com or mailed to 130 4th Ave N, Edmonds, WA 98020. Cancellations become effective on the date received by RSE and are governed by the RSE Tour Credit Terms and Conditions.

If we're talking specifically about a guide, and not a tour company or operator, I'd ask about their background and experience–the number of years they've spent in a place. Are they expats or did they grow up there? Both can be great but you want to make sure they're not talking out of an operator's guide.

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.

Domestic tourism in the U.S. Around a third of Americans enjoy two to three vacations per year. Meanwhile, just over a quarter have not traveled for non-business related trips at all in the past 12 months, and around a fifth of respondents have traveled once. Six or more vacations, on the other hand, were rarer.

Anne Steves

Rick Steves / Wife (m. ?–2010)

Travel agents can save you money sometimes, but it comes at a cost that might not fit into your budget. Some agents charge high fees or percentages of the total vacation cost. Finding the right agent. It can take time to find the right travel agent, advisor or expert.

Do you typically pay travel agents? ›

How much does a travel agent cost? The cost of using a travel agent is generally marginal, and often, they won't charge you at all. Much of their money comes from commissions the hotels and wholesalers pay them.

As a general rule, leisure travel agents make money from commissions from vendors pay on vacation packages, cruises, air, and other add-ons. However, consultation fees and service fees are becoming more common as agencies try to diversify income sources to become less dependent on supplier commissions.

My Rick Steves tours fall somewhere in the middle, averaging $300 to $425 per day with all sightseeing and half of all meals included. Remember, airfare is typically not included in tour companies' advertised prices. No matter which tour company you go with, it's important to do your research.

Our prices include all group sightseeing, all your breakfasts and other meals as specified on the tour's webpage*.

Can you reschedule a flight? Yes, you can reschedule or cancel a flight. However, you may need to pay a change or cancellation fee depending on the airline you booked with and the fare class of your ticket.

Three-fourths of travelers use search engines, meta travel websites and social media, followed by destination sites and OTAs for travel research. Most travelers also use OTAs for research regardless of where they book, with 80% of travelers visiting an OTA before any travel purchase.

How to Watch Rick Steves' Europe. Right now you can watch Rick Steves' Europe on Amazon Prime Video, PBS, and Hoopla. You are able to stream Rick Steves' Europe for free on PBS or Hoopla.