Thanks for coming along on my tour!  

     Here are a few afterthoughts that might be helpful if

     you are considering an adventure like mine.

 

• WHY A RICK STEVES' TOUR?   Before booking this tour, all of the reviews I read for it were positive ones: all of them!  Now, I can add mine:  this tour delivers a great value when it comes to both your time and money - it really exceeded expectations!

 

• ROOM MATE ?   I chose NOT to purchase the single supplement and I had a very positive experience with my roomie.  Just follow the "do unto others" rule  and you will be fine!  I was able to use that money for my extra pre and post-tour days. I would also advise adding on as many extra days as you can - maybe you'll want to linger in Paris, or perhaps take the Eurostar train to London for a few days.

 

• FITNESS   It is a very active tour, so DO get ready to walk up to eight miles a day: and there will be stairs - lots of stairs, but you can do it if you are prepared for it!

 

• WHAT TO PACK  I thought having my wheeled back pack weigh in at 19 pounds was a huge success, but I still could have packed lighter!  Believe me, no one cares or notices what you are wearing, and I never did wear that second pair of shoes.  I was glad I took facial towelettes, because they doubled as washcloths too. The one thing that I wish I had taken is a large plastic bag that would fit over my luggage in case of a heavy rain - I didn't realize water could sneak in through the zippers!

 

• PHOTOGRAPY  Best tip is from Jesse: take a photo of the daily schedule every morning before breakfast: it will help organize your photos, and you can pull up the schedule on your camera if you need to refer to it during the day.  I took a lot of photos, but once I got back home, I found that the small inexpensive booklets that I purchased in gift shops, along with some artwork postcards and many free brochures are some of the best souvenirs I have to remember and share my trip.                                  See you down the road !