Tim and I are fairly experiences travelers, at least for going to Europe. This was our 6th European trip, and our 7th international trip (not including Canada since we live next door to British Columbia). And this wasn't my mom's first international trip either. She's been to Europe twice, flew to Guam via Japan to visit my brother, and has been on several cruises. So what made us choose to go on a Rick Steves guided tour?

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1) Trip planning is a lot of work!

Tim and I had both been very busy with work and we both had multiple projects scheduled for the first half of 2023. I knew I wanted to take another trip but knew I wouldn't have much time to plan one. By going on a guided tour, most of the work was done for me. Hotels were picked out and reserved. All the travel between cities was taken care of. Our days had lots of activities. I just had get us there and fill in the free time! There was also the added bonus of knowing the tour group would take care of any travel stresses that could crop up. Traveling with two people is tricky enough if suddenly your train gets cancelled or the hotel forgot about your booking, but with three people and two rooms, that's an extra level of stress. I could relax knowing someone else would be taking care of any troubles that popped up.

2) I trust Rick Steves to give us a great experience.

On our previous European adventures, I have utilized Rick Steves' guidebooks extensively. They were full of excellent advice on what to visit, how much time to spend somewhere, and places to sleep and eat. The museum tips were top notch. I trusted that a tour put on by Rick Steves' company would be just as good as his guidebooks. When I looked at the itinerary, it was full of a bunch of activities I would have chosen on my own. It also had enough free time to fit in sights that weren't covered on the tour. 

3) We wanted to try traveling with a group.

I've been thinking about trying one of these tours for a while, but Tim and I weren't sure if we would feel too restrained on a group tour. After all, we are used to doing our own thing at our own pace. With my mom along, this gave us an excuse to try it. Not only would there be more folks to talk to and explore with, being on the tour would curb my urges to try to cram in too much. As it turns, being part of the group was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Getting to share excitement only heightened our enjoyment of the trip!