How to Sign Up

How do I sign up for a tour?

The speediest way to confirm your favorite 2012 tours is to select and reserve your tour online, and make your deposit with a credit card. You can also sign up for a tour by faxing your 2012 tour application and credit card information to 425/771-0833, or mailing the information to us at:

Rick Steves ETBD
Attn: Tour Department
P.O. Box 2009
Edmonds, WA 98020

(Note: We cannot accept credit card information via email.)

We need a $400 deposit per person to confirm the tour seat of your choice. Deposits for all 2012 tours received by 12/17/11 are 100% refundable until 12/31/11. Deposits for 2012 tours received after 12/17/11 are 100% refundable for two weeks from the day received. After that time, your deposit will not be refundable for any reason and will be forfeited if you cancel your tour reservation. If you wish to reserve a tour that is departing within 60 days, the full tour payment is required to reserve the tour, and the deposit portion is non-refundable. Please be sure to read our Tour Conditions for all the details.

We suggest that you watch our "Rick Steves' Europe: The Tour Experience" DVD to be sure our tour style is right for you. Order your free copy today by emailing or phoning the Tour Department at tour@ricksteves.com or 425/608-4217.

Can I pay for my ETBD tour by credit card or in installments?

We accept MasterCard, Visa and American Express for all tour payments. Please note that we cannot accept credit card information via email. We also accept personal checks, bank drafts or money orders made payable to ETBD, in US dollars only. All personal checks must be written on a US bank account. A 2.5% discount will be applied to final balance payments made by personal check, bank draft or money order. Your final tour payment is due in our office at least 60 days prior to the start of the tour, in one payment please (rather than multiple payments). If you sign up for a tour within 60 days of the tour departure, the deposit portion will be non-refundable.

How do I know if there are enough seats left on the tour?

We update the number of seats available immediately with each new tour booking, transfer or cancellation, so you can be sure to get the most current information on our tour offerings. If you see a tour showing as "Sign Up Now" on our website, that means there are at least 6 seats left. If the tour shows as "Filling Fast," it means we have 5 or fewer seats left on that tour date, so it is possible that the tour will be sold out by the time we receive your reservation. If we are unable to confirm you on the tour you have requested, we will call you promptly to discuss alternate tour dates or ask if you prefer to waitlist your original tour. A "Waitlist" tour means there are no seats available and we can add you to our waitlist and call you if seats become available. Please do not book any airfare for a Rick Steves tour until you have received a written confirmation letter in the mail.

What does it mean to be on a waitlist?

If the tour you would like to book is sold out, we are happy to add your name to as many as three waitlisted tours, and you can book your waitlist request on our website. There is no deposit required to waitlist a tour. We receive cancellations and transfers for a variety of reasons throughout the year so we recommend adding your name to the waitlist for your preferred tour and we'll be sure to contact you if seats become available. Although cancellations can happen at any time, they most often occur within 60 days of the tour start date, when the final tour payment is due. We will contact you immediately if and when something opens up.

To guarantee that you are able to travel with us in 2012 if your first choice tour date is waitlisted, please consider signing up for an alternate tour with seats available, and then if seats become available on your first choice tour, we will contact you to determine if you would like to transfer tours. As long as the tour you originally reserved is not departing within 60 days, we'd be happy to transfer you to an alternate tour date. Please note, if you transfer to an alternate 2012 tour date, as long as you remain on the same 2012 tour itinerary, the initial tour price will be honored. If you transfer to a different 2012 tour itinerary, the tour price effective on the date we confirm your tour transfer will be applied.

Do you offer any discounts?

Tour Alum Discount: If you've ever taken a Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door tour, you can discount $50 per tour you've taken prior to 2012 off the price of any tour departing in 2012. Your Tour Alum discount is cumulative — for example, a veteran of five tours automatically saves $250 on his or her next Rick Steves tour!

Early-Booking Discount: Reserve a seat on any of our 2012 tours by 11/30/11 and we will deduct $100 off your tour price. Your early-booking discount may be added to your Tour Alum discount. However, it is not transferable.

How does my Tour Alum discount work?

It's easy to take advantage of your Tour Alum discount: The speediest way to confirm your favorite 2012 tour is to book it on our website. You can pay your $400 per-person deposit with a credit card, note the year and country of each tour you've taken with us prior to 2012, and when you receive your written confirmation letter, you'll see that we have automatically deducted your alum discount from your final tour balance. If you prefer to print our 2012 tour application and mail your deposit to us, you can enter your prior tours on the application and we'll be sure to deduct your alum discount! The Tour Alum discount may be used on one tour per calendar year and is not transferable (e.g., parents can't use kids'/spouses' "credits").