Rick Steves Home > 2010 Tours > Tour Planning Essentials

Getting Ready For Your Tour

Health

Physical Demands
Prepare for a physically demanding tour. Age is not a concern so long as you are physically fit, a very good walker, and able to stand for extended periods of time and climb lots of stairs. You are required to carry your own bag from the bus to your hotel room. This can involve a 15-minute walk and a climb up several flights of stairs. For sightseeing, plan on walking 6-8 miles during the most active days, over uneven surfaces, and up and down lots of stairs.

Special Dietary Needs
While we cannot take responsibility for those with special dietary needs or allergies, vegetarians and those with diet restrictions usually manage fine with a little flexibility and willingness to supplement meals as needed.

Smoking
This is a no smoking tour. Unless you are on fire, you will never be allowed to smoke on the bus or in your hotel room at any time, or anywhere indoors where other tour members are present. At the same time, keep in mind that we cannot always isolate smoke-sensitive tour members from the many locals who light up.

Passports

IMPORTANT PASSPORT WARNING – APPLY TODAY FOR A NEW OR RENEWAL PASSPORT TO PARTICIPATE IN A 2010 RICK STEVES TOUR!

Please check your passport's expiration date today and prepare to act right away if it needs updating (do the math: for most countries, your passport's expiration date should be at least 6 months after your planned return date).

  • To get a new passport (good for 10 years) the cheapest — and slowest — way, you'll pay $100 as a first-timer, or $75 to renew, and probably wait about 4 weeks.
  • If you can't wait that long, tack on an additional $60 rush fee (plus overnight shipping both ways) and you should get your passport by mail within two weeks.
  • If you can provide proof that you have to leave within two weeks (by showing a purchased plane ticket), you should call to make an in-person appointment at one of 13 regional passport agencies located in major cities throughout the USA (http://travel.state.gov/passport) and you will receive your passport during the appointment. To make this appointment, call the National Passport Information Center's automated appointment line at 877/487-2778 (this automated appointment system is open 24 hours — please be patient when calling — we have heard that calling at odd hours works best). 
  • If you're taking one of the slower/cheaper options, four weeks after you apply, you can check the status of your passport application and its estimated arrival date through the State Department website at www.travel.state.gov. We've found it to be accurate within a few days.

REQUIRED TRAVEL DOCUMENTS – PASSPORTS AND VISAS

We need the details from the picture page of each tour member's passport.  Please email this to us at tour@ricksteves.com at least 2 months before your tour departs if you did not enter the passport details on your original tour order.  If you do not yet have a passport, we recommend that you apply for one at least 2 months prior to your tour's departure to allow adequate time for it to arrive prior to your tour. For more information, check out www.travel.state.gov/travel/ or look in the front of your local phone book under "Federal (or US) Passports." Larger post offices also carry the forms. Allow a minimum of 4-6 weeks for processing.

If you already have a US passport, please check the expiration date.  As noted above, your passport should be valid for at least six months after your return date.   If it is not valid for at least six months from your return date, we highly recommend that you get it renewed today.

VISAS: US & Canadian citizens need visas to enter Turkey and Russia. Turkish visas can be easily obtained upon your arrival at the Istanbul airport using cash and exact change only. For US citizens, the cost is $20, for Canadian citizens the cost is $60 US or €45. Holders of passports from any country other than the USA or Canada must check the visa requirements prior to departure. You are responsible for ob­taining all necessary documents prior to participating in this tour and failure to do so will result in the forfeiture of all tour payments if you are unable to join the tour.  No shots are currently required for travel in Western Europe or Turkey. You should, however, check with your doctor to see if you're up to date with regular immunizations such as tetanus, hepatitis, tuberculosis, etc.

You may apply for a 30-day Russian visa no earlier than 90 days before your tour departs. Our company cannot process visas for tour members. However, at least 4 months before your tour departs, we will send you a packet of information outlining how to get a visa. Up to date information can be found at www.travel.state.gov. Popular visa servicing centers include Visa Passport Express at http://www.passportvisasexpress.com/, Zierer Visa Service at www.zvs.com, and Red Star Travel (Seattle) at http://www.travel2russia.com/visa.htm.

Customs

Each US resident is allowed to return from Europe with $800 worth of duty-free goods. For more information, see the travel section at http://www.customs.gov/ or look up their number in the front of your local phone book under "Federal (or US) Customs."

Mailing Packages

On Rick Steves' tours, we try to minimize the shopping focus that dominates other tours at the expense of sightseeing. But even with our tight security, shoppers manage to infiltrate our groups. You can "deep store" purchases under the bus until the end of your tour (does not apply on our 7-day city tours, 8-day Barcelona & Madrid tours, 9-day St. Petersburg, Tallinn & Helsinki tours, 10-day Venice, Florence & Rome tours, 12-day Berlin, Prague & Vienna tours, 12-day Portugal tours, 14-day Athens & Heart of Greece tours or 16-day Spain with Morocco tours). Packages mailed from Europe can take 6 weeks or longer to arrive and postage can be quite expensive. Save money and hassles: bring an empty bag and carry your purchases home. Our Hide-Away Tote Bag is perfect for this (and doubles as a handy on-the-road laundry bag).

Photography

Your camera is the most likely thing to get lost, broken or stolen. Bring an expensive one only if you're a serious photographer. It's a good idea to label your camera with name, address, phone and travel email (maybe a good Samaritan will send it back). Snapshots with postcards work fine for those doing scrapbooks. Remember to bring extra batteries. Digital camera users can often find shops in larger cities to burn pictures onto CDs, and it's also a good idea to bring an extra memory card.

Language

While it's not necessary to be fluent, it is nice to master a few basic courtesies such as "Please," "Thank you," and "Where is the toilet?" Europe / Regional tour members receive a copy of the appropriate Rick Steves' phrase book complete with phonetic translations, when applicable.  There is also a page of helpful phrases in Rick's Athens, Istanbul and Scandinavia guidebooks. 

Renting a Car

If you're renting a car before or after a tour, an International Driving Permit is not required in most countries, just your regular US driver's license. Some exceptions are Austria, Spain, and Hungary (you can get an International Driving Permit from AAA for $10). Check with any car rental agency for other country-specific requirements such as highway-use windshield stickers or theft insurance.