Plan Your Trip with our Expert Consultants!
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| Our Consultants make your trip-planning a breeze! |
Planning your dream trip should be enjoyable. If the complexities of
railpass features, sightseeing priorities, or even packing are stressing
you out, we can help.
We've been to Europe — many times. If you have lots of questions and/or a complex trip to plan, or if you're a first-time traveler and are not sure where to begin planning, consider a personalized in-depth trip consultation with one of our experienced advisors. Our team has helped thousands of travelers put together great itineraries tailored to their special interests, budgets, and time constraints.
You can arrange a consultation in person at our European Travel Center in Edmonds, Washington, or by phone. The in-person cost is $50 per half hour (which is enough time for most trips), or $75 for a half hour consultation by phone (which also covers extra time the consultant spends before your call, looking over your itinerary). Appointments exceeding 30 minutes will be charged $25 for each additional 15 minutes.
Rick Steves' Tour Members get 50% off trip consulting. If you're taking a Rick Steves' tour, your tour benefits include 50% off the standard rates (as shown above) for one in person or phone consulting appointment. Our travel experts are a great resource for assisting you with your pre- or post-tour travel plans.
To schedule a consultation, call our Travel Center at 425/771-8303 ext. 298. We'd love to do a little travel dreaming with you!
All consultations require appointments in advance. During the busy travel planning seasons our consultants can be heavily booked. Try to make your appointment a week in advance to secure a date and time that fit your schedule.
Meet our Consultants
Paul Orcutt
15 years at ETBD
Traveled to Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Greece, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Liechtenstein, Hungary and probably a couple more that I can't remember. Outside of Europe my travels have been limited to Canada, Mexico, British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Asian portions of the former Soviet Union and Turkey.
My perfect travel day: While I have enjoyed many perfect days, I would have to say that I never tire of being in the hilltowns of Provence or Umbria. After beginning with a good breakfast, the balance of the day would certainly include visiting a local market in the morning, a slow paced, leisurely lunch with some local wine followed up with visits to a couple really cool nearby villages or major sites. Then, I'd head back to a comfortable hotel before a relaxed evening meal trying some of the local food items and wines.
Favorite travel product: Civita Day Bag and our city guide books.
Lisa Friend
11 years at ETBD
Traveled to Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Wales plus Aruba, The Bahamas, Canada, The Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dutch Antilles, Jamaica, Mexico, and Panama.
My perfect travel day: would be waking up in London, eating a lovely English Breakfast, browsing through the Spitalfields Market looking for art and offbeat crafts and chatting up all the stallholders, going on a walking tour through one of London's great neighborhoods, taking a black taxi to St. Pancras Station and traveling on the Eurostar train through the Chunnel to Paris while taking an highspeed nap. In Paris, I love going to the Orsay Museum with its Impressionist paintings, then sitting down to a nice dinner topped off by a late night cruise on the Seine River holding hands with my husband. Note: this travel day works poorly backwards because you end up eating a Continental Breakfast and an English Dinner.
Favorite travel product: Toiletry Kit in bright Red. I have a place for everything in it and have given one to everyone in my family. Runner up: Quick Fresh Spray for stinky shoes, etc.
Rich Earl
4 years at ETBD
Traveled to Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, plus Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Peru and Uruguay.
Perfect Travel Day: after a leisurely morning sipping cappuccinos at the harbor in Vernazza, hiking up to Monterosso and spending the day at the beach, swimming, relaxing and drinking limonatas. Take the train back to Vernazza in the afternoon for dinner of pesto lasagna at Il Castello, then wandering the winding streets of Vernazza with a gelato di caffe and people watching.
Favorite travel product: Hide-away-tote bag. I use it for laundry, shopping and pack it with dirty clothes at the end of my trip as another piece of checked baggage.
