Hi from Rick: This Summer's Discoveries + Next Year's Tours
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| A hike above England's Derwentwater was a summer "wow" for me — and could be for you, too. |
Dear Traveler,
I'm home after a busy summer of TV filming, book research, meeting people and taking photos in Europe. I'm happy to report that a down economy hasn't kept Europe from continuing to innovate and improve what it has to offer travelers. To see a gallery of images and impressions from my summer, check out my travel blog.
Now that I'm back, one of the things I'm enjoying most is announcing our 2011 tours.
This past spring, my tour guides and I got together and spent long hours "dissecting" every day of every tour itinerary to see where we could add more value for our tour members. And we succeeded.
You'll see the results on each tour's itinerary page at ricksteves.com. I've tallied up all the "what's includeds" from our tours in 2010 and 2011 (all the activities and admissions we include in every tour's price, which most other tour companies charge you extra for once you're in Europe) and found an increase of 129 included experiences — 24% more per mile, minute and dollar than last year.
And that's just a start: while half of our groups will remain nice and small at 24-28 — the other half will shrink to an "extra-small" 20-24.
To thank you for booking your 2011 tour in 2010, we'll knock $100 off the price. And when it's time to make your final payment, you'll have the choice of using a credit card, or taking a 2½ percent discount off that amount if you pay by check.
This month's Travel News will link you to all the fun details. You'll also find new articles on the value of digital travel tools, the delights of Lisbon and Verona, a travel tale from this summer's Tour de France, and a sampling of our readers' most creative souvenirs.
We're here to get you there.
Happy travels,
Rick