For coronavirus (COVID-19) travel information, see our FAQ.

Our Trip Consulting Service

Trip consultant at Rick Steves' Europe
Our Trip Consultants help you plan your European adventure.

Our team of experienced advisors has helped thousands of travelers put together great itineraries tailored to their interests, budgets, and time constraints. If you have lots of questions, or you're a first-time traveler, consider a one-on-one trip consultation. We can help you build an itinerary, set priorities, and figure out transportation.

We specialize in the areas covered by Rick Steves tours and guidebooks, but can often help in other areas of Europe. Any transportation and lodging reservations are up to you, but you'll be ready to do it yourself after your consultation. And we don't focus on specialty modes of travel (such as hiking, biking, or cruising), though we'll help as best we can.

We are currently offering consultations over the phone only, with no date yet set to resume in-person consultations in our Travel Center.

To Schedule a Consultation

  • Book at least 48 hours ahead
  • Consultations are 30 minutes long (usually plenty of time)
  • $90 Post-covid half-off special: $45
  • $30 $15 for an additional 15 minutes
  • 50% discount for anyone confirmed on an upcoming Rick Steves tour
  • One booking at a time, please! No back-to-back appointments

Schedule a Consultation

 

Meet Our Consultants

Lisa Friend

Traveled to Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia (St. Petersburg), Scotland, Sicily, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and Wales. 

My perfect travel day: That 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 a high-speed 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.

A customer raves about Lisa: "She was professional and extremely personable, and made it feel as though she really wanted the best experience for our family. I would recommend Lisa and your travel service to anyone. I could not have asked for a better experience!"

Rich Earl

Traveled to Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland (Reykjavík), Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia (St. Petersburg), Scotland, Sicily, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey.

My perfect travel day: After a leisurely morning sipping cappuccinos at the harbor in Vernazza in the Cinque Terre, hiking up to Monterosso and spending the day at the beach, swimming, relaxing and drinking limonate. Taking 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.

A customer raves about Rich: "Rich was FANTASTIC! He was VERY helpful and was able to answer all my questions. I KNOW that he will improve my trip tenfold!"

Pat O'Connor

Traveled to Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Malta, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia (St. Petersburg), Scotland, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Wales.

My perfect travel day: An Irish photo-safari hike with puffin-spotting stops among the cliff-perched ancient monastic ruins of isolated Skellig Michael off the County Kerry coast. Follow that with a scenic late-afternoon drive to Dingle town for a hearty fresh-fish dinner in a friendly restaurant. Then cap that off with an evening of Irish traditional music, cold pints, and playful conversation in a local pub.

A customer raves about Pat: "We received great information on scheduling, using rail passes, and supplementing with cheaper flights to save travel time. I learned more in the time I spent with Pat than with two local travel agencies here in St Louis!"