Destination: Austria

The My Way Alpine Europe Tour I’m leading is well underway, as we hopscotch across borders through the Alps. After a memory-packed day traveling from the Dolomites to Bavaria, we popped back into Austria for an early-evening hike to a ruined castle (Ehrenberg, above Reutte) and a wobbly ramble over a very long and very high suspension bridge. My friend Armin dreamed up, spearheaded, and now manages this exciting new activity that’s bringing lots of visitors to his little town. We’re 400 feet above our teeny tour bus, at the point where three valleys converge — a strategic location since this was the Roman Via Claudia. The joy on our group’s faces shows the fun in mixing exhilarating experiences with historical sights.

(My tour assistant, Trish Feaster, also blogged about our adventure in Reutte at her website, The Travelphile.)

This is Day 60 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I lead tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Vienna, the Alps, the Low Countries, England, and beyond. Find more right here on my travel blog.

I just met 26 happy travelers and we’re well into our My Way Alpine Europe Tour. It’s so much fun to be personally leading our tours again. (Over the next 12 days or so, I’ll be reporting on the fun we’re having.) We lead about 900 tours each season. On our tours, we become like a family, and it’s important that we know each other’s names. Early on, we play a memory game to learn everyone’s name. Here, on the lakeside terrace of our Hallstatt hotel, watch as little Allison demonstrates how agile young minds are. You can see what a wonderful variety of people join a Rick Steves tour. That’s one thing I really enjoy about this work.

(My tour assistant, Trish Feaster, filmed this clip. She’s blogging about our tour at her website, The Travelphile.)

This is Day 57 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I lead tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Vienna, the Alps, the Low Countries, England, and beyond. Find more right here on my travel blog.

For 25 years, I personally led lots of Rick Steves Europe Tours. But for the last decade or so, I’ve preferred to just ride along as a tour member instead — enjoying the work of our hardworking and passionate guides. But this year I’ve decided to get back into the tour-guiding saddle and personally lead a couple of tours.

My first tour — a Rick Steves My Way Alpine Europe Tour — just kicked off in Salzburg, where I met my 26 happy co-travelers. (Our My Way tours are “un-guided,” designed to include ample free time. Rather than a tour guide, a My Way tour comes with a tour manager — that’s me — who gets tour members from point to point, orients them to their options, handles logistics, and answers questions.) It’s a joy to be leading our tours again. And over the next 12 days or so, I’ll be reporting on the fun we’re having, right here on my travel blog and on Facebook.