Tulipmania

Tulipmania is an accurate, but not an adequate description of the Netherlands/Belgium experience. Tulip ecstasy, check. Tulip immersion, check. Stimulation of all senses, check. The taste and smell of Belgium waffles and beer and Dutch friets and cheese; the sound of carillons; the sights of Rembrandt's Nightwatch, fields of tulips, and windmills; and the touch of friendly dogs. Check, check, check, check, and check.

We choose Road Scholar tours because they are: well organized, educational, packed with assorted and interesting activities, but most of all, the people in the tour are interesting, considerate, and fun to travel companions.

The sites on the tour were spectacular. Enjoyed the art experts and the art local guides. But there were multiple aspects of the trip that fell short of my normal expectations of what Road Scholar provides. A few of the local guides did not have English language and communication skills that made them effective. That made for a frustrating experience. The primary group leader really left a lot to be desired. He was always upbeat. We were always "perfectly on time". But he frankly did a horrible job coordinating the transportation for us. Specifically, he could not coordinate pick-up and drop-off points and times with the bus drivers. We seemed to have long walk times to meet the bus (I know these are old cities and not bus-friendly, but I saw other buses do better). The wait times were unreasonable. The leader's explanation was that the buses couldn't wait for us more than a couple of minutes and there was ALWAYS traffic that was "unavoidable". Well...If it's always there, then the guide and the driver need to plan for it. The group had to wait multiple times in colder-than-normal weather. The primary group leader was also oblivious to his "followers". He walked way too fast for many to keep up. The secondary group leader was brand new and needs a lot more training in leadership etiquette. He spent too much time communicating with the local guides in Dutch during the tour. There were several people touring with Road Scholar for the first time. Those who had travelled on other Road Scholar programs had to assure them that this was not the normal high quality that Road Scholar typically provides.

Tulipmania is an exceptional program. If you are at all interested in the history of tulips, seeing tulips or the Netherlands and their mastery of land reclamation from the sea, this is the program for you. They’re guide is exceptional as were the past 21 programs I’ve attended. Read the book, “Amsterdam“ before you go!

I loved Tulipmania. If you are trying to decide between this trip and the tulip boat trip, this one includes Belgium and the towns of Antwerp, Ghent and Brugge. You are in just 2 hotels, one in Haarlem outside of Amsterdam and one in Ghent. Both lovely, old, walkable towns to explore. You do day trips to various sites making for some longish days but you don't have to pack up your stuff and move frequently. Our weather was particularly cold, wet and windy. Pack a warm hat, gloves , and an umbrella, just in case. The first week was mostly about the tulips. Keukenhof Garden is amazing. Seven million tulips for just an 8 week season, then they are all taken out. Be prepared to take a thousand pictures. The second week is more art and architecture with lots of 2 hour walking tours and museums. There is a lot of walking and standing. To be comfortable you should be able to do 10,000 steps a day. The walks are over uneven cobblestones so an assistive device other than a cane won't work. Watch your feet and at the same time watch for the many cyclists who have the right of way over pedestrians. Not an easy task. Don't bring a lot of dollars expecting to change them to Euros. Banks don't do that anymore. Use ATMs to get cash. But you won't need much cash as due to Covid or just changing times, many places won't take cash. All museums and the Keukenhof Garden require credit only and not American Express. You need a small amount of cash for some pay toilets and for shared independent meals with group members as the concept of the restaurant splitting the check just doesn't really exist. Much easier if everyone just pays their share in cash. Speaking of group meals, this tour had a large number of solo women travelers which made it easy to find someone to share a meal with. If you are a solo traveler and thinking of doing this trip, it is highly recommended.

Excellent program for sturdy walkers with great interest in a lovely clean beautiful country full of friendly open people with many interests and values.

This program was amazing. Tulips are a must see and the story of how the people of the Netherlands must continuously work to, "keep their feet dry" is fascinating.

Tulipmania was my first RoadScholar trip but it wasn’t my last! I intend to travel more with RoadScholar in the future. This trip made traveling internationally and having excellent educational experiences possible for me.