I've been leading bus tours since the 1970s. Back then, my groups were nearly all women. (My theory: Guys were comfortable having a travel adventure on their own. But the women, just as eager for excitement on the road, felt safer in a small group.) They would fill the bus with girl talk as if I weren't there. I would just put on my earphones, listen to my favorite playlist, and drive. I drove countless hours and listened to the same short list of tunes on my Walkman over and over. Today, so many years later, I satisfied the urge to play one of those favorite and well-worn tunes that take me back to those minibus tour days. It's decades later, and I'm guiding a tour on a big fancy bus with a great sound system filled with young-at-heart travelers. We have a fun music-sharing game called "Tour Member DJ Party Party" (invented by tour guide Trish Feaster). It's a great way to help pass a long drive -- open mic and any traveler gets to share a personal favorite. It's my turn, and we're rocking out to the great road-trip groove of "Bang a Gong" by T. Rex.
(Follow along on my travel blog and on Facebook as I guide the Rick Steves Europe Tours Best of Europe in 21 Days Tour.)
(This post originally appeared at blog.ricksteves.com/blog/tour-bus-party.)