+1

His Sicily show was not bad, but I liked the rural Borneo one more. Hmm. perhaps I'll take some unpaid leave later this year...

travel channel
 

You can always watch Tony Bourdain.
He is SARDONIC AND IRONIC (words you could never ever use to describe the sweet-faced, bland and lowest-common-denominator Steves.

Bourdain is also great!...but the bottomline here is I think that Americans (some) will have a better understanding of the world if they just travel more and get to know other cultures....

Im sitting next to a guy at work who calls ALL french people a****holes, and he has never met a french person in his life nor been to France.
His claim: they didnt support the war in Iraq

Now if anyone has any degree of intelligence, they would agree his is wrong.

I was in the Navy and made numerous stops in France.

I am fairly intelligent, and I would for the most part agree with your co-worker.

I bet he would know to capitalize "French". heheheh:p

The problem I have with the Rick Steves Books is not with his sensible advice about how to get into the Louvre without waiting in line, it is his simplistic approach to history and art history which is at times, outright wrong on the facts.

It is the fact that he preaches cultural relativism out of one side of his mouth and but then declaims with the other that you must see something or shouldn't bother with something else as if his opinion is the only one worth listening to. He needs to put some recommendations into his books that reflect opinions other than his own. For example, he could say "the ancient Greek sculptures in the Louvre bore me to tears, but my son loved them and here's why" - thereby allowing the reader some responsibility in making decisions.

Well my point is that he is already assuming something before experiencing it. A "George Bush" decision, as I call it....

You on the other hand, went there, and for whatever reason came to your conclusion, based on your interaction(s) with them.

I didn't know there US bases in France. France only entered NATO a few weeks ago. Only quick in an out in Marseille to sample to locals?

Actually , Samantha Brown and Anthony Bourdain both do excellent jobs (even if they are chalk and cheese personality wise)

I find Rick Steves' politics naive and potentially dangerous, but I think he's a damn good travel book writer (no opinion of his TV show, I never watch it). The stuff is informative, frequently updated, and perfectly organized for the typically time-pressed American traveller. He is very good at what he does, and I respect him for it. I use his guidebooks more than anyone else's in Europe. When I have the chance to do my own thorough independent research for restaurants and attractions, I find myself impressed by how many of the true "gems" Steves has managed to find.

FWIW, his guidebook weakness is probably with hotels. A typical flyertalker would probably find better deals by bidding or taking advantage of various hotel promo/frequent stay opportunities. I can usually stay in 4 star hotels for less than the price that Steves puts his readers into 2 stars. I'd actually prefer to stay in Steves' 2 stars for half their price, but that's a deal I can't usually find.

It's ok if they don't agree with the Iraq decision.

One thing no American should ever forget is that the French were strong supporters of and aided American independence...

excellent point.....However, there are Americans still that dont know their own history and would much rather carve other peoples history to their own benefit

The USA had a facility at Istres AB in France for years. It just closed (as a US base) at the end of 2004. U-2s used it in the mid-90s for example.

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123009454).

Ciao,
FH

Flyer Talkers may not realize how many Americans are literally afraid to travel, not to mention ignorant about other countries. Look at regular travel websites, and you'll see some real naivete in action, with questions like, "I'm going to London for Thanksgiving weekend. Will the stores be open?" (I'm not making this up.)

Rick Steves writes and makes his videos for the naive traveler, not for the Flyer Talker who's in New York today and Doha next week and Shanghai the week after that, flying in F all the way and staying in 5-star hotels. It's for Mr. and Mrs. Middle American, whose idea of an exotic vacation is a week in a motel on Waikiki. His persona is perfect for appealing to that audience.

I'm a budget traveler myself, and although I've never stayed in a lodging recommended by Rick Steves, I've found his practical hints about sightseeing to be quite valuable, even if his cultural information is sometimes questionable.

Someone mentioned Michael Palin. I loved his earlier programs, such as Around the World in 80 Days or Pole to Pole, but recently I saw his New Europe series and was terribly disappointed. This is a region of the world that I'm interested in and derive part of my ancestry from, and while New Europe had its moments, there was far too much ego-tripping --not enough local sights and situations, and too much of Palin clowning in reaction to them. When it came to parts of Eastern Europe that both Palin and Steves covered, such as Hungary, Steves' programs were actually more informative.

So take your pick. If you're a sophisticated luxury travel, Rick Steves doesn't have much to teach you. If you've never left your home county and are fearful of dealing with "furriners," you could learn a lot from Rick Steves.

I thought Rick Steve was this guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5ixW...CCEC1&index=29

start at about 2:45 in.

With or without the uniform and the big US fla... err... bulls-eye? ;)