I think ATC is just jealous because Rick is rich and ATC isn't.

And because Rick is already married.

http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif

Kathy

ATC, I believe you do hate Rick Steves.

For me, I get travel information from all sources, Rick Steves included. I'm the one who does the research and planning in this family. So I found a great use for Rick Steves in our last trip. I had the husband and child sit down and watch Rick Steve's DVD on the country we were about to travel to. It was great! I don't need to read from the travel book to them anymore.

I probably will never do a Rick Steves tour (don't do tours, and his are too rich for my blood anyway) but I admire his guidebooks for cutting through the layers of crap and giving guidance of what to see and what to skip. The alternative is too common - list everyting under the sun and bewilder the reader without recommendations.

(typo...)

[This message has been edited by pdhenry (edited 01-21-2003).]

Sheesh, I fill like I am being psychoanalyzed. Kathy, remember, this thread isn't about me. It's about Rick.

My local PBS station has turned into "All Rick, All the Time." 24/7 of Rick Steves.

Great.

Next Halloween we should all dress up like Rick Steves and go out and scare people.

The shows are a bit much, but I'll give him (or whoever designed it for him) credit in one area; I was given a "Europe Through The Back Door" carryon bag several years ago and it's proven to be one of the best pieces of luggage I've ever owned.

I think the less you have travelled, the more you like him. The more you travel, the less relevant he seems.

I used his books extensively to plan my first trip to Europe in 1991. I couldn't have really done it without them, because they contained a lot of practical information that 12 years ago was hard to find elsewhere. Now, there are eighty-five thousand web sites where one can get similar information, and he's just another brand.

I disagree with a lot of what he says in terms of details, but not with his original general philosophy. What he accomplished for me was to get me to think about developing my own philosophy for going to Europe, and I've now been there 14 times and have two trips planned for late in 2003.

I won't settle for less than a European-rated 3* hotel, I won't wash my laundry in the sink, and I won't assume that spending more than $15 for dinner or ducking into a McDonalds occasionally for some fries and a clean bathroom is horrific.

But a lot of what he discusses is basic politeness as well as avoiding the "follow the pack" mentality. I found it disturbing when he started offering tours, because that's exactly what he made his reputation railing against.

Still, if one of my early-20s nieces or nephews asked me for advice for going to Europe, his book would be the first thing I'd give them to read. Then after they've read it, I'd explain to them where I disagree with his approach.

Well, we've never heard of this Rick Whoever chap over here, so I followed Michael Steinberg's link above and found him to be a travel writer who does a lot about Europe. He seems to have a TV show in the US.

There was a lot of material about European trains. I can only say, as a caution to you all from over here:

What A Load Of Rubbish!!!!

Really, the material must have been culled from a composite of the least-researched travel books while sat in front of the fire at home. I'm sorry, but so much of it was just plain WRONG.

Can you give some advice on how to research trains and schedules? I am heading to Germany and Austria in the summer with my wife and have been stressing (a little) as to what to do about purchasing in advance, what class to buy, flex pass or not, etc...

Try the Rail Europe site.

http://www.raileurope.com/us

Kathy darling, TMI.... TMI.....

A German rail pass, if you buy one, will also cover travel from Munich to Salzburg, Austria, at no extra cost, so keep that in mind. They are sold as flexible day passes, so you need to pick how many days you want in a fixed period (i.e. any 7 days in 30). I've actually bought a number of rail passes from Rick Steves in the past, and have always got them promptly. Here is the link to railpasses on his site:

http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/choosemenu.htm

German rail has an English site that will give you pricing in Euros for individual trips, so you can decide if a railpass is worthwhile:
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e

To get today's US$/Euro conversion rate:
http://www.oanda.com

Thanks JerryFF & Tom911. I guess that some people do like Rick Steeves http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif. I think I might too after I get a chance to look into the web site further.

Sorry ATC, didn't mean to highjack your thread.

edited to change the "/" for bold

[This message has been edited by cattle (edited 01-23-2003).]

ATC-

You're right, this thread is about Rick Steeves and not you. At Steeves' funeral, they'll talk about his building a quirky empire to help millions of people travel to places they might've shied away from.

What will they be saying at yours?

Cattle-

You can get good advice on European rail travel from Steeves' organization, found at:

www.ricksteves.com

I haven't seen recent stats but up to a few years agp, Steeves was selling more Eurail passes than anyone else in America. The times I used them they spent hours on the phone with me helping with info and schedules for rather obscure rail routes.

[This message has been edited by Mountain Trader (edited 01-24-2003).]

[This message has been edited by Mountain Trader (edited 01-24-2003).]