Also distressing, and so wrong. I am sad to see so much criticism and mockery of Rick Steves, his books, and in some cases of American tourists in general.
Unfortunately the thread has been locked so no further comments can be made. Posting in the “books and Movies” section as I could not figure out one might be more appropriate.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g186217-i16-k14202116-Rick_Steves-England.html
Thanks for the link, just goes to show why I tend to avoid the trip advisor forums, full to bursting with self-entitled "experts" who believe there is only one way to travel correctly and that's their "way". It's just a toxic environment.
For the record, in general I find American/Canadian tourists in Europe to be much more thoughtful and respectful travelers than the English counterparts.
I have not read this particular thread more than the 1st page but trying to change anyone's mind on this is like tilting at windmills. They have wrong information and I'd wager that most have never looked at a RS guidebook or seen a RS program but keep repeating the same stuff. It's aggravating but there is really nothing anyone can do. They get the bit in their teeth and can be pretty vicious on the UK or in this instance England forum.
I do like TA forums in general but you have to know the culture of each forum and they vary widely. You also have to read a forum long enough that you can detect who gives good information and who gives "copy and paste" answers that are out of date. I participate daily on one of the forums for a national park and we are pretty civil. I'd probably never post a question on the Air Travel forum as they can be pretty mean as well.
To each his or her own. RS has never tried to be comprehensive and his books and shows seem especially accessible to novice travelers (which we all were once). I sometimes get annoyed with the repeated discussions on this forum involving Bath or Rue Cler or other well-trodden RS destinations, but I wouldn't fault him or the company for offering useful and well-researched recommendations to people who need them.
Some of the TA comments accuse him of promoting unrealistic timetables and encouraging people to rush through their itineraries. What I've perceived is the opposite, an appreciation of the value of slowing down and getting closer to the culture. So, who cares what a lot of TA commenters think anyway? Personally, I don't like Marmite but I do like Rick's general approach and communication skills.
He did become a bit more well known in the UK after this incident, but it hardly gave him any fans. https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/american-travel-writer-slammed-videoing-16626721
It always makes me disappointed when I see this kind of thread. I know there have been similar threads over the years and I think they do a disservice to travelers, particularly novice ones. His country guidebooks are huge and to dismiss the whole book as being “wrong” eliminates a lot of practical information. I would imagine, in this day and age, that most people use a guidebook as a starting point and then hit the internet for more in-depth and up to date. I generally double-check any specific
Info., I.e. restaurants, hotels and museum opening times in guidebooks against current websites. One posters said that anyone traveling to the Cinque Terre would find it full of American tourists. However, that wasn’t true during our time there last summer; it was full of people from many nationalities.
RS has his own style and it sure seems to work for lots of people. I get that it doesn’t appeal to everyone, but I don’t understand the need to bash it with such condescension and vitriol.
Wow, that's a toxic group on TA. I only went three pages deep and this is my favourite reply:
"He's a complete and utter muppet - some of his "advice" can be illegal/dangerous or just plain WTF!"
For the record, that's not my opinion, I will say, you're a ding-dong if you only use one source. I've learned to pick and choose between guidebooks and other sources for particular information and RS is one of them that has a lot of value to me.
There was a term invented a few years ago - "Bullcrit" - criticism of a book or film you haven't actually read or seen.
I've watched a number of Rick's videos simply out of curiosity (I found myself on this site before I'd ever heard of him) and he's not to my taste and some of the criticism of him on that TA thread is justified however each to their own. We all travel differently and if Rick's advice assists you on achieving what you want then what's the problem?
I only got about halfway through the comments but I didn't read anything particularly derogatory about American tourists however, as I'm currently in the US (Phoenix at the moment) I'm reminded once more how I appalled I am by Americans once they get behind the wheel. They go from being the most incredibly pleasant and polite people to the most ignorant, selfish, combative drivers I've encountered anywhere else in the world. I just don't know what it is about Americans and their cars.
Yes, some of the criticism of his advice may be justified (as being too opinionated, an itinerary too fast, etc). But a lot of it is flat our wrong. Such as post #77 which says “He’s that stupid he thinks Northern Ireland is part of Ireland and not the United Kingdom”, followed by a dizzying array of emojis including clowns. A following post objected to this and quoted what he actually said, which is very different from the false statement.
The person who wrote #77 is from Northern Ireland (Lisburn) and is also the source of the anti-Yank rant. See post #86.
“They said you are never more than 10 feet away from an idiot, this didn't apply as much during lockdown as the Yanks weren't allowed to travel to the UK.”
Then he goes on to rant about 4 guys who apparently violated some kind of covid protocol in Northern Ireland, but it is hard to tell what he is saying. Given that they had to test negative before getting on the plane to Dublin, it doesn’t make sense they were required to isolate for several days after arrival before traveling to Belfast. Or were they? Anyone know?
In any case to extrapolate from this to “most Yanks” as he does is . . . I don’t know a word for it. Maybe “ignorant” is the kindest.
As for the US drivers, this is veering off-topic, but I will simply say that driver etiquette and consideration for others (or lack there of) is very location-specific in the US. In general terms it tends to get better the father north you go (think Minnesota, Seattle). There is an old joke about 4 Seattle Volvo drivers at a 4-way stop who never move, because each driver keeps deferring to the others. “After you . . . .Oh, no, after YOU” and so on.
Years ago, I asked a specific question on TripAdvisor and received two rude replies that didn’t come close to answering my post; why respond when you don’t know? Why get mad if you don't know the answer. Furthermore, Rick Steves doesn’t promote TripAdvisor.
When I hear people say something negative about Rick Steves, I get the feeling it’s jealousy. I wouldn’t waste time reading rude remarks about someone who writes guidebooks with a sense of humor and has the best self-guided walks out there compared to what you see in other books. I too buy more than one guidebook when planning a trip and find myself picking up Rick’s book more than the others and each edition is better than the last and the same with his competitors.
Every guidebook becomes outdated when it goes into print so check Rick’s website for what’s changed before going. Of course, some changes aren’t posted yet and we have the opportunity to share that information on his website when we discover it.
“Then he goes on to rant about 4 guys who apparently violated some kind of covid protocol in Northern Ireland, but it is hard to tell what he is saying. Given that they had to test negative before getting on the plane to Dublin, it doesn’t make sense they were required to isolate for several days after arrival before traveling to Belfast. Or were they? Anyone know?”
Yes, they should have isolated. Back then the COVID entry rules dictated that they should have done exactly what that poster writes;
“On entering they were suppose to stay isolated for a few days and if they tested negative they could go out and about”
Back then, you could only enter upon the condition that you went straight from the airport to a location where you would isolate for a certain amount of days. After a few days you were allowed to leave your isolation only to get tested. If the test came back negative, you were “free”.
Whether or not you think it makes sense, that was the rule at that time. There’s always a chance that a visitor caught COVID between the time they took their pre-flight COVID test and their actual entry into the country. So in order to catch those who became infected at the airport or during the flight, people had to isolate upon arrival.
So the waitress in that story was right to kick them out as they still should have been in isolation.
"pecksniffian prodnoses" 🤣😂🤣 Love it.
Not the first thread on TA grousing about our Rick. Looks to me that at least he's got some defenders on this one, including a few from the UK/Ireland. It was negative generalizations around the perceived 'mentality of most Yanks' that set my teeth on edge.
Typically in the UK and Ireland, most American tourists tend to be
older, travel in groups and have a rather simplistic view of what the
country they're visiting should be.
Um, really? Maybe you just didn't notice all of the Americans, of a variety of ages, traveling on their own? Maybe because they didn't fit that wonky mold of your own creation? Did you care to take time to chat with enough of them long enough to accurately determine the 'simplistic' assumptions you believe 'they' have your country?
One thing I will agree with, without meaning to be a pecksnuffy or whatever, is that the suggested itineraries in the guidebooks are pretty rushed. I've not looked at them for all European counties but, for instance, Rome, Florence and Venice in 6 days? Can't say that it can't be done but SHOULD it be if attempting to get a head reasonably around them?
I've got a new favourite quote from that TA post, this time from an American:
" Actually, some people here, more "sophisticated" world-traveler types, look down their noses at him and people who use his guides as sort of lower class, budget traveler types. "
How embarrassing that for the past 3 or 4 years I've been taking advice from you unsophisticated, lower class travelers...;).
Actually, some people here, more "sophisticated" world-traveler types, look down their noses at him and people who use his guides as sort of lower class, budget traveler types. "
Perhaps this is satire?
As for the US drivers, this is veering off-topic, but I will simply say that driver etiquette and consideration for others (or lack there of) is very location-specific in the US. In general terms it tends to get better the farther north you go (think Minnesota, Seattle).
Lola, that is so true. I grew up in SW Ohio and worked there most of my life, and hated driving there. Rude drivers abound, and god-forbid anyone should dare to "cut in" during a scissor merge.
Then I moved to Minnesota and was amazed at how easy driving can be when you are dealing with courteous drivers. Scissor merges work they way they are intended, with cars taking turns merging to keep the flow of traffic going, drivers on expressways politely allow others to enter their lanes instead of speeding up so that no one can get ahead of them. So much easier for everyone!
I'm heading back to Duluth after spending a 2 week Christmas vacation in Cincinnati visiting siblings and had a shock to the system when I was once again faced with rude drivers.
