An idea for a new RS travel skills show

I don't either but good idea

I think it's time for a "travel during a pandemic" show. Think airport protocols, public transportation protocols or how to avoid public transportation altogether, small inns and small communities, parks, face masks, outdoor stuff, outdoor cafes, places to stroll, take-out food options, etc..

By the end of this thread, we can have this topic of pandemic travel half-written for RS.

RS has done a few shows over the years with his family that included many helpful tips. One of the more recent I remember is a trip to Ireland when both children were close to teen age.

I do agree that a new show updated with all of the changes related to family travel would be nice. All the "i" devices were still in their infancy when the last family show was done. Planning to allow everyone access to charging with limited electrical outlets found in most European hotels could be an entire show by itself!

Actually, I read today that solo travel is the second largest travel demographic and that tourism is looking to target them.....tours particularly.
I sure would like solo topics and pricing for solos rather than his pricing per person based on 2 to a room.

Are flights to Europe still a "no-go" for Americans?

Yes, a traveling with kids episode or book section could be good. I have a 13 and 10 year old and even in the past 10 years things have changed immensely. Also, I’ve seen a lot on luxury family travel and some on very tight budgets. There’s a market for “taking your kids to Europe for 2 weeks for the same cost as a week at DisneyWorld”. Many American families think its unaffordable, or can only be done cheaply by backpacking and hostels.

That's interesting, Maria.

I've become a bit spoiled with traveling solo now, ha ha.

Trips that were to include plans with family or friends, and changed for certain reasons, made me appreciate the solo experience. Don't get me wrong, still would love to travel abroad with family or friends, but for now, I'm jussst a little selfish...lol!

Over the years, I traveled Domestically with family or friends, boyfriends as well as independent if peeps didn't care to go or couldn't go.

MariaF? RS does charge “per person”. Assumption is based upon 2x per room, couples or singles rooming together. There is a single supplement (generally standard in the industry) for a single desiring their own private hotel room. On some tours the single supplement is very low, on others not so much. Single rooms in most European hotels are generally cheaper then a room with 2 beds but they are not 1/2 the price, thus the supplement as the single has to cover the cost of the entire single room. RS is not like the cruise industry where you pay for 2 even if traveling solo.

OnefastBib, perhaps my message got blurry. As the question was related to travel skills shows I wanted one for solos. When I have watched some of these travel webinars, they talk pricing per person based on 2. It is how RS seems to set travel budget in his discussions. I would like an alternative Because it can become quite a bit more costly when calculated for one.
I wasn't bringing up the single supplement situation. I am well aware of that and buy what fits my 'value' budget. It would just be nice to have tips for solos and have someone else do the real price calculations for us.
It is a fast growing market and needs a little recognition and support...imo

MariaF, Very good suggestion, i agree with you. (And i understood you in your first post).

I've also thought that an updated show on travel in the post-pandemic world might be a good idea as I think travels in Europe (and elsewhere) is going to be very different from now on. I'd certainly be interested to have a look at what conditions are like in Europe now.

I've seen some excellent video collaborations lately that were produced using Skype or Zoom, with the participants in many different locations. This is one good example - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03h3MioJLa4 . I wonder if it would be possible for some of Rick's guides in Europe to produce a short video on current life in their respective areas? Rick could do an on-camera introduction and then a voice over during the videos. It should be possible to put together an interesting episode of Rick Steves Europe using that method.

Every travel writer, blogger, and TV host has his or her wheelhouse. Rick's is European travel with an emphasis on helping his audience develop skills to help them enjoy the experience more: avoiding crowds, finding less cookie-cutter hotels, and eating better for less money.

Other travel experts specialize in traveling with kids, traveling solo, traveling on a shoestring, luxury travel, traveling on foot, green travel, exotic destinations, etc. etc. You name it, there's a travel expert writing about it.

I say let Rick stay focused on what he does best, and if you want to know about traveling with kids, or any other aspect of travel, it's easy enough to find on the Internet.

Ouch! .....

nothing wrong with Rick Steves Kid Style.

He has 2. Probably an expert on traveling with kids. Took 'em to Europe every summer. Also good at listening and learning from others.

What's a wheelhouse?

Rick could certainly refresh his family travel skills episode.

On the flip side, most of us aren’t getting any younger, including Rick himself. Maybe a travel skills program addressing travel adjustments for older folks would be helpful, too.

I wasn't expressing any sort of disdain for the view that Rick could update his programs on specific travel skills. Only saying I prefer the shows where he introduces destinations.

Oh, and Nigel, a wheelhouse is simply an area of expertise. I guess that must be strictly a US coinage.

Roundhouse is a railroad structure, and originally, Wheelhouse was nautical, the compartment where a boat captain steered and controlled the vessel. By extension, as Lane has explained and demonstrated, the business world has adapted Wheelhouse to signify where someone with expertise controls their operation.

So there’s another thought - Rick could devote a whole 23 minute show on words and phrases that different countries and cultures use. He already slips a few in from episode to episode, but for an upcoming Public TV promoting and fundraising drive, that might prove educational and fun. Promoting worthwhile causes is another Wheelhouse of Rick’s!

Actually, the 3 episode European travel skills series could use an update once travel resumes.

And, I think Europe through the back door is in desperate need of a complete rewrite. There’s still chunks in there that go back to the 1990s at least.

I would love a series on technology and how to use it while traveling in Europe. I have bit's and pieces of advice from lots of different friends and fumble through it all and what I do use I learned from youtubers or suggestions from friends. I use WhatsApp to communicate with my family back home. I know I can use google maps offline but not sure how that works. I always use Uber when it's more convenient than a Taxi, and I don't know how to locate a Taxi stand. In Paris I use G7 to pre-book an early morning taxi. I have friends that use a European websites to book hotels for that night, can't remember which one, I can ask...but much better if I had all this info in one spot. I know things change rapidly in the technology world but just a jumping off point would be great with trusted websites to use. I love the Rome to Rio website and have actually printed off pictured instructions on how to retrieve pre-booked train tickets ( maybe this website, I am not sure..see how jumbled the info is!). I hear of all these cool travel apps where you put in your route, pinpoint the places your going to see, put in all the reservation info, it stores it...but I am too scared to try something like that. I am confident in a lot of my travel abilities and am a super resourceful person with a good instinct but technology is my weakest travel skill.

And, I think Europe through the back door is in desperate need of a complete rewrite. There’s still chunks in there that go back to the 1990s at least.

I agree with Dale. Lots of stuff you can tell just gets a tweak from year to year, but it really needs a whole re-write. For post-COVID (if it gets under control) travel guidance, I think we're going to have to rely on each other here on the forum for awhile. Books take a long time for research-writing-publishing.

There’s a market for “taking your kids to Europe for 2 weeks for the same cost as a week at DisneyWorld”.

This is a true statement about DisneyWorld, or taking the family on a cruise. Europe is cheaper if done a certain way. But I don't think apartment rentals, making most meals yourself, and renting a car is the Rick Steves way. For this kind of travel much time is spent in newly developed areas outside historic centers and living a lifestyle involving grocery shopping and finding a parking spot that is too similar to the USA, which destroys the fantasy that Europe is a vastly different place (unless showing that Europeans and Americans go about their lives in nearly identical ways is a teaching goal).

Oh, and Nigel, a wheelhouse is simply an area of expertise. I guess that must be strictly a US coinage.

Must strictly a part of the US, never heard this expression. Doing short research seems to be a another trendy business meeting/presentation idiom like "onboarding" or "stakeholder" (instead of saying simply "people") that makes me vomit.

For this kind of travel much time is spent in newly developed areas outside historic centers and living a lifestyle involving grocery shopping and finding a parking spot that is too similar to the USA, which destroys the fantasy that Europe is a vastly different place (unless showing that Europeans and Americans go about their lives in nearly identical ways is a teaching goal).

This really doesn't have to be the case. Plenty of Europeans live downtown, no car and still raise families. There are 2 and 3 bedroom apartments to be had that don't require cars or parking. As to grocery shopping, do what the Europeans do and shop frequently for fresh ingredients. Shopping for the week isn't the only way to shop. Besides, small city apartments mean small apartment fridges. No space for a week's worth of groceries. You can still practice the RS line, but minimizing meals in to breakfast (replaces the hotel breakfast that has more constrained time frames than many a teenager wants to comply to), pack some snacks or even lunch, and head down the block for a local style restaurant meal...of course, after having that passagiata at dusk watching how the local teens do it.

MariaF: Traveling on a shoestring, it's really quite a bit cheaper for a family to drive Europe than take the train, even buying the cheapest available train tickets. And with a car Europe is a different experience, both good and bad. Apartments are cheaper farther out also, which matters less if it comes with parking and is near the highway. Also, I have rented apartments in city centers like Paris, Rome, and Florence and we always had a large fridge and shopped in supermarkets with what seemed like all the locals.

I guess you seek out what you want, Tom. Depends on your approach to depth or width of exposure. Both options are available even on a budget. And I sure wish I could find a larger grocery store in my Spanish cities I stayed in. I could only find Carrefour Express. ;-)

Maria: Right but on this particular tangent of family travel issues, how to keep down the cost per person, staying in charming but budget central hotels getting 2 or three rooms to lodge everyone, eating out all meals, and buying 4+ train tickets (even with some at a child discount and months in advance) is just more expensive than car/apartment/supermarket travel, maybe double the cost. And I suspect that multi-bedroom apartments always come with larger fridges.