First time using Rick Steves for trip planning — what did you find most helpful?

If you have an idea of which cities and locations you want to visit, then the guidebooks are a very good jumping off point. The audio guides are good but more of an airplane an activity. The travel forum works best when asking specific questions--you'll get the best answers. If you're not sure of the itinerary, Google Maps is a great place to figure out travel distances and times.

The RS website and guidebooks are useful tools, but probably not the only thing you'll need. Watch a few travel shows (we went to Helsinki based on a tv show called "Somebody Feed Phil."), look on Lonely Planet, go to Google Maps and click on the picture icons, etc. Visit websites of museums and other to get the best information. Once you've done background research, search the travel forum using the search bar at the top of the page, while on the page of the country you're visiting. It could be someone has already asked the question. The information can be filtered by date (look for little box that pops up). Really, asking specific questions is probably the best way to get what you need.

When planning, we each make a list of 'must sees', 'want to see', and 'would be ok.' A lot of times our lists don't overlap. When that happens, we prioritize our 'must sees' and skip the rest. It's unrealistic to think we can see and do everything. Having a solid plan keeps us on track at our destination. Having said that, when there's a disruption or issue, we are able to pivot and keep travel stress low (haha!).

Good luck!

Agree with prior poster. First, I think about places I want to go. Then, I think about places that might be combined with a train or plane to the first place. I think about which destinations require a week and for which destinations a week would be too long. I look up safety, State Dept., warnings. I think about weather/time of year.

The RS guidebooks are the best ones out there. Definitely buy/borrow an up-to-date one.

But publication lags mean even the newest ones are out of date. So it is necessary to supplement.
I check online about visa requirements well in advance. I check my passport will be valid for six months after my return date…also well in advance.

I do watch short travel videos. I agree that Somebody Feed Phil offers great food tips. I check hotel reviews on TripAdvisor and hotels’ numeric scores on booking.com. I relish friends’ suggestions. Websites are mandatory for museums.

Walking tours are another resource. Early on in a trip, tips-only walk offers a good overview. Specialty walks with price tags are also good: Context, Culinary Backstreets, etc. Free walks with greeters are wonderful: check online for Greeters four weeks’ ahead.

For flights, I check online for which airlines fly to a destination. I aim for nonstop when possible.

And I pack lightly! Carry-on is the way to go even if you check them.

Now for a first trip in a long time or a trip that is complex due to language or anything else, you might consider a group tour. Most include free time, too, or you can add some time at the end. Someone else worries about most details. You just enjoy and learn more about how you’d like to travel.

The guidebook has very useful detailed information about transportation options. That is what I find most useful.

For European travel I primarily use the RS guidebook and supplement with RS videos and vlogs that have a good following. I also search travel articles on NYT etc. I’ve found that a good starting point for planning using the guidebook is to first - check the latest issue out of the library. Then look at the guidebooks recommended itinerary. There’s usually a plan for drivers and a plan for public transport as well as plans for a couple of different trip lengths. I generally add one day to RS suggested amount of time. So if he suggests two nights I stay for three.

The RS site has great videos about itinerary planning, packing etc. so it’s a good overall resource. Once I have my itinerary I start looking at hotels - starting with the ones in the RS Guidebook but then cross referencing with this forum, trip advisor and google reviews. Before departing the US I buy the latest issue of the guidebook. When I am in Europe I use the guidebook, articles I’ve saved, this forum etc, to plan the day to day activities. Overall I’ve found that RS travelers as an excellent source of primary experience to check out when trying to make decisions about sites etc. as another poster noted be specific with your questions and tell us about your preferences etc so we can guide you accordingly!

I would say most helpful are the suggested itineraries- where to go and for how much time - especially if it’s your first trip to the country. Second most helpful is the guidebooks triangular rating of sites. What I find less helpful is information for repeat travelers. If you’ve been to the country several times before the guidebooks are not as informative but I still prefer RS guidebooks for Europe and will supplement with online information.

In general I’ve also found the restaurant suggestions to be reliable but lately have found that even with using a current guidebook I’ve run across more closed restaurants than I used to but I think that’s the reality these days.

You might find this video on itinerary planning helpful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwhoWXhMWko

The video is by 2 members of the Rick Steves staff.

I find the suggested itineraries and the rating of sites most helpful. What Rick Steves does well is help you curate a itinerary that hits the highlights of an area. I usually spend more time than he suggests in a location as we are not as efficient a tour. I also have found his rating of sites to be very accurate--at times I have revisited a city and visited a second tier site and I have to agree that despite its merits, it is not quite as stellar as a similar one rated higher that I had seen previously. That said, I also have visited second tier sites on a first trip because of a special interest--I like tiles for example and sought out the small tile museum in Palermo and a larger one in Lisbon. Neither were three triangle (top rating) sites but were very enjoyable for me.

I think the Rick Steves books are good at prioritizing cities and sites which give you a good starting point to do further research. I a

I also think his TV shows are great ways to get a sense of what you are interested in. We visited Sicily, which I had never considered, because I was taken with the sites showcased in two shows.

I used Rick Steves guidebooks for my first trip to Europe some 26 years ago. Not all inclusive, but some thoughts:

Rick Steves "Europe Through The Back Door" is an invaluable resource. Part guidebook, but mainly just good basic education on how to travel independently. How to use trains, money matters, how to do just so many things not being covered in most guides. It really should be your first reading on the subject.

Maybe the biggest complaint that comes up is "Why doesn't Rick cover City XYZ?" The guidebooks cover the major tourists cities in a country, plus some select smaller cities, and that is OK. You mentioned being overwhelmed, imagine if a guidebook was like an encyclopedia of a country? While Rick's guidebooks have their limitations, they are more than sufficient for a first time traveler, more seasoned travelers gain skills that allow the to find their own "back doors".

Guidebooks are becoming less a valuable tool than they once were, industry wide, not just for Rick Steves. Even the RS org used to make a big deal of updating books yearly, now, well, every few years is the norm, just like the few other guides that are still in business. Guides can still give good info on the major sights, transportation, and the best areas to stay in. They are less valuable these days for hotels and restaurants. Maybe some decent recommendations, but I find Booking.com and my IHG app better for rooms, food blogs and Google searches better for restaurants.

Other than that, the audio guides and walking tours are very good for the areas they cover.

Rick Steves attracts a certain demographic, a bit older, upper middle class, and that is reflected in the choice of what is included in the books, from hotels to sights. If you fit that demographic, then everything will click, if not, you will then need to adapt. If you are much younger, then you may have to seek out other attractions and activities. If you are more "budget traveler", then you may need to seek out other lodging options.

I like the RS books but am sometimes surprised by the places they don't include. Obviously, no book can cover every place but you definitely should try other books too. I get them from the library, sometimes digitally. I also spend HOURS reading trip reports on Trip Advisor forums and this website.

I would also add blogs with a more dedicated focus to help in your planning. Honest Guide for Prague and Czechia, Les Frenchies for Paris, Travels of BBQ and Spanky - they have another blog that is Spain oriented, mywonderlust.pl for excellent help in Eastern Europe and the Baltics. Kami, the name of the previous blogger, is also on FB where her site is named Travels to Eastern Europe, the Balkans ad former USSR. YouTube has good videos which may help you.

Good luck going through the travel door with your name on it!

I agree starting with the guidebooks to help understand what is where, get an idea of costs and see what appeals to you. Also, I don't limit myself to Rick Steves' books. As cindyeb says, they do not include many places. RS guidebooks are highly curated. He skips over a lot of interesting places.

For getting the most out of the forums when asking questions, include information that is specific to you. For example, don't say we are going to xxx. Who is we? Families with small kids will get a different response than 2 adults with mobility issues. If asking for hotel/restaurant recommendations, what is your budget, do you need an elevator, require 2 beds, ... ? How do you plan to get around? Car, public transportation, combination. And give an overview of your itinerary. Don't make those responding guess what you want.

Read current trip reports on the forum. You'll get all kinds of ideas of what you can see and do in the time you have. And you'll also learn from the mistakes or issues that others have endured.

For our first trips to Europe, we felt like the RS tours were such a great way to get familiar with how to maximize your time. We were both working, and I know we saw & learned so much more of Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy than we would have doing it ourselves. I didn’t really think I would like museums and my least favorite subject in school was history. The tours opened up those interests in a great way!

After those tours, we did our own itinerary for most of our trips - a huge hobby of mine. The RS guidebooks are so helpful as an introduction to a country, and it will help you decide what are your priorities- so important or it can feel overwhelming and a time waster if there’s no focus. It’s worth purchasing the guidebook, so you can highlight info, tear out pages of cities you don’t need, etc. The info for public transportation, etc. is very helpful and will probably save you money, knowing what not to do.

Full disclosure- I don’t use his hotel or restaurant recommendations. I use Booking.com to find my small hotel or B&B and have used them many times. And we stopped using his restaurant recommendations after the second tour when we realized we were sitting in a restaurant filled with tourists instead of any locals.

This forum is great when you have a planned itinerary but still at the flexible stage to get others’ help.

The shows are great for inspiration and some good basic tips. Ironically, I feel like the RS guided tours kind of run counter programming in that they are very aggressive. Personally, I wouldn’t follow those itineraries and timelines on my own. It’s a much different set of demands when you’re charging people for a premium service. A lot of the information on the website reflects what’s in the guidebook, except for the critical planning stuff.

When it comes to planning, I can’t start until I get that guidebook in my hands. And the most valuable part of the RS guidebook is usually 10 pages covering possible itinerary outlines based on how many days you have, along with a simple 1-3 star rating for sights including “must-sees.” Imo this is core Rick Steves: planning. I always start with one RS book itineraries and work from there. Let that itinerary and the “assume you will return” maxim guide your itinerary building. The guidebook gives you a tough sketch of transportation options between places as well. With that in hand, you can quickly start making some decisions and get the ball rolling.

Deeper in, Rick’s strategies about crowd management/avoidance is the #1 tool to maximizing your experience. Again, it’s a lot about planning/prep. If you only have one day in Florence let’s say, you’ll want to plan your day around the busiest sights or (gasp) leave them out entirely! For example, I never bothered to fight through the lines at the Vatican and don’t regret trading that time for other things. I’ll try next time. Travel planning can require a ruthless hand!

Hotels and restaurants lag a little, but give you a good sense of where to stay and what the neighborhood is like. Honestly, overall I have found the restaurant recommendations to always be very solid choices. But in a lot of ways, the landscape for finding/booking accommodations and dining has changed to where a book isn’t necessarily the best. RS is pretty upfront about this, and encourages you to use every tool in the toolbox.

I’d highly recommend utilizing local guides wherever possible, and these are also listed in RS guidebooks. These are terrific and generally affordable value-adds to every trip. I use them more and more.

Lastly, the forum is great for sharpening up an itinerary, getting some subjective opinions about a sticky point, or advice about a particular option. Swing by after you’ve zeroed in the basics, and we’re happy to help you with the finishing touches. There are some terrific, experienced travelers on here. Good luck!