Least helpful RS advice

"Night trains are a great way to save time and money."

I've tried multiple times, in multiple countries, under what must be "ideal" conditions for sleeping on trains (private sleeper compartment, just me and my wife, extra pillows, blankets, earplugs, eyemasks, etc.). Never got a minute of sleep. Not once. Was utterly miserable for the next 3 days as I dragged myself through museums and churches, exhausted, not caring what great masterpieces I was missing, all I wanted was a soft bed in a quiet room that wasn't moving.

Rick may have thought this was a very clever way to save money back when he was lugging a giant backpack around Europe when he was 19. I'm willing to bet he hasn't tried this "trick" in a long, long time, and if he did, I'd guess he would have to ask himself "OMG, what was I thinking? this is horrible!!!".

The overwhelming majority of his advice is spot-on. On this one, I think he missed the mark badly.

Re: night train advice: I think a lot of the books need significant re-writes to update them, not just a tweak every couple of years. Things like electronics and communication, money, etc., need a lot more current information.

Traveling is so individualized thing. I for one look forward to a night train between destinations. The train rocks me to sleep and I arrive in a new town rested, and looking forward to breakfast and full day of adventure. I might add that I am long past my teen backpacking days having been retired for a number of years and my last night train was just a year ago. Although I do have to say that the trains in the US and Europe are much more comfortable than that one in SE Asia, but even at that I slept for about 5-6 hours. I guess that I am just lucky in that regard.

Agree with OP about Rick's Bath advice. I haven't been, but from what I hear, Cinque Terra is not the greatest place to visit these days.

@stan you are spot on. A lot of Europe through the back door hasn’t been updated (including the pictures) since the early 1990s when I got my first copy.
It’s fine to take out a few pages about travellers cheques but the book is still a mishmash of 1990s shoestring traveler and the modern day Rick traveler.

And, please, delete the trains get gassed and robbed line.

I tend to agree about the night trains. I personally don't have problems sleeping on trains but it doesn't really save any money. I have never found an overnight train, with accommodations in a sleeper that was cheaper than the budget hotels I usually stay in. I mean a single sleeper on a train where I, as a solo traveler, am not sharing a cabin with strangers - at least I don't have to do that in a budget hotel. As for the time savings and supposedly being able to hit the ground running in your new location - not really, not in my experience. They always arrive too early to check into new hotel, often don't have a decent place to clean up or a place to store belongings while sightseeing until hotel room available. You can probably save more time and money with a budget flight between locations.

OK, I'll say it. The wonders of Eurail passes.

Well, I love Bath!! There are so many interesting things to do there and I enjoy the Georgian era so that it makes me feel like I’m in a Regency “Ro-Mance” novel when I’m there. I’ve visited a number of times staying 3-6 days at a time and still haven’t seen everything on my list.

BUT I agree that the advice to travel there right from Heathrow is awful. Head in to London and recover from jet lag there for a few days, then take the train out to Bath for a few nights.

I think he’s mostly revised his advice to take stuff from the breakfast buffet for lunches which just seemed embarrassing and excessively cheap. Early on I remember a RS guide in Italy asking the group not to do that as it wound up cleaning out the breakfast foods for other guests.

Pack light.

This may have made sense in the days when suitcases didn’t have wheels and weighed a ton, but why spend half your holiday chasing down laundry or having taken the wrong clothes? Half the debates on this forum are because people can’t fit what they want to take into such a small bag. Take a bigger checked bag!! The cost of a bag is minimal compared to the cost of the holiday. My friends laughed when I mentioned what clothing RS recommends for a 2 week holiday - just take a decent sized bag is the reaction.

For the European holidays I go on longer than a 7 night city break, packing light isn’t helpful advice. I always hire a car at the arrival airport, but obviously, I don’t have any jet lag! The bags go straight in the car boot. I tend to either stay in one place for 2+ weeks or at least a week in each place. I can lift the checked bag, which usually weighs around 20 kgs for the two of us including large beach towels. I don’t use trains.

Maybe when I am 20 + years older and find the bag too cumbersome, I may scale back, but until that day, I will not be packing light! Some forum members make those that opt to take a checked bag feel like lepers.

Other poor advice from forum members is if you need more clothes, buy them on arrival in Europe and throw them away at the end of the trip. People here are getting concerned about throw away fashion and waste, so this shouldn’t be encouraged.

Sorry to say it, but most of the recommended places to eat that I've tried have been a big disappointment to me. In some I had the distinct impression that the experience was not exactly the same as that of RS and company. That's in terms of the food or the service or both.

I think it's time for some secret eaters to research restaurants.

The pace of recommended itineraries in the front part of guides.

I know I’m in the minority here, but I hate RS’s hotel recommendations. Love everything else about his books though!

I don't know if he's still harping this point, but he still recommended against wearing shorts, based on the extremely outdated notion that Europeans don't wear them long after the evidence to the contrary was overwhelming.

I am worried about anyone who looks to Rick Steves for fashion advice :).

I don’t love his restaurant recs. Usually they are good enough, but rarely are they my best meals in the destination. I tend to look to blogs or guides, usually I prefer something either “foodie” or “stylish” (rarely is something both, it just depends on my mood - modern tasting menu with local ingredients or hole in the wall with the best x in town).

More specifically I found his caution of the safety of the Albayzin neighborhood disproportionate to his lack of warnings of most neighborhoods in other cities. Meaning I find this neighborhood wonderful and not any more unsafe than anywhere else, but RS warns you caution here but not elsewhere.

re: restaurant recommendations. RS makes it pretty clear in the guidebooks, that the primary factor in his choices, is location. That is, proximity to sights and sleeping areas that people will be at. He is not looking for the best gourmet experience, but local flavor at reasonable prices. That's what I get out of it anyway. Probably same applies to hotel choices. The RS audience is not the high end of anything, so I never expect recommendations to be the best. Heck, in the old days, he would suggest scrounging trays at college cafeterias as a frugal measure.

Completely agree on restaurant recommendations. They're usually safe but rarely memorable.

I also find that in picking destinations to highlight, because his books don't really attempt geographical summaries, he tends to make certain locations seem far more extra-ordinary or unique than they actually are. Taste is certainly subjective, but reading his books you would think that Rothenburg odT and Baden-Baden are singular examples of a preserved town and a bathing resort, respectively, when actually these are both very common throughout the country. They are both perfectly fine places to visit, but it seems that once a location gets the RS canonical stamp of approval, his fans tend to travel particularly far out of their way to see these locations when perhaps something similar would have fit much better within the flow of their trip.

I have 20 years of experience with RS guides, and am 20 years older since I started using them. I think the biggest issue with "his advice" is that it has not kept up with the audience.

I sense, from contributors on here, that the audience is now Older, willing to spend more on Hotels, Eat at better, costlier, restaurants, more likely to be a tour participant than independent traveler than in the past, and to be honest more an anathema to his original "backdoor" philosophy than a couple decades ago.

Certainly no harm in that, but you do need to assess your audience and adjust to their likes and dislikes. Do not assume they are all the backpackers of the 80's, even if they still think they are.

Also the advent of the Internet, various apps, and a handheld computer has diminished aspects of a paper or even electronic "guide", why base your stay or eating option on limited numbers of reviews or recommendations of a year ago when you have real time data and a hundred options at your fingertips.

I agree with much of what has been written here. There are two things that come to mind right away for me:

1. Why do the tour books continue to include once off-the-beaten-path places that are now totally overrun by tourists? Surely the information on places like Halstatt and Cesky Krumlov and the Cinque Terre could be removed from the tour books and different towns featured. Friends of ours, who know we are RS fans, laughingly shared a story from their last trip to Italy. After visiting one of the supposedly off the beaten path locations mentioned in Rick's book, my friends were asked by their host how crowded it had been. They told him, and his immediate response was, "that (expletive deleted) Rick Steves!" I understand continuing to highlight the major sights in Rome, London, etc. that are going to be packed with tourists. But why not give the overcrowded towns a break?

2. It makes me crazy that the books give restaurant reviews that claim the specific restaurants are authentic and not overrun by tourists. Hello? When thousands and thousands of RS readers show up at any given restaurant, it is now completely overrun by tourists. Why not just give general advice, like staying away from restaurants right next to tourist sights and menus in English, rather than listing places. It's not as much of an issue with hotels, since that information is more about areas within a city (which I find helpful) and whether or not a place is clean or has a/c. But the restaurant recommendations no longer make sense to me in this day and age when there are so many other ways to get information about restaurants in any given city.

Fun topic -- eager to read what others have to say!

Hate his "walk through Frankfurt". No wonder people come here, do the walk (cause they want to save money instead of going on a tour) and leave unimpressed. This walk is so awful! Why does he want people to walk through the red light district, yet ignore 800-year-old churches, the farmer's markets, the Jewish History, and some of the really wonderful, historic sites? His film about Frankfurt almost made me cry it was so bad.

His dissing of cities, like Mainz, Wiesbaden or Heidelberg. Never really says why, but just tells you not to go there. Either leave these comments out of the book or perhaps go spend some time there to see what is on offer. I have this feeling he did his first tours in Germany 35 years ago and has never changed his mind or expanded his scope. Only recently did he venture north and east.

What the other posters said. Find new back doors and leave these over touristed towns alone for a while. Stop making them sound unique when they aren't.

I don't think I'd consider it bad advice, just a differing opinion, but I tend to take Rick's advice on how much time to dedicate to a site can sometimes be lacking. I don't have a book in front of me to provide a specific example, but there are some locations where he suggests 1-2 hours and I end up staying 3-6.

But it does bring up a question, how many of you take his advice or the advice of other members of this forum as gospel and end research at that? Personally, I find his books and your advice to be valuable, but I'm going to take it as just one part of all my research to make the best decisions based on what I want/like.

My interests are odd (no chateaux, no castles, no wine, lots of art and contemporary crafts), so I don't expect any guidebook's time recommendations to be right for me. I think I spend at least 3 times Rick's recommended time at every sight and in every city I visit. I really appreciate all the logistical details that make it easy to figure out how to get around.

I agree that it takes too long for outdated advice to be removed. I think the existence of the tours must complicate guidebook updates. When you've been sending tours to the Cinque Terre for decades, how do you step back gracefully from advice to go there? I believe the guidebooks do now contain warnings about crowds in at least some of those small towns.

And, honestly, from a purely selfish perspective, I agree with those who say, "Don't start recommending substitute places", because they'll just get spoiled all the sooner.

how many of you take his advice or the advice of other members of this forum as gospel and end research at that?

From the travelers I would occasionally run into in Europe, it seems that people who are maybe on their first solo trip and haven't found their Europe legs yet (and know Mr. Steves from his TV show) are the ones most likely to take his advice literally. Once you bag your first trip or two, the continent becomes significantly demystified and you start to notice interesting stuff that isn't covered in any of his books or you may realize that your individual tastes and opinions might not completely mesh with his.

There are, however, some die-hard Rickniks who never step outside the scope of the blue books. They're rare, but I have met them. Every religion has its fanatics.

Rue Cler. Turns out it's my least favorite neighborhood in Paris. Followed by Cinque Terre.

OK, I'll say it. The wonders of Eurail passes.

This. The fact that RS promotes the idea (of whatever the "pass" is named) and sells the idea makes me uncomfortable. Waaaayy too many threads of regret here from nice folks who have naively bought them, only to discover that they kinda suck. What Boomer doesn't recall all the chatter about buying a rail pass and seeing Europe-then, when they can actually afford it they run and buy a "pass", which is nothing of the kind, and people here on the Forums have to break the bad news to them. Not cool.

Any advice I don’t agree with I just gloss over. What I love about his books is the way they are written. They aren’t just cut and dry, it’s almost like talking to your best friend about vacations. Also, he gives you those little extras you don’t get in other guide books, like in Dublin, where would you learn about meeting a local for tea through A City of a Thousand Welcomes website. Not in Eyewitness DK. I do purchase other guidebooks and read. If the same reviews pop up, say for restaurants, I go to the recommended website, look at the menu, prices, and location to see if it is a fit for us. We have used quite a few of his recommendations and were always happy. For me research is fun, but I also leave myself open for spontaneous changes. I believe Rick recommends that too.

I don't know why Steves keeps saying that south of Rome, Italy is more chaotic. I seriously don't even know what he's talking about. We've spent a week in Naples and another week in the interior of Campania, a couple of days in Pompeii and Herculaneum, many weeks in Puglia, two weeks in Sicily, and a few days in Matera and in Molise. What chaos? And, believe me, I am not a person who enjoys any kind of chaos, so I would notice.

Except for the week staying in Naples, we were driving.

Not fond of the "gritty" description either, if it just means graffiti and some trash on the street.

The fact that RS promotes the idea (of whatever the "pass" is named) and sells the idea makes me uncomfortable. He doesn't just sell the idea, he sells the actual things through his website... which one can assume means that he takes his cut. That might have something to do with it...

His pace in cities. Usually I double the time in each. Hotels and restaurants are usually a bit outdated. Don’t wear jeans or white tennis shoes. Now even Europeans dress like that.

One thing I do like is his travel light advice. I have been able to take a carryon and not wait to get my luggage and be able to quickly board trains while watching others shove all their bags onboard. To the ladies-absolutely no one cares if you wear an outfit multiple times.

He undersells the London theatre scene. It is so much more than just a place to see American musicals for less money. My most memorable London theatre moments were not at musicals but were watching John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson in Pinter and then seeing Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan in the same play 40 years later. There is so much wonderful non-musical theatre in London, it's hard to choose. Mostly recently, I just saw Leslie Manville and Hugh Weaving in The Visit.

Not fond of the "gritty" description either, if it just means graffiti and some trash on the street.

If you've ever watched the series Gommorah you'll soon see why Naples is considered gritty. It's much the same with Marseille and much of Portsmouth.

I don't see Rick Steves as being a reason for the mass popularity of places such as Hallstatt or Cinque Terre etc. Most people outside of the US have never heard of him, I can guarantee that the hordes of Chinese tourists visiting Hallstatt aren't doing so on Rick's recommendation.

Personally I've never read an RS guide although I have watched a couple of online videos.

Believing that his books and traveling style are the only way to travel.

No disrespect but travel is what you make it not what your told to see and do.

I’ve been on 2 RS tours Florence and Istanbul. Both stellar because of the guides and the fact I discovered off the tourist track surprises on my own before and after the tour.

I’m asked why I keep returning to London and I reply “it’s always changing, always the same. “

Each and every visit I find new and interesting places by researching, exploring, reading bulletin boards in churches and community centers and by asking shop, cafe and hotel proprietors. I also purposely meander.

Last trip is was walking along the Chiswick Mall
( River Path ) and finding Mari’s Deli on one side of the river and Orange Pekoe on the other side near
the Barnes Bridge. Yes, I was outside London proper but with research did discover the Mercado Mayfair conversion. Enjoyed a coffee and blueberry muffin there.

Same with wandering onto the grounds of the beautiful Royal Hospital Chelsea. In all honesty was looking for a much needed loo. Found the gorgeous Ranelagh gardens, a quiet cafe and pleasant gift shop.

Also visited the small but well done Alexander Fleming Museum with friends.

London will always enchant me!

While I certainly agree the average person in China has never heard of Rick Steves, it wouldn’t be surprising that the operators of Chinese tours to Europe have. Why not adopt some of Rick’s tour ideas to the Chinese marketplace? They may eschew travel light and the funky hotels, but some of the touring suggestions might be easily adopted, adding to the crowding.

US dollars: I carry $100–200 as a backup. While you won't use it for day-to-day purchases, American cash in your money belt comes in handy for emergencies, . . . . . People always know roughly what a dollar is worth.

Here, at the bottom: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/cash-tips
Oh no they don't! Big shops in cities with US tourists, and banks in big cities may know what a US$ looks like, otherwise they don't. And banks these days don't exchange cash except for customers.
Yes always keep a cash float, but bring the local currency, or if crossing currency-borders bring Euros.
I live near a currency border, and I know as soon as I cross the border, they probably won't accept the other money, no hope for something from another continent.

Travel with a Money Belt: Your Portable Safe

Here: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/theft-scams/travel-moneybelt
Money-belts do have a use, when travelling somewhere where you are richer than everybody else, where there are no banks and you are carrying enough funds to finance your whole trip. Thieves cannot get at your cash without stripping you.
They are not of any use if you are just out for the day, they should only be accessible when you are in a room, not when you want a coffee.
When travelling between locations in Europe, you only have a limited amount of cash, and cards, tickets and passport need to be accessible.
Confession: I have never owned a money belt, and never felt any need to own one.

And a bit of nomenclature: "Book" or "reserve" a train.
No, "book" and "reserve" imply to me taking an option, for example booking a table at a restaurant, which you pay for when you use it, and have an option to cancel.
You buy a train ticket, same as you buy a hamburger. It is an irreversible purchase for which you get something that if you loose, or choose not to consume, hard luck.
This is possibly the cause of confusion about reservations. People don't ask about "if I have a ticket for a plane do I need a reservation as well?", so why do they ask about trains? You buy a ticket, that is all you need, it includes your seat if necessary.
You only need a reservation if you are using something abnormal, like a pass - also need to get around the mindset that a pass is what you need, it is a minority option.

I agree with several of the points made above, but to me, the absolute least useful thing in his books is his suggested itineraries. Not the places themselves or the connections between them, which are useful - the idea that you can accomplish his itinerary in the suggested time without a lot of frustration and exhaustion. You need 1.5-2 times the amount of days he allots for any of his country itineraries.

As for the "back doors" that are now about as secret and unspoiled as the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre, I agree that at this point, it's probably best he just leave them. If he suggests new ones, they'll get overcrowded in a jiffy; by recycling the Cinque Terre et al, that leaves lots of other places for the rest of us to find.

he idea that you can accomplish his itinerary in the suggested time without a lot of frustration and exhaustion.

I've never taken a Rick Steves tour, but his suggested itineraries to me always seemed more appropriate for a bus tour, where someone else is handling all the logistics for you.

I am really enjoying this thread, appreciate the constructive advice and corresponding rationale, and the fact that it isn't taking a negative tone. We all love RS, and are basically offering suggestions for future improvements. This is more of a "critique"....

Least helpful advice- as when there's NO advise, as in:

The RS Switzerland tour goes to Engelberg , to see the spectacular Mt. Titlis, 10,000 feet. Last I checked, there was no section on Engelberg in the Swiss RS Guide Books. We all gave our tour guide much grief regarding this situation.

Christmas Market cities- many of the best xmas markets are in cities that are completely ignored in the RS Guide Books. I would really encourage the RS Team to write a guide book[s] dedicated to Christmas Markets trips.

Easter Markets, same as above, or at least mention them in the corresponding locations. When in Prague two years ago, we were absolutely delighted to trip over the fantastic Easter markets in the old town area. It was such a bonus, to an already great trip.

Again, completely enjoying these posts!

None of you actually understand the philosophy of the guidebooks and what they are supposed to be.

Rick admits that the original guidebooks were meant to be used by people taking his tours. Then others became interested so he decided to publish more. He wants to help the independent traveler. The itineraries and times he suggest just happen to match his tours. He's hoping that people will realize that what they are planning for themselves--from his recommendations--is the same as one of his tours. Perhaps, they'll decide instead to take a tour. Afterall, he is in the tour business.

And there is nothing wrong with that. It's brilliant marketing.

The sad part is that many independent travelers will only use his guidebooks and follow them to the letter. They will miss out on quite a bit.

As for what advice I don't find helpful--mostly hotels and restaurants.

As part of his travel light advice, RS blithely assures his audience that they will be able to get anything they happen to need, so don’t worry about bringing otc meds for every contingency. Not true. In some countries, certain products are prescription only. Others, like Peptobismol, aren’t available at all. Any kind of medication, even aspirin, must be purchased at a pharmacy. There is always one open, even at night or during holidays; but it may be be in the next town or on the other side of the city.

Then there is price. On one of our trips, Tuscany was gloriously filled with trees and flowers in bloom. Gorgeous, but they triggered one of the worst allergy attacks I’ve had in years. After I ran through my supply of Sudafed, true, I was able to get some at a pharmacy. However, they cost more than $1/pill.

Dental floss cost me 5 Euros at the pharmacy in France.

I agree that most of the sights and walks want about twice as much time as Rick suggests.

We have also found that any museum he calls "skippable" is sure to delight us.

Different strokes.

On the flip side, there are some awesome OTC medicines in Europe that are prescription-only or not allowed for sale in the USA. Next time I'm there, I'm gonna have to stock up on what we call the Magic German Nose Spray, which is way more effective than Afrin is for handling a very acute sinus pain & pressure situation.

We loved Betws-y-Coed, Wales a lot, a city that Rick wrote off as a rather generic tourist town. So many trails and rivers to follow, bunnies!, right in the middle of the mountains...

The idea of staying near the train station in Munich was not good advice. Our German friends laughed at us and we thought the neighborhood felt sleazy. Also you have to superimpose your own likes and dislikes over any guidebooks opinion of how highly rated sights are. I often rate things higher than Rick when they involve art or castles. Just like a horror film that critics didn’t like, but if you like the genre it might rate higher for you. I find that his recommendations for which cities are worth a visit are almost always spot on, but there are a lot of places I don’t get to because they’re not in his books that could also be great. I do my own research outside of RS books to find gems he does not cover. I do find I prefer longer stops than Rick prefers but that’s just me and it’s easy to make adjustments. I have not found any other set of guidebooks to be as reliable as RS, though I will use Lonely Planet as a second source.

Personally carry on only does not work for me but I do travel with a 22” bag. We each need to adopt the travel style that works for us.

I like Bath quite a lot and started a trip there with a bus ride from Heathrow.

I find the “just walk into a pub and start chatting with the locals, they’ll love it” advice a bit awkward. Eh. Depends on the pub, depends on the crowd, depends on whether you’re an introvert or extrovert. Depends on whether you’re by yourself or with others. And often whether you’re male or female.

Sorry, Rick, it’s just not that simple.

For me, the least helpful advice are the restaurant suggestions. A chef is such a crucial piece of any restaurant and there’s is no way of knowing if it’s the same one as when the guidebook was written. I never take any of his advice as gospel without checking other sources for confirmation. It does however, give me a place to start my research.

I am thankful that his guidebooks leave out certain sections of cities and countries, because I feel like it gives a shot at seeing places without them being overrun. His tours and guidebooks have given us the knowledge, experience and confidence to navigate travel on our own.

Oh - the 'you can find your hygienic needs overseas' - well, a few times I ran out of - uh - feminine products - and of those 3 times, only once did I actually find something comparable to what I use at home (in London). In Paris and Venice I didn't want to walk all over looking at different pharmacies, so ended up with 2 or 3 brands to choose from, and none were comparable to what I use at home - they had a deficit of adhesive, or were too thick or too flimsy. I mean, they worked in a pinch, but I was cursing not tossing some extras in my bag.

Interesting thread. All of this goes to show I do not fully read and digest the books.. Funny, I skip the things that make no sense. I was pondering what I don't like and could not really come up with anything, but now I see it is because I do not retain what is not useful. Night trains: Ha. I like looking at scenery and would not waste money on them. And, having done that as a 20-something, I do not need to repeat.

I surely do not take RS as gospel or what I read here. This is just one of many jumping off places. Generally, Fodors has more in-depth trip reports with photos. For research, I do my own: love travel blogs; also like national rail maps which can clarify from the get-go why I cannot easily get from A to B.

What I do like from this forum and others are the tidbits of current Back Doors. Some came up for me recently in the thread on Rothenburg oT Or? I like squirreling those away. What I do like about RS especially are the little hand-drawn maps as a starting place. Helps conceptualize.

But Bath doesn’t really make sense for a first time visitor to the U.K. I’ve got several U.K. friends and only one has been there and that was more for a romantic getaway. It doesn’t really seem to be an essential place to visit, especially since there isn’t a national rail station there at Heathrow, so you’re either going to have to go into London to get a train or a else take a coach from Heathrow.

Unless you are a Jane Austen fan... I enjoy Bath and have gone there more than once and will return. I have undertaken the adventure of Heathrow to Bath and most likely will again. OK, true, I was not a first time visitor but that was happenstance.

Nicole and Jomsvikingr - I don't think RS guides are at all aimed at women travelers. I'm sure they get some input from women on their staff but mostly it's a man's world he's writing about. I think when he says toiletries he's talking about tooth paste or shaving cream or soap, and he probably feels that one brand or style is as good as another. This goes for the just hopping into a pub and engaging the locals in conversation - might work ok for a man, not always a good idea for a women alone.

When I notice the shortcomings of his guide books I sometimes have to pause. Then I realize that they are just 'guide' books, meant as a guide (suggestions and ideas from someone who's been there) and they are not 'instructional' manuals that need to be followed religiously. And if you limit yourself to one guide book when researching a trip you are seriously limiting your options.

I find that the RS guides' most helpful information is that covering the logistics of travel, not the 'where to go' or even the 'what to see', but more the 'how to', especially regarding transportation between and within cities, how to navigate museums, and tips for avoiding the worst of the crowds.

Admittedly I've never read one of his guidebooks or watched one of his TV programmes, so my perception might be based on exaggerated comments by his followers on this forum rather than what he actually says.

But my view of where he goes wrong is in claiming "Europe" is a homogenous place filled with petty crime. Hence the need to wear a money-belt or similar wherever you're visiting. I believe the RS company sells money-belts, so it's good marketing to promote them. But it just isn't a reflection of reality and, I suspect, creates unnecessary fear amongst some American tourists.

If Rick would leave out all the hotel and restaurant suggestions or just make a list of names, it would make more sense. Why are they even listed at all? The editor comes to Paris for 4 days, eats in perhaps 16 places, sleeps in 4 places, and this is in April. The book gets published in Dec. How accurate can any of those suggestions be? Add this on to the 100's of cities in all of the books. It is the most useless information there and woefully out of date before the book ever makes it to the press. It takes up print space that could be used to describe some other towns that are always left out due to space.

Then, Rick could drop the rather extensive RLD descriptions for Amsterdam & Frankfurt. Is this really his demographic? Why are these even in his books? What are the reasons? Prurient interest? This is why tours are being stopped at least in Amsterdam. People need to stop treating these areas like they are going to a Zoo.

This maybe a little off the subject, but I wish Rick’s videos would not spend a much time visiting a family and seeing what they cook and what they eat and spend more time on historic sites or scenery. The reality is that I will probably not be spending time experiencing quality time with a family like he does due to my limited time in Europe. The information he provides is valuable information, but when I show his videos to friends that are going to Europe, you can definitely see that they are not interested in those segments of his videos. Does anyone else share this view?

yosemite1, yes! Absolutely agree. When he takes advantage of his notoriety or his cadre of local guides and friends to get access to things and places a regular tourist never will, it irritates me as well. It makes it more like some of those other travel shows that are about the host, not the place.

I think you can get sites and scenery off the internet or books but not a feeling of the culture of a place, including family customs (such as during Easter). Some people are genuinely curious about how others live day-to-day - that's exactly why Bourdain was so popular (the show was focused on the people and culture as much as the food). So why not use your connections/ insider's view to show viewers something they can't just get from another source? It's a niche that makes one show different from another.

In general, one's "least helpful" is another's "more helpful"...everyone's different and Rick can't appeal to every person's tastes. I do wonder when there will finally be a shift in guidebooks generally to finally get rid of the food and lodging sections which have no chance of being up-to-date at any given moment (this is more of an issue with non e-books due to weight). But the reality seems to be that Rick has a stamp of trust that appeals to many people, largely of my parents generation (and it probably makes it easier for those who don't enjoy looking at crowdsourced recommendations or comparison sites, or are overwhelmed by choice generally)

Nicole and Jomsvikingr - I don't think RS guides are at all aimed at women travelers. I'm sure they get some input from women on their staff but mostly it's a man's world he's writing about.

Lonely Planet has its share of issues too, but they generally do a useful job of talking about issues that women and/or LGBT travelers might experience in a place.

Dale beat me to it when he started this post in response to my question about the best RS advice. It saddens me that the responses to this post are almost double what the best advice got, but I guess it's a human element that it is easier to criticize than praise. I hope it's just our passion for travel that has us so passionate about a topic like this and wanting to weigh in and make something so good even better. Can we agree that Rick and his book are as imperfect as the rest of us, but have enhanced our travels?

Agnes posted;

In general, one's "least helpful" is another's "more
helpful"...everyone's different and Rick can't appeal to every
person's tastes.

It's probably why I use multiple guidebooks and sources when I plan a trip, so I can travel my way which includes plenty of RS advice and some of which I've modified to best suit me.

Allan's post: "Can we agree that Rick and his book are as imperfect as the rest of us, but have enhanced our travels?"

I second that.

Emily, your reply made me laugh out loud!

I don’t usually use the guidebook for restaurant recommendations, and I always go with Booking.com reviews for lodging selections, instead.

Everyone has their own style. In contrast to some of the replies above, when I’m traveling solo, I go at a faster pace than his suggested itinerary. And we have benefited GREATLY from packing light - literally! We voluntarily bumped from our last flight home one year. For being willing to stay overnight near JFK, we received a free hotel room, plus an $1000 AMEX card, each. The first question the airline asked us before giving us this option was, “Did you check any luggage?” Some of the other passengers weren’t eligible because they had checked a suitcase.

That adorably quaint lifestyle certainly does exist in the UK but it's not the norm for most of us. But I suppose the target audience wants the quaint "England" they have seen on the TV not the more mundane reality.

And exists tenfold in UK television (though often with a murder or two thrown in- https://crimereads.com/your-guide-to-not-getting-murdered-in-a-quaint-english-village/ ) I actually found tromping around the UK countryside to be useful in understanding that, yes, this is why it has been viewed through such a romantic lens fo so long, whether it's the poets of old or by modern day city dwellers watching tv shows- so much beauty that in many ways can feed the soul once you get away from the motorways.

Honestly - I don't really peruse the RS guides that much - I go with what is available for free on my library app on my ipad - usually Frommer's and DK. The few RS ones on my library app are from 2015.

Sometimes I take restaurant recommends - but for us, a lot of it comes down to we are hungry now, what is nearby. I have taken some recommends from guidebooks, but I will generally check out the restaurant menu online to see if the food/prices are to my liking. I have gone to a few places recommended in guide books, but most often it's gelato, dessert or somewhere to grab a quick bite. Rarely is it a 'full service' sit down - the only one that comes to mind lately is Café Slavia in Prague - saw it in a guide, checked out the menu online, and we were nearby when hunger struck.

And as for other toiletries - I have tried using shampoos/conditioners in hotels, but let me tell you, apparently my hair is only happy with one kind of shampoo, and it def isn't what is used in hotels - lol. Same goes for body wash - I have maybe 4-5 I can use with no issues - I've had others give me red spots and dry itchy skin, so not taking any chances there!

For the most part I love his guidebooks and have received great advice from them, but take everything with a grain of salt.
-I find there is a lot of too in depth information of museums and galleries (I am not a fan of them but understand there are lots that are. I skip those sections).
-I hate money belts. Have traveled to many different countries throughout the world and never felt I needed one. Just use common sense. But then again, do whatever you feel comfortable wearing/using.
-His itineraries are insanely quick. Slow down. I have a rule to spend at least 4 nights in a city. 2 in towns. Use day trips. But then again, this is personal.
-wish there were more budget options (in picking tour guides-I can't afford private guides, hotels and restaurants). I rarely use his hotel and restaurant recommendations as I usually can't afford them. But I have found amazing deals with my own bits of research (plus I find it fun).

I see “advice” as a form of conversation. Even a scholarly treatise is not the end all of a topic but a person’s research and views on that research. I have always tried to glean something new from every situation I have been in. I have enjoyed RS’ “advice” as part of my guidance for independently traveling in Europe. I am now having fun on his guided tours. Via la “keep on travelin’”.

-I hate money belts. Have traveled to many different countries throughout the world and never felt I needed one. Just use common
sense. But then again, do whatever you feel comfortable wearing/using.

A perfect example that you can't please everyone, this is one piece of advice that I embraced and love.

That is an interesting contradiction. There’s a lot of advice that seems left over from Rick’s budget backpacking days but then it gets mixed in with very expensive advice like hiring a private guide.

And, I know we’re a quirky bunch over here at RS Forums, but I agree that some of the stuff on his videos is just odd. I just don’t think the average person visiting Europe has any interest in helping to shear the sheep or herd goats on vacation.

And I don’t think we’re being harsh, I compare this and the companion thread to be a big picture overview of What Went Right and What went Wrong on a vacation, I know many of us do this either mentally or in writing.

For example, how often do we try to help travellers on these forums that have a very ambitious itinerary and it often comes from Rick’s books. It’s easier to do on an organized tour when someone handles all the planning and has already made the decision of two hours for the museum followed by the beer garden. Whereas we might tell the individual traveler that if you really only have two hours for that museum, you might want to skip it as you’re paying a hefty admission charge for a brief visit.

As so many people are so keen to visit the Cotswolds the BBC series "This Country" would be a good place to start. It's a comedy based on the experience of being young and poor in the area. A lot more to that region than pretty cottages and tea rooms and it would be a good addition to the list of programmes to watch to get an understanding of the UK that is provided on this site.

I couldn't agree more however I don't think it would click with many Americans, it's a particular type of British humour, you really need fo be British to "get it".

"The Country" is available on one of the streaming services here (can't recall if it's Acorn or Britbox) and we gave it a try and made it through, I think, one episode. It's one of those shows where, yeah, I think you do need more context to get the humor. I suspect it would be like asking the UK folks to try to interpret 'The Red Green Show', where you needed to grow up on either side of the border in the Great Lakes region to get a lot of the jokes beyond the duct tape ones.

I suspect it would be like asking the UK folks to try to interpret 'The Red Green Show', where you needed to grow up on either side of the border in the Great Lakes region to get a lot of the jokes beyond the duct tape ones.

Oh god, haven't thought about that show in a long time and just had a good laugh. I grew up in Minnesota and it's scary to say that I 'get' all the jokes. Maybe our British friends should check out an episode on You Tube.

I never just rely on a single piece of feedback, e.g. one book, without checking out multiple sources for things in which I am interested. No reason not to as there is so much online these days ---but it takes time and effort. I'm sure RS processes tour feedback against the logistical requirements of moving people around on the planned trips as well.

Fun thread, with many great points.

– I declined a $3,500 voucher from United (for voluntary bumping) last week in part (5%, maybe) b/c I had stuffed all my family's snow gear into my (checked) bag, and didn't relish the thought of lugging it through SFO & on public transportation home. I understand the usefulness of carry-on-only, but I always check a bag ... and yes, sometimes OTC meds are Rx-only overseas (such as melatonin), and although I love poking around grocery stores, etc. in a new town, I've learned it's easier to throw a few extras of various hygiene items into my suitcase than hunt through overseas pharmacies for (sometimes) poor substitutes.

– I can understand people wanting to see the "quaint" parts of England, or catch a glimpse of the queen. It's the same here ... I've seen tourists (Germans, especially) go completely nuts when seeing a "real cowboy" here in the West, or standing excitedly by the thermometer at Death Valley when it reads 134ºF (nutso! lol). They are seeing the bits of the USA they've dreamed about. My husband takes his British colleagues, when they visit for a conference, to our hometown rodeo and they love it – the cornier the better, such as the giant American flag unfurled by cowboys and active military personnel. Of course the Brits know it's only a slice of American life, but it's real and it's the part they want to see – not the ordinary, everyday bits.

– Rick Steves used to recommend Blackpool on his 22-day "tour" of the UK (in the 1990s, I think). I believe Blackpool was downgraded to a "suggestion" after too many people gave him feedback that they didn't want to see that part of the UK, or that kind of thing, on their all-too-short vacation.

Forget just a real cowboy, we actually did find ourselves smack in the middle of a real cattle drive in rural Utah a few summers back. Had to stop the car to let the cows go past and all you could really do is get the phone out and film it all.

Be jealous of that, ye Germans!

I agree with others who said that Rick's pace is a little quick and at times overly structured for our style of travel, which tends to be a little more meandering. If we head bagpipes in the distance, we'll try to figure out where they came from. (In that case, a Scottish-Norwegian friendship parade) If we're in a rental car and can GPS our way back to the hotel later on, we'll take any road that looks interesting rather than stick to a strict schedule. You never know what's around the next bend to discover that may or may not be in a tourist guide.

Despite living for a time in both Oklahoma and Texas, the only cattle drive I've ever seen was while stuck in one of those Staus where traffic comes to an inexplicable screeching halt. I was sitting in my car on A44 near Aachen. I looked up at the overpass over the Autobahn, and there were a herd of cattle walking across. It appeared to be the slow commute of a dairy herd, not the thunderous stampede of more muscular beef cattle.

Good thread.

I may look at, but often do not follow, his restaurant and hotel recommendations. Yes, many of his readers have become older and more affluent, and are looking for a hotel experience between what he recommends and what American business travelers book.

And his emphasis on certain towns or areas--Cinque Terre for example--can be disappointing, as can his omissions of other towns and areas.

However, just two days, to a friend planning a trip to Portugal, I made two recommendations: get multiple guide books but go get the RS Portugal guide. And the reason given was the logistical information provided--the first few sections of each chapter.

His books are a guide, with strengths and weaknesses and obvious preferences and biases, not travel scripture. Use them as such, and they are good value. Treat them as gospel, and they will disappoint as much as they inform.

Interesting thread, especially since I have many of the same comments about least helpful advice. For me the biggest drawback is the pace of the itineraries. On my first trip to Europe over 25 years ago actually tried to keep pace and it was exhausting. Over the years, I look at this as a guideline and then make my own decisions about how structured and how much time I want to spend in at a location or particular site.

Sandy

The RS advice that haven't been personally helpful probably include living out of the teeny tiny suitcase for several weeks and the idea of money belts. I know some people love their money belts but for me personally, they are hot, sweaty, and overkill. I like my secure purse. I get the fear of lost luggage and easy portability but my 24-26 inch suitcases have overall worked just fine. The idea of having to take out touring time to go find a laundromat is unappealing so... I bring the bigger suitcase.

I also find his walks both helpful and not helpful. Oftentimes, his recommended start and end locations don't make a lot of sense to me and so I will use them as a "base" to make a plan but it's a rarity that I follow them to a T.

I also wish his guidebooks were a little more comprehensive a la Lonely Planet. Obviously everyone can have their favorites but sometimes, I don't get why he favors some areas so heavily and completely ignores others. I know he's trying to emphasize the routes of his guided tours but the books are more for a general audience at this point, so I'd love if some new material be added about stuff that may have been dismissed in the past.

With reference to hotel recommendations, I love the fact he that he tells you about elevators, or lack of, street noise, A/C, friendliness of the staff, etc. I know things can change but the chances are they aren’t, especially the elevator situation.

Allan's post: "Can we agree that Rick and his book are as imperfect as the rest of us, but have enhanced our travels?"

Me three.

"Go to Rue Cler."
So, I did, on my 6th trip to Paris; and I turned right around and got back on a bus to another part of town.
Too full of Chinese restaurants, and people walking about with the Blue Book looking for the Real Paris.
I'm not telling you where my " Other" part of town was that I liked way better.

RS general travel advice for Europe seems to be on the end tail of technological progress and change for practical matters

It was only two or three years ago when he finally removed his recommendation and 'peace of mind' note about sending credit card information to smaller hotels or guest houses, by email, unencrypted. That was not only grossly outdated advice for 2017 but also a way to entice readers to one of the worst self-inflicted financial fraud risk exposure.

The way he refers to the usefulness of bringing US dollars seem to be stuck on pre-Euro (2001-20) days. Even in European countries that don't use the Euro, chances are that Euro gets better spot rates if need so.

His advice on Eurail passes is really outdated. I don't think it is ill-intentioned, as to earn commissions on pass sales, but the Eurail pass is often a very bad deal. As everybody and their mother reserves accommodation, timed-entry monument/attraction tickets etc. online, even the aspect of "winging it" lost most of its attractiveness. He doesn't discuss or explain how to use train travel apps, or meta-rail fare searchers such as Trainline, Omio or RailEurope.

As part of his travel light advice, RS blithely assures his audience
that they will be able to get anything they happen to need, so don’t
worry about bringing otc meds for every contingency. Not true.

Agree. In Paris last year my son had a cut on his face that went from no big deal to infected within hours. We stopped at a pharmacy and were surprised to learn neosporin or other antibacterial creams are prescription-only, and were told we needed to go to an urgent care. Luckily, my husband happened to have a copy of his medical license and the pharmacist took pity on us and let that be good enough for dispensing.

(Neosporin is something we do generally pack and it was an oversight on our part, not an effort to pack light.)

I'm a little late to the conversation, partly because I'm interested as to what others are saying and partly because I'm not an experienced travelers so felt I had little to add. But today as I was out walking, listening to RS Audio Europe about Vienna and Salzburg, I realized how little I used his Italy guidebook both prepping for and during last May's South of Italy tour. Could we have been more prepared for our trip, of course. But did we miss out on much, absolutely not.

From reading the forum, asking (lots) questions and reading travel tips most of my general and specific "how to travel" questions were answered. When I found something of interest, I bookmarked the threads and looked up the websites for more information. We did not use his recommendations for hotels and restaurants in Rome or Venice and most of southern Italy is not covered in the book. When hotels were mentions on the forum, I researched them on Booking.com and Trip Adviser. For restaurants we just winged it when on our own; if somewhere looked good or acceptable we ate there. Because we ate early we had no problem needing reservations. I did not use his city tours from the book but had downloaded most pertinent ones from the app. If you don't know, they are available when in airplane mode.

One of our tour mates had her Naples pages available so a small group of us set off on a walking tour of Naples. I have to admit, we saw things in neighborhoods, we might not have visited.

We stopped at a pharmacy and were surprised to learn neosporin or other antibacterial creams are prescription-only, and were told we needed to go to an urgent care.

Antibacterial creams can be bought anywhere, from pharmacies, supermarkets to corner shops (in the UK at least). Neosporin is an antibacterial and antibiotic cream. Antibiotic use is out of control and is contriibuting to antibiotic resistance. An OTC antibacterial cream is perfectly suitable for most minor injuries.

Almost any small town must see Rick recommends, I avoid. He chooses great little places, but once he has chosen them, they are more crowded than big cities. Ugg.

I tend to ignore his travel itineraries too. Whether within a city, country, or region, they move way too fast for me.

On the other hand, I like night trains. I meet interesting people on them. I sleep just fine and they save me precious time. My only complaint is getting pitched off before 7 am. Even so, there's often nice early walking to be done.

His coverage of England and Scotland is way too limited.

Not limited to RS Guides, but most guides to EU restaurants seem to be aimed at places that will not offend American pallets. The great exception are Michelin Red guides which rate restaurants for natives, and that's how you should eat. For the American palette, it is impossible to find a good burger or steak in the EU. So don't even try. If you must eat beef, go for a stew. IF you must have a burger, you are out of luck because the original Luxemburg Holiday Inn closed.

American meat eaters in the EU should focus on veal, pork, and chicken.

Disagree on steak. I've found steak to he excellent in Europe, particularly in Belgium. It's generally a smaller cut than what we get in the US, but consistently tender and better prepared.

The beef eaters in my party were raving about the quality of the burgers at the Union Diner in Basel, CH. (Those of us who went with the poultry or veggie options were really happy with our meals too)

https://rhyschaenzli.ch/en/uniondiner/steinenvorstadt

kb1942, you need to come to Frankfurt. There are several places here that serve a burger to rival anything you would get in the states, but without the GMO or the antibiotics, and usually locally sourced. Pretty sure there are other cities in Germany that offer good burgers too. I had a great burger in Astorga, Spain, which was a bit of a surprise for a small city.

Writing off all of Europe that there are no good burgers or steaks here is not only silly, but also narrowminded.

"Don't drink on the plane."

Have you ever actually BEEN on a plane?

I found this article on this website. Whether you agree or not, it does explain his thought process for his guidebooks.

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning/comparing-guidebook-series

To be fair, I don't think kb1942 said beef was bad in Europe, rather that it might not suit American palates (actually s/he wrote "pallets" and "palette", but I guess that's what was meant). I think that might be true. Firstly beef cattle in Britain/Europe won't have been reared in the same way you often might get in the US since many American farming/chemistry practices are outlawed in most European countries. Secondly, preferred cuts of steak are different in some countries. So it's perfectly possible to eat great beef in Britain or Europe, but somehow feel it's not what one is used to with the hormone infused meat "back home".

Ah yes the good ol' 'steak', the foundational staple of American diet, along with its close cousin the 'burger' ;-)

Had a similar encounter with an American in the Spain section (a few months back) about "where can I get a good ol' fashion steak around here" lol! - https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/steaks-in-spain-local-vs-imported

Hmmm, I hadn’t seen this thread until now, but it’s interesting that the “worst advice” thread has 3 times more responses than the “best advice” thread!

Agree that Rick’s restaurant listings have often turned out to be a disappointment - but not always. If it’s a big enough town to offer a selection, we often look for a place other than what Rick lists.

And the lodging situation has improved through the years, as newer editions of his guidebooks come out. This is also affected by us now not looking for the least expensive place to stay, but 2 decades ago, some of Rick’s suggestions were absolute dumps.. A place in London, which according to the Internet is still in business, was a fleabag hole, and we checked out the next day, finding a better place down the street. The first place was cheap, though, and did have a fantastic location for convenience and proximity to sights and transportation access, but this was really a “you get what you pay for” situation. The second place cost more, had the same great location, but its hallways were a rabbit warren of dark, winding passageways and uneven floors. Had there been a fire in the second place, evacuation would have been difficult; there would have been an extreme tragedy.

Our last London stay, recommended in Rick’s book, is in a different part of the city, convenient in other ways, and is a lot more expensive. But what in London isn’t, nowadays? And we’re going back there next month, it’s such a great find. Almost 20 years ago, Rick listed a place in Seville, mentioning that “it could be cleaner.” What an understatement! The folks running the place were friendly and accommodating, but the layers of dust meant we almost could’ve planted potatoes in that place. Again, convenient location, relatively inexpensive, but . . .

So we’ve stopped using Rick’s single-dollar-sign lodging listings, when alternatives exist. And are willing and able to spend a bit more, which is fortunate. We’re all getting older, Rick Steves included, and some things are different now than they were in earlier times.

it is impossible to find a good burger or steak in the EU. So don't even try.

Either the author of this nonsense has never eaten good beef in Europe or has been eating in the wrong places.

British beef and certain Spanish beef beats pretty much any beef in the US (why do you think the number one favoured breed for quality beef in the US is Aberdeen Angus, or more commonly known as Black Angus?) American cattle raised on huge feedlots called concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). There, the cows are kept in confined stalls, often with limited space.

They are rapidly fattened with grain-based feeds that are usually made from a base of soy or corn.and routinely given antibiotics and growth hormones and then the carcasses having to be washed in chlorine because the cows have spent most of their lives standing knee deep in e-coli infected excrement. This does not make good beef.

Cattle raised on the scottish highlands, eating a diet of grass, herbs, heather and sileage in the winter is as good as it gets. Then you have the Welsh black cattle that spend their lives grazing the Welsh hills. The Hereford, Long Horn, Dexter and myriad other ancient breeds all produce exceptional beef along with the Galician cattle raised in the hills of northern Spain.

I've eaten some good steak from grass fed, free range cattle in the US but for many Americans it tastes too gamey. The preference is for the bland, fatty beef from those poor beasts raised in the equivalent of a battery hen cage.

I've also eaten a lot of burgers in my time (I travel with two boys!) and whilst we've eaten some good ones in the US none of them come close to what we've eaten in Scotland. I make no exageration when I state that the best burgers I've eaten have all been in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

I guess if you compared it to someone who only ate Cheez Whizz all their lives and then found themselves trying a real Cheddar or Brie or Burrata in Europe then you can imagine that they might say that European cheese is awful.

Oh - we had such a delicious burger at a little hole in the wall in Paris that I marked it on my calendar and we went back a few years later when we returned to Paris. I've actually had some great burgers overseas.

And I usually don't get steak when we go on holiday because $$ (and my husband really has an issue with fat in meat) but I had a superb steak in Prague, and my husband is fond of saying the steak we had last year in London at Angus Steak (which I'm sure will make some Londoners roll their eyes) was the best steak he's ever had. Maybe that just proves how bad our steak tastes are... :) But I am also from the land of no growth hormones in our meat.

I concur with the night trains. We took night trains in delux private cabin from Milan to Salzburg since we thought it was the best option for our dog on a 10+ hour journey. We knew he’d be fine for an overnight train ride. He was, We didn’t sleep. I ended up getting sick for the whole trip.

Round trip was over $500. For future trips we are breaking up a long daytime train journey with an overnight or ferries (Naples to Palermo). Budapest to Prague- overnight in Bratisalva. Prague to Ghent- overnight in Nürnberg.

PERSPECTIVE: Especially for you Brits out there ;-)

Today's top marketing headline at Eurostar.co.uk, as expected, is "New direct trains to the Netherlands and back."

Compare that message to prominent links on their US web site (after a 20% off deal on Standard Premier tickets):

• All about the Chunnel!
• Inspiring destinations - Mary Poppins Tour of London
• Inspiring destinations - Harry Potter Studio in London

Haha Emma...will keep that in mind. Honestly, it was the first time I’ve ever seen one, and it was actually fairly busy. But we were at GASP!! Piccadilly Circus. ;)

I’m a tourist, what can I say.

"How deep is the Chunnel?

At its deepest, the tunnel is 75 meters (246 feet) below the sea level. That's the same as 107 baguettes balancing on top of each other."

Careful, Laura, you might get your own thread ;-))

We've generally had good results using Rick's hotel recommendations. In fact, I don't think we've ever been disappointed. Not all the hotels are up to many folks' standards, of course, but the places in which we've stayed have always been clean, and in good locations. I think we usually try the ones marked $ or $$.

I noticed when booking hotels for our upcoming trip to Europe, that the actual prices don't match the number of dollar signs. In the new Italy book, for example, the Aberdeen is given $$$$, but the price we were quoted was $$. Had we not stayed there before, we wouldn't have even looked at it this time.

His restaurant recommendations have generally left us underwhelmed, however.

Allan's post: "Can we agree that Rick and his book are as imperfect as the rest of us, but have enhanced our travels?"

Me four!

And another vote for night trains, I like 'em, adds to the adventurous experience.

However, I could do without many of the indelicate innuendo's ... it borders on excessive in some sections of some guidebooks.

Who writes that. I am now trying to imagine "107 baguettes balancing on top of each other.", that is some balancing act.

According to Wikipedia "A baguette has . . . . a usual length of about 65 cm, although a baguette can be up to 1 m long."
75 metres ÷ 0.65 = 115.38 baguettes, but maybe they calculated it at low tide.

The Channel is actually not very deep. That is less than ¾ the height of the White Cliffs of Dover (110 metres)

No one, now of days, should take one source as the ultimate in travel advice for Europe - or anywhere else for that matter. That being said, I think the biggest problem associated with advice in the guides and the shows is the false impression on being able to do so many things over a large geographical area in a short period of time. There are so many forum posts for first time travelers that are trying to do the Grand Tour in a week! Yes, you may never get to Europe ever again, but do you want your lasting memory being of a bunch of one night stands in cities that took you 3 hours via train to get to?

The RS material is a good start for planning, but then Google the heck out of what and where you want to go and see. Zoom in on Google Maps and take a virtual walk in the area. Check other travel blogs (but not TripAdvisor - what a mess that turned into). And ask questions in forums here. There are some very well versed folks in the groups who can give local insight and knowledge.

Oh...and the other problem with the RS guides: They should tell folks to start planning AT LEAST one year in advance, if at all possible.

I will raise my hand and admit I once ate at an Angus Steak. It was 1991 and my first trip to London. Before I knew better.

emma - (((insert cringing gif...lol)))

Well, we survived ;)

"And another vote for night trains...." Absolutely, the night train option is part and parcel of every trip, usually two to three I factor in as part of the trip planning, stretches the trip duration.

I'm just the opposite of night trains. I won't take them. The journey is just as important as the destination. I love looking at the scenery as we roll by. It's a highlight of my trip.

I never understood why RS suggests taking the night train through the Tyrols enroute to Venice.

I’m a tourist, what can I say.

Nicole -- Yes! Way to own it. Me too! 😀

it is impossible to find a good burger or steak in the EU. So don't
even try.

The best burger this American palate has encountered was the Bohinj Burger (Bohinj beef, Bohinj cheese) offered by a vendor at the Kravji Ball (Cows Ball) at Ukanc (Slovenia) last fall.

Nicole, why eat beef with hormones? 😬

After years of teasing by French friends and family about “le hamburger”, they are finally on French menus. At restaurants, brasseries, and cafés, they are plump, juicy, crisp vegies, great sauce and delicious.

@Susan... Why be so judgemental?

Back when I started reading guide books (early 1960s), it was common for them to warn that European beef wasn't usually prepared to American taste and specifically to say hamburgers should be avoided. I don't remember what the specific complaint was. I'm not much of a beef-eater at home, so I just totally avoided beef in Europe for decades. When the mad-cow outbreak occurred, I was very glad about my preference for chicken, because I had spent rather a lot of time in Europe during the critical period.

On a recent trip I had a bacon-cheeseburger, probably in the UK, and it was good.

If I had it to do over again...
Years ago as a rookie Rick Steves disciple and trusting his advice here are a couple of my regrets:
1. We dragged our two early teenage sons (at the time) to Rick's "alternate Riviera" town of Cassis. SOOO crowded. Very small and packed with American tourists. Total nightmare driving down into the town. Probably charming before it was "discovered." We had fun, but wish we had chosen a different place for our French seaside stop.
2. Choosing Vernazza as our base in Cinque Terre. Loved all of the five towns, but wish I hadn't been so focused on staying in Rick's chosen town of Vernazza. I think it was the most congested of the towns. We actually couldn't believe it when we arrived in the afternoon - crazy, elbow to elbow scene. (But, still great, thanks to the evening hours - Monterosso for us if we ever visit again)

I do love what Rick has done for encouraging international travel. I still use his guidebooks to give me an introduction to a region. But, I am now really loving this forum for offering such great itinerary ideas and practical travel options! I feel like I know some of the frequent posters and wish I could have coffee with some of you.

Well it wasn't RS himself but under his banner. I also paid no heed to the advice. Still it was a good reminder that I should take travel writers opinions with a grain of salt.
Some final research pre a trip to France. Up pops an article from one of RS writers/researchers on Carcassonne.
Now we were going to be there for a few days and I had done some good research.
I read this opinion piece by this guy and was quite taken aback. It was apparent he was one of those hard to please self entitled types, the cliched "Ugly #### Tourist!
It was also apparent he was too lazy to even bother exploring the town properly.
What shocked me was that it was under the RS banner. I had no real knowledge of the modern day RS brand but remembered his Backdoor books from the 80s. This crap was the opposite of the style he seemed to be encouraging back then.
So this guy was saying don't bother going. We went, we spent several wonderful days there, loved it.

Well, so now the “worst advice” thread has about 3 times the responses of the “best advice” thread, including the beef debate. I guess that if someone has a “beef” with Rick’s travel info, this is the place?!?

RS advice to travel coach class on trains instead of first class, to rub elbows with the locals. I'm not normally a first class traveller, but first class train tickets are usually not that much more than regular, and they give one access to the lounge at train stations, with internet, water, coffee, a washroom, and snacks. Also, the ride is marginally more comfortable. Worth it, IMO. Anyway, I'm an introvert, and I'm not likely to chat with strangers on the train.

I also rarely use RS for hotel or restaurant advice, although the couple of recommended restaurants I have gone to have been good, and one was a favourite.

I just want to add that RS list of useful French phrases for visiting Cannes is pure gold. LOL!

And I do travel light. I sometimes go to dance conferences where I have to check a bag with my gear, and I really hate it, now that I'm used to travelling light. I'm 61, and I don't find it a hardship at all. Have done so for several 3-week trips to Europe, as well as to Africa and South America.

Oh, yeah. And the "assume you will be back" and "don't try to fit it all in" advice. No. I probably won't be back. I didn't have the opportunity or means to travel internationally until I was 50. I'm 61 now, and there is still a lot of the world to see. I get that it is ideal to spend more time and explore in depth, and we do try to do that as much as we can. But we are still going to try to fit in all of our "must sees," because the fact remains that we probably won't be back. And even if we might be back, there are no guarantees. (My mom was 3 years younger than I am now when she died.)

For me each time I'm preparing for a trip I identify pages upon pages of hugely-outdated information. I promptly forget about it but the next time I pick up the most recent edition it's still there.

The other thing is forget about "back doors". If it's in an RS guide, it hasn't been a back door in decades. My first trip to Ireland, I visited Ring of Kerry but not Dingle. When I went back, Dingle was at the top of my must see list. I was incredibly disappointed both in the quality of sights and the massive tourist crowds (in shoulder season). I left after one night. Meanwhile Ring of Kerry has better quality sights that are very lightly visited. Most of the crowd drives the Ring of Kerry and skips the sights. I was glad to get off Dingle and spend that time on the Kerry Peninsula.

@Cyn I don’t think at all this thread has deteriorated into a bashing thread, most of the of the comments are from those offering constructive criticism. As I mentioned, it’s more of the list of what went wrong and what went right.

And I do hope that some people from the organization look at this. I do think many of us have been advocating for a rewrite of many of his guides. I think we’ve pointed out that some advice is a holdover from nostalgia from Rick’s budget backpacking days that doesn’t really meet his audience these days. And, some of the advice is also a bit behind the technological curve.

A couple to mention. Rail passes are pretty much a thing of the past before dynamic pricing and reservations. I can’t tell you how many times I get that advice from well meaning people but they’re basing it on what they did back in the 1990s.

Strike up a conversation with a friendly local is probably good advice for places that cater to students or backpackers, maybe not so much for business people with laptops open.

As Rick has ventured into....cruising!!’ He’s got to realize that his audience is getting older and the ones who looked up to him in the 80s and 90s are older now and Europe is changing. A lot of the mom and pop local charm places are disappearing, either due to retirement or gentrification. And, some of those cash places were surviving by not turning everything over to the taxman, much harder in a cashless and digital world.

Back in my college dorm, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Rick on the dorm TVs on Saturday or Sunday afternoons outside of football season. Now, I doubt many millennials are streaming Rick on their iPads or laptops.

BB I agree on the assume you will be back.
As a 60 year old Aussie with a 55 year old wife it is pretty unlikely. We are heading to Scotland this year after visiting in 2016 during a UK and Ireland trip. But this time it is to focus on 3 areas we missed - Orkney, Shetland, Outer Hebrides.
Brad. Backdoors? Well if you want to go "Off Broadway" you have to find places that either a) don't have general appeal.
Or b) are difficult to reach.
Some places are overshadowed by better known neighbours. Perhaps they lack any big name sights. They may have plenty to offer.
Hike 2 hours along rough trails through the hills and you usually drop off the tourist radar (some obvious exceptions).

Don’t pack for the worst case senecio, pack for the best (because) shopping at a foreign pharmacy can be fun. Ask yourself how do so many Europeans manage.

No, no, nope. I always bring all possible over the counter meds. If I or any of my family members get sick I don’t want to have to run around trying to figure out the right medicine.

That said, Rick is still my hero.

To the person who said Rue Cler, I agree...RS book bearing tourists jammed the street and cafes the one time we were there. Not an area we would revisit when there is so much more to Paris...including neighborhoods where we are frequently the only English speakers in the shops and restaurants.
The RS books were very useful when we first traveled to Europe 25 years ago, but after 15 or 16 trips to that continent, the books seem dated. For example, the Rail Pass advice makes little sense now as it is so easy to save money by figuring out the best date before our travel on which to buy the tickets and the best time of day to travel. Then, we go to one of several easy to use European or UK sites to purchase tickets, or a travel agency in Poland that totally rocks with customer service. Another example of how dated the guide books are is that none of them seem to cover the extensive private driver services that are springing up all over Europe. For a party of three going 100-150 miles it can be less expensive and much more relaxing than train travel. Plus, for us older travelers it is so helpful to have door to door service and luggage handling!
We still buy RS guides for general planning, but we use many excellent travel apps and online research when we get into the specifics of our plans. We look for our own off the beaten track experiences as many of the RS suggestions are now too well-known! As retirees, we discovered the joy of slow travel, so while we make note of some of the itinerary suggestions, we never follow the suggested routes. We look at hotels recommended in RS and then check the reviews on hotel booking sites. I’d say we’re about 50/50 with the accuracy of RS recommendations.
One thing we find amusing is the oft repeated admonition to avoid being loud Americans when in public spaces. We were just in Morocco where a party of very noisy Spaniards delayed our much needed sleep. Restaurants in Malta were filled with Italians talking at the top of their voices...and don’t get me started on French school children at the Picasso Museum in Paris! So, yes, Americans may not be the quietest, but we aren’t the loudest in my experience.
So my conclusion is this, for first time travelers to Europe, RS guide books will be quite useful, but make sure to research your options online and ask questions on this forum!

jehb2 - I mentioned earlier about bringing pharmacy items from home - I decided this trip to get ahead of the curve - we were at a dollar store over the weekend and I spotted the cough drops - now - I ALWAYS get a cough when we are on holiday. Last year I spent a few minutes in a Tesco in London trying to figure out what cough drop to get - there wasn't a huge selection and I HATE strong drops - I ended up getting something that tasted like black licorice and menthol - not great (and I could only keep it in my mouth for about 3 min before I had to spit it out), but my usual Halls cherry or spearmint wasn't there (they did have extra strong Halls). I picked up a honey and a cool mint to pack with me this time. ;)

Now - I realize there may be a lot more flavours in bigger stores - I was in a Tesco express - but again, I don't want to waste time trying to find a pharmacy while I feel like I'm bringing up a lung. I love shopping for different foods - pharmacy items - not so much.

catrinatravels, I laughed at your comment about noisy non-Americans. When we were in Canterbury some year ago, there was a huge group of French schoolkids on a field trip. We couldn't hear our own guide over the ruckus.

And Nicole P, the only cough drops/throat lozenges I can find that work for me, I can only find in Europe! And I'm about out, so it's time to go back. (Yes, my spoilsport DH said I could get them on the internet, but what fun is that?)

I do remember being horrified at the cost of aspirin in Florence. Ever since that experience I always pack extra OTC pain relievers.

I think the complaint about American tourists being too loud is that individually they are loud, often talking in unnecessarily "piercing" voices so one hears every word (and, of course, since the yanks speak English - nearly - you can understand what they're saying which somehow makes it worse). Certainly a group of Spanish school pupils or a British/Irish hen party has more volume. But they're not so irritating as it's more background noise and the individual words are just merged into a meaningless "hum".

A little bit of trivia.....in the 1990's, and perhaps other times as well, the number one seller of Eurail passes in the USA was...........Rick Steves. (Not him personally but Europe Through The Back Door.)

So, I guess promoting the use of rail passes paid off.

I also find it interesting that on many of his non-location videos he contradicts the advice he gives in his guidebooks. As an example, he says to let yourself run out of toiletries and buy them there. However he admits to bringing his own toiletries as well as back up.

I do the same as it's hard to find what I like in Europe.

The only loud Americans we encountered during our 2019 trip were the people on a Rick Steves tour enjoying a happy hour at our hotel. A tour group of any nationality is going to be loud at some point.

A tour group of any nationality is going to be loud at some point.

Agree. As are a group of school children, of any nationality. Ever heard a group of American school children on a field trip to a museum? No different.

Actually, in my opinion, it's good advice to not be a loud obnoxious person when traveling to another country. That's not to say you shouldn't have a raucous time in a group when having a party, just be mindful of your surroundings and others around you. But when alone it's good to remember that raising your voice won't make you better understood to someone who doesn't understand your language, a habit that many English speakers seem prone to. So, I don't consider that among RS' least helpful advice.

People, the guidebooks are just a guide of suggestions, not an operating manual that will void your warranty if not followed. I figured out the first time I tried to follow a suggested itinerary (England -- in 1992) that the itinerary moved too quickly for me. And though I keep trying to pack lighter, I do it my way with help from ETBD and this forum -- but find it better and easier to check a 22" roller bag.
Occasionally book a hotel (or restaurant) that happens to be on a RS list and find them not significantly better or worse than the ones I pick from booking.com in my price range.

Prague was overflowing with non-American loudness - we made the mistake of heading to the Old Town on a Fri or Sat night to see the Clock Tower all lit up and were 'entertained' (sarcasm) by what must have been a stag party, as there was some inebriated young men trying to suction a - uh - fake male body part to a street sign. When we did our night tour at Prague Castle with Naked Prague, the very soft-spoken guide had to shush a group of rowdy teens as we could barely hear him over their noise. And don't get me started on what I believe was a beer bike being driven by people dressed as Batman - that was blaring out the old Batman TV theme song - that was actually kinda hilarious, as you'd hear it before you saw it. Can't speak for the Batman bike, but the other groups def weren't speaking with an American accent.

Can't speak for the Batman bike, but the other groups def weren't speaking with an American accent.

I'd put good money on those accents being British.

Wow, Francis hit all my buttons!

Renting a car is just a bad idea if you are on vacation.

It can be a great idea for certain itineraries. If you want to do some real follow-your-nose exploring, then a car is the only way to do it. And some parts of Europe, such as Ireland or France's Dordogne, are still best done by car.

Arriving in another country with out sufficient cash money for at
least a Cab, food and over night lodging is sort of stupid.

This was true 30 years ago before ATMs were installed every airport. Beside, I usually take home a little extra currency and use it the following year.

The hand drawn maps are useless.

I think they are excellent for basic orientation. If I need something more detailed I can use Google Maps.

Ripping up travel guides to save space is silly.

I think it's good advice. Why should I carry the whole France guidebook with me when I'm only visiting Paris and the Dordogne? These days I use the physical books for planning at home and bring only the electronic version on the trip.

Hiring a guide in most cases, does not add to your experience.

It does to mine! I have enjoyed every guide I have ever hired. Ben de Jong's walking tour of the Jewish experience in Amsterdam forever changed how I see the city.

His packing light is also sort of silly.

Fighting words!

You have to have everyone to do this [pack light], to make it work.

Why? I would enjoy watching a travel partner drag around his/her multiple bags of bricks for 3 weeks.

Washing things in the hotel sink, is a hold over of his earlier
travels.

I still do it because it's easy and practical.

However, I do agree with you on the value of the in-hotel breakfast unless there is a tasty option very close by.

This forum has witnessed an interesting evolution. I first started hanging out around here in the early 2000s. Back then, most of the queries were based around filling in some little pratical knowledge gaps between the information presented in the guide books and TV shows. Gradually, as more of the posters started to explore outside the confines of the Rick Steves universe (and many posters who actually lived in Europe started to chime in), an interesting tension developed. On the one-hand, you had the die-hard Rickniks who viewed Mr. Steves' recommendations almost like divinely received dogma, and to suggest anything to the contrary was heresy (I remember receiving quite a take-down when I suggested visiting Ghent as an alternative to Brugge, this being before Ghent was added to the book). In the middle, you had those who generally followed Mr. Steve's recommendations, but were adaptable to other suggestions that might fit their travel style or vacation plans. And in the opposing corner were those posters who started to see that Mr. Steves's recommendations were increasingly becoming out-of-date, and his once off-the-beaten-path hidden gems were now heavily visited and fundamentally changed by the regular presence of the visiting hordes. Oh, were there some interesting battles in these forums!

I've mostly been away from the forum for the past several years, but now that I've returned, it seems the die-hards have... well, died off. The skeptics seem to be in the ascendency.

Does that infamous group Millennials even want a trip organised for them? As they are the generation of Uber and Deliveroo I think some will want someone else to make the effort to plan for them but many won't. How does the RS business model fit in with that market?

I'm Generation X. Not only do we exist despite attempts by pop culture and many sociology researchers to rather erase my generation, we're also hitting the point where the house is paid off, the kids are about to get through college and we're looking around and thinking it would be fun to do a little travel while we're still in pretty good physical condition. And a lot of my peers would love a tour geared more toward us because they find DIY-ing a first transatlantic trip to be a little intimidating.

My first trip to Europe was to West Germany with a high school youth group way back when (and then I didn't get back for a long time because of mortgage payments and student loans). I'm actually more interested in the Cold War than World War 2 if you're talking European history and how the USA-USSR rivalry impacted what Europe is today. I'd love to see more about that than just a token Checkpoint Charlie stop in Berlin.

We love technology and lean heavily on our smart phones for domestic travel. We don't need a posh hotel, but it has to be clean, not musty (that sets off our allergies) and does not involve a bathroom down the hall because we just don't want to do college dorm life again without a really good reason. Even if the Monet poster on the wall of our dorm room back then planted a seed of 'I need to go to France some day'.

We also like Rick's earnestness because it's a nice contrast to our inherent cynicism. He's a little like the Mr. Rogers, though a version that smokes pot and wanders through red light districts. It's still good to have that kind of reminder that it's all gonna be okay.

I'm Generation X. Not only do we exist despite attempts by pop culture and many sociology researchers to rather erase my generation

Thank you! I guess we don't complain enough, so we get largely ignored. That's OK. As a generational cohort, we're laughing all the way to the bank.

My born in 1944-45 parents are still pretty spry and were the ones who took us on one of those Viking river cruises last year to celebrate their 50th anniversary. (I tried to go in with an open mind and had more fun that I expected) And as long as the pavement is flat and smooth and doesn't jar her knees too much, my mother can still power walk with the best of them- a few years back, my sister talked Mom into doing a 5K race walk and she won her age group and I think had the best time for all the over-60 women.

And I'm not sure UK children's programming had the equivalent of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, which was a calm half hour a day when a nice man explained many things that could often seem rather scary about the world, and there was a certain imprinting that went on there.

Blue Peter was often very "earnest" with its insistence on saving milk bottle tops to, in some unclear way, help poor children possibly in Africa.

JC - well, I didn't want to pick on the Brits, but since you brought it up... ;)

I wouldn't even think of ripping up a travel guide merely for the purpose of saving space. Unheard of this sort of behaviour. In the past I took the entire book along, ie, the Let's Go and later Rough Guide. If more space needs to be made or weight to be lightened, choose something else.

Fred,

Rick wants you to tear apart your guide book, so he can sell more of these:
https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/guidebook-page-binder

I’ve been carefully tearing out sections of my guide books for years. I don’t carry a backpack during the day - just a small purse, and I review a few pages over a meal or for the classic city walks. The book is information to be used, just like a few printed website pages I might bring - not a precious novel.

@Jean....If I used the RS book, I would not tear it up but since I never did use it and will not, the issue of tearing up his book does not apply to me. In the past I chose to carry the entire book in the checked luggage.

To all living generations: maybe Rick Steves is the most cynical, conniving person imaginable, affecting an earnest, helpful persona, proffering supposedly enriching travel locations. But maybe he’s secretly cackling a James-Bond-Villian-like laugh, knowing that anyone following his advice is joining hoards of other tourists in an overcrowded place, known the world over and getting more packed by the day. Bonus points for Rick if they’ve strapped on an uncomfortable money belt, are washing their skivvies in the sink, as they’ve only brought 3 pairs, and they’re wearing one, waiting for one to dry, and will be rinsing out the third, once they find it in their tiny backpack/duffel. Meanwhile, he’s enjoying traveling to the unspoiled, undiscovered places he actually visits, and if he actually wanted people to experience rewarding locations, he’d put them in a guidebook - or modern electronic format - so people could enjoy them - but not too many other people. What a scoundrel!

Vile Rick would also have a team of servants, hauling his 3 oversized suitcases and a couple of steamer trunks, and would be managing the teams of organized pickpockets working trams and underground trains all over Europe. Seemingly, his advice to be aware of your surroundings and to practice vigilance is actually intended to make people ignore it, maximizing his gains? A least he doesn’t suggest beef in a tin!

There was a video available a few years ago that was hilarious. Evidently Rick was kidnapped by his evil twin cousin Nick, who went to Rick's favorite places and acted like the worst tourist boor ever. Eventually Rick was rescued by a couple of little girls, just in time to save his reputation.

It was a hoot. Does anyone remember it, or have a link?

Jane,

The producer's own links seem to be down (lost their web host), but you can still find these on Rick's blog:

https://blog.ricksteves.com/blog/food-police-my-evil-twin-and-a-culinary-faux-pas/

Laura! I hoped you or someone else from RSE would chime in. Thank you!

Nick Steves, huh, not Steve Ricks? Glad to know the girls set things right.

Even Mr. Rogers needed help sometimes, from Lady Aberlin, X the Owl, Henrietta Pussycat, and Daniel Tiger. Never from Lady Elaine Fairchild, though. She was horrid and mean, and merely a puppet of her father, the absolute Friday XIII. But the Neighborhood was, really, a lot like Rick’s Backdoors, places with Beautiful Days, except they use that weird money, and don’t all speak English all the time.

. . . and maybe it’s more than a coincidence that Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Travels in Europe with Rick Steves/Rick Steves’ Europe are all on the Public Broadcasting System?

Golly, I miss Mr. Rogers. We were already in college and married when his show aired nationally, but I was enchanted. Actually, the first episode or so I watched I thought were dorky and babyish. Then I fell under his sweet, mild charm. Obviously there was some reason I watched a second or third time.

Never wear white athletic shoes.

Just had to mention this for all you downing American beef. I lived for 4 1/2 years in Germany in the 80s. Came home to find out I could never donate blood ever again because European cows were fed spinal cord and brains from other dead cows. Oh, and not all American beef is full of hormones. You can find it without, it's just much more expensive. A lot of Americans can't afford hormone free, grass fed beef.

Back to the topic, railpasses. When I first decided to go back to Germany and France and take my kids with me, I went looking for information and found this forum. That was back in 2008 or so. I figured I could learn some things since it had been decades since I'd lived there. Bought a guide book. I almost bought railpasses but then realized so many places I wanted to take my kids weren't easily accessed from trains. I rented a car instead. Plus, buying railpasses for 3 people is expensive. We also had two other people going with us and renting a car made more sense. I did make everyone take a backpack. The kids took smaller ones I bought them but I bought one of Rick's giant backpacks which I never used again. It was way too big and my son ended up lugging it around sometimes for me. I also bought a few other things, like the laundry drying cord thing, which I have used again. Money neck pouch, never used again. The worse thing that happened in France was women trying to get us to buy things from them near the Eifffel Tower. I just walked away from them. Used the metro in Paris and walked all over the city and never had a problem.

My kids, to this day, can't stand Rick Steves. lol

Eeeek - cannibal cattle? The problem with a good-sized pack is filling it so full it becomes too heavy and cumbersome. So do women around the Eiffel Tower pester people with Rick Steves gear more than anyone else . . . Except for folks sporting white tennies, that is?

Considering the topic, you may want to just skip reading this thread then.

"...buying passes for three people is expensive." True, when the Mrs. and I traveled in Germany in the late 1990s, we used the Twin Pass. That was then.

Starting in 2001 when traveling in Germany, now solo, I only get a Pass for myself.

When she and I travel in France together, we get the discount tickets, eg, Paris to Perpignan on the TGV in 2011. Wearing the white sneakers is part of my summer traveling style in Paris and elsewhere in Europe.

And I'm pretty sure the guidebooks indicate that rental cars don't make financial sense for 1-2 people but may be a good deal for 3 or more.

I have found the RS travel guides extremely helpful in trip planning and they are also very enjoyable to read. When in Europe I always take the RS guides that are relevant for my trip. One suggestion I have is to expand the coverage of the books that don't cover the entire country with each printing until the entire country is covered. For example, the 2014, 2016 and 2018 Greece books are basically the same. The 2020 comes out in a couple of months and I'll bet it's similar to the above editions. We're leaving for Greece in May for 2 weeks and half our trip is south of Olympia and west of the Mani. The RS books don't cover this area. Why not? Perhaps the 2022 edition adds a chapter to include this area as well as the other regions not currently in the book. Other Greece travel guides are more comprehensive - but not nearly as good in covering the areas RS covers. For what it's worth . . .

Actually, the fact that RS guidebooks do NOT cover all areas may mean that there can still be "back doors" to be discovered and appreciated.

I think a lot of people on this thread would not be allowed on a Rick Steves tour because of the violation of the NO GRUMPS clause!! I've had ( including my wife and other family members.) some great trips to Europe because of the Rick Steves information. Just think you wouldn't even have this link to voice your opinion on.

The No Grumps policy is genius! If anyone thought of complaining during the trip, they wouldn’t to avoid being “The Grump!”

EMMA: How many Rick Steves tours have you been on?

Rick's materials and tour goers do make a lot of the No Grumps thing, but as a vet of my first RS tour last year, I really think he's just trying to encourage an attitude of openness to all the things that Americans encounter in Europe that are different -- some are better (mustard in a tube - I love it!), some are not (who doesn't wish for a/c on a hot night?). I think he's just encouraging people to avoid thinking that different = worse. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad thing to change up how he conveys that, however, so people won't feel put off by the "policy".

To anyone who is considering a RS tour but is put off by his focus on No Grumps, I'd encourage you to go on a tour. I had such a great time on my trip, with 27 delightful strangers :)

However you go, happy travels!

I really think he's just trying to encourage an attitude of openness to all the things that Americans encounter in Europe that are different

I'm with Kirstin on this (except for the part about a/c. Can't stand it.) I've never seen this as a "You will have fun or else!" kind of statement; more of a "don't complain because not everything is just like it is at home."

And we have indeed had "grumps" on a couple of tours; they were not thrown off the bus. (Although we were occasionally tempted...)

I'll have fun anyway with or without the A/C, although there have been times when I have been defeated by the hot oppressive weather, say in Vienna. In those instances I just deferred the activity to the next day.