Rick Steves insulted me last night

Getting into a dispute about the existential value of bucketlists seems ontologically vapid.

He says he doesn't believe in bucket lists and defines travelers who use them as people who just want to see famous things.

I don't have a bucket list, but if I did, it wouldn't include anyplace just because it was famous - like the Cinque Terre and Rue Cler, Mr. Steves?

Allan - I thought your list included places and experiences that mattered to you. FYI - we went to Juno Beach in September 2019 as part of a tour of British and Canadian D-Day sites. It was an extremely interesting day for us.

I agree with you - that was a bit out of line, especially when you consider how many people must have one of his tours on their bucket lists.

I'm pretty old and have no bucket list. Never wanted one.

Started traveling just before the virus (two back-to-back Rick Tours (Italy + Paris) ) without one. Just went cause I wanted to.

Whatever floats your boat but don't get insulted by people who don't.

I have a list of places I want to visit but it is broad, i.e, SouthEast Asia. I just went to Egypt and Jordan in January and they were on my list for many years. So my definition and Rick’s of a bucket list are very different. Rick did not insult anyone, he just defines a bucket list differently than me.

Rick has his view on travel which I don't feel compelled to agree with even while I enjoy his website, videos, travel guides, etc. He's been traveling so long that I think he sometimes forgets not everyone has the same comfort level. Our first major European trip - a river cruise - we were incredibly nervous. Have gone to Europe every summer since and get more and more comfortable going it on our own each time.

I think of a bucket list as a living document. What goes on or off my list has evolved over time. And what's on my list doesn't need to meet anyone else's preferences. Some of us are list makers in life, some aren't.

My question is...why do you care what he thinks? Why do you care what anyone thinks? If you want to have a bucket list, have a bucket list. Is there some law in Canada that you must follow the advice of Rick Steves?

I use frequent flier miles. Rick Steves thinks they are a waste of time and has said so. Did I get insulted when he said it? No. That's his opinion not a rule that everyone must follow.

I was watching last night as well and my interpretation is that he said tourists use bucket lists and he considers himself a traveler. He mentioned 3 types - tourists, travelers and pilgrims. So maybe you are a traveler who uses a bucket list and that is your definition, and his definition of a traveler wouldn't use a bucket list. For him, that is a tourist. I don't think it matters. You do you.

I think we all have at least informal lists of places we want to see. However, a "bucket list" implies to me a focus on wow-factor sights over less dramatic but possibly more meaningful experiences. For example, "see the Colosseum" is a bucket list type item. "Go to Rome and explore to get a feel for the place, the history, and eat a lot of gelato" is a little more of a meaningful experience than just seeing the Colosseum (but of course seeing the Colosseum is a part of going to Rome). Rome can't be limited to only the Colosseum, Paris isn't just the Eiffel Tower, Peru isn't only Machu Picchu and so forth. Going places, seeing famous sights, and also experiencing the place is, in many people's minds, better than dropping in for a day and seeing the "top thing".

Of course whatever type of travel you prefer is fine, there's nothing necessarily wrong with hopping from famous thing to famous thing, even if it's not Rick's style. And many people may have "explore Paris for a week" as a bucket list item, it's just the stereotype of the phrase "bucket list" is for someone who only wants to see the Eiffel Tower and leave.

I choose from whom I decide to be insulted and upon what subject.................
My recommendation is to presume innocence upon Rick's part and choose not to be ticked off.
Keep striving to complete your unfulfilled bucket list and please share your experiences.
Safe travels and be well!

I think Rick is spouting some of the same thoughts that other travel icons are seeing, so don't take it personally. For some travelers, a bucket list = a tick list. If that isn't you, then don't worry about it.
It's like the discussions of those global scratch maps. Does a transit in Istanbul airport give you the right to scratch off all of Turkey? Some say yes. Some just scratch the small area where they did visit. Others require an overnight in the country before scratching.
Be true to yourself.

I don’t have a bucket list because it implies that I will be disappointed if I don’t check off all the items. Since I have seen many major sites in Europe already, my goal is simply to experience as much of Europe as I can.

Rick Steves and i don’t agree on several things. No worries. I do think one thing we all agree on, including Rick, is get out and get exploring. I hope we all can soon.

I do agree that one has to have some sort of interest that generates a desire to visit a certain location. The words used to describe that interest aren’t that important.

I thought a bucket list was a list of places you want to visit (or you wanted to things to do) before you "kick the bucket".** Maybe thats a notion from the movie of that name. But that to me is certainly different than a "checklist". I'm with you Allan if you want to file a complaint 🙂.

** American euphemism for being six feet under.

Dear Liza,
There's a hole in my bucket.

I watched the same virtual travel show and remember when Rick made that comment. I thought to myself, I wonder who will write a post on the forum about it. I think it’s a matter of semantics and wouldn’t take it personally. The above commenters have covered the topic well.
I’m dreaming of France and hope we get to travel in the manner Rick wants to travel, in close quarters and not socially distanced. Double kisses on the cheeks and crowding in an English pub and singing together on a RS bus tour.

Seeing Rick’s conversation with Jack Maxwell did my heart good, there is hope for a return to normal travel.

He said that his life has been one of uninterrupted travel joys and this year is his “1940” and he will persevere like the rest of us. A year or two is bearable quite different from the Greatest Generation during WWII.
When we return to travel is still undetermined.

Change "bucket list" to "goals". It's the same idea. If my bucket list includes the Eiffel Tower, then my goal is to visit Paris. Goals do not have an implied end date, but bucket list implies before I am too feeble to travel or dead.

Sorry (obligatory Canadian beginning), but if Rick's stating his opinion strikes you as a personal affront, then I think your skin is too thin. I seriously doubt that he intended any insult to anyone. If you define a bucket list differently than he does, then it's simply a difference in word usage. Move on.

I've got a bucket list, but it isn't a list of famous sites. It's a list of countries or regions I want to explore that may or may not contain "famous sites" that I might see while there.

Apparently my attempt at humour with a sensationalist headline fell flat. Scratch this post off the list. Was I surprised he said it? Yes. Should he have chosen his words better? I think so. Should I be a traveller or a tourist? Makes no difference to me how I am labelled, I'm still going to go places (eventually). Will I still plan and make lists? It's a compulsion I can't stop. The planning and dreaming is almost as much fun as the visiting.

I don't have a 'bucket list'. I prefer to call it a wish list. I have a list of places I would like to go and things I would like to do if it's at all possible. I have a few things of each that are priorities, but the whole list is not prioritized, just random. And I don't plan all my trips based on what's on this list, and I don't like the idea of seeing something just to check it off a list.

I didn't see the virtual travel show, but I would have been more insulted by Rick Steves differentiating between tourists and travelers (pilgrims are in a different category altogether). I hate when people do that. When we go away from our home we are all travelers and, unless we are residents of a place, we are all tourists.

if discussion about bucket lists gets your knickers in a twist I hope the rest of your life is copesetic.

In the current situation it seems such a minor thing to get so upset about.

Insulted? He doesn't know you.

Then there are bucket lists and there are bucket lists. But first you need to consider the bucket -- big, small, wood, steel, tin -- does it have a handle?, can you carry it? will it hold water, what color is it? I have lots of bucket lists in lots of buckets. In the end some will be empty and a couple, probably not. These days I just keep rearranging the buckets on the shelf. It gives me someone to do. It is just a phrase --- hardly worth being insulted.

Insult-----speak to or treat with disrespect or scornful abuse.

I did not see/hear the comment, but I suspect a more accurate title for this post is "I took offense at what RS said".

The term 'bucket list' is subjective term, so what you heard and what he said ( meant) may be different things.

It seems like an almost meaningless term to me. Does it really come from that Morgan Freeman / Jack Nicholson movie?

When I retired long ago, someone gave me a book called "1000 Places to See Before You Die." I looked through it and I'd been to some of them, had no remote interest in going to many, and couldn't afford to go to most because the suggested hotels and restaurants were beaucoup expensive. After a discreet interval I gave the book to a charity book sale.

I have a mental list of places I want to visit, and it figures in my future travel planning. But I don't tie myself in knots about it, if a chance to go somewhere arises I may take it even without premeditation. And the tourist vs. traveler thing, what's up with that anyway? I remember several very boring threads dissecting that one.

Allan, I love your topics and posts, keep up the good work, and don't let any travel gurus get inside your head!

And yes, Dear Liza, there is indeed a hole in my bucket.

I changed planes once at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, so I can now say I've been to all 50 states. Or does that not count?

Hah! I was waiting for "Dear Liza." I can sing the whole song, but not in public. Who remembers seeing Harry Belafonte and ???? on some TV variety show decades ago, with Belafonte dancing in glee as he gets to the punchline?

Oops, back to the topic.

I don't have a bucket list, but there are places I'd like to go. I don't know that there's any thing I want to see, though.

And I consider myself a tourist. To me a traveller is someone who is focussed on the journey. Or someone who travels professionally, or to write books or columns about travel. I'm having trouble expressing what I mean here, but those of us who travel for pleasure or joy I consider tourists.

I'm annoyed (mildly) when people use the term "tourist" as a putdown. It's more than possible to be a tourist without being loud or disrespectful.

There has been mention of changing planes in a particular airport and whether it constitutes being in the country/state and can therefore be checked off one's bucket list. I think not.
But there was a time, long ago, when I had legitimately been in 49 states (airports didn't count), with Alaska being the only one missing--and then I changed planes in Anchorage on my way to Asia; and I'm embarrassed to admit that for awhile I checked off Alaska (in my own mind) and told myself, ok, I can tell myself I've been in all 50. But later when I actually made a couple of in depth trips to Alaska, I finally admitted to myself that changing planes in an airport doesn't provide an excuse for checking off that city/state/country. Now, if you actually took a taxi into town during a longer stopover at the airport, well, I suppose that would technically count; but obviously even then you haven't really "seen" the city.

If you have places in mind, where you would like to go, then you have a bucket list. Even if you define it that way. Everyone who enjoys traveling has a travel bucket list. This is sort of as silly as the difference between "Traveler" and "Tourist".

Oh, I am a TRAVELER and I don't have a Bucket List (that would be crass), but I do have a list of places I would like to see someday that i keep safely stored in a rare 18th century Haviland & Co vase.

For me, I just call it my wish list or daydream list.

Italy will always be at the top for me to have return visits.

Still, I would like to experience a few other countries of interest.

Allan, I was laughing to myself as the replies taking you literally mounted. 😂

My bucket list is closer to an excel spreadsheet of places I want to go and the entries get re-sorted from time to time (or deleted entirely).

" safely stored in a rare 18th century Haviland & Co vase. " Dear James , I hope you don't take this the wrong way - Haviland was established in the nineteenth century ( 1840's ) by an American , David Haviland . Susan and I collect porcelain , and several Haviland ( Limoges ) pieces are part of our collection .

I have been a student of history all my life. When I was 11 years old I was going to the library and checking out biographies of Lady Jane Grey, Marie Antoinette, and Henry VIII, from the adult section. When I finally got to London in 2004, seeing the Tower of London was so moving to me. It was something I had wanted to see for almost as long as I could remember. Is that something on a bucket list? Does that make me a traveler, not a tourist? I don't know.

Because of my job, I'm sometimes in the New Orleans Courthouse. It is old, and shabby, but beautiful. I sometimes just have to stand there and look around, gawking, because it is so beautiful to me. And I kind of giggle to myself that I'm such a tourist! (although I live nearby)

I don't know if any of this means anything, it's just me musing about travelers and tourists.

I don’t think everyone who has a bucket list just wants to see famous things as Rick said. I don’t have one myself, but I see nothing wrong in having one. Most people, and it sounds like this includes Allan, have other reasons for wanting to go to a certain country. And as we get older, maybe having a list would help us remember where we wanted to go! 😉

I think what is “out of line” is assuming that someone you don’t personally know as a friend didn’t agree with you is a personal attack.

. I don’t have a bucket list. Nor do I care to build one. I don’t think that those of you that do are wrong, but I also would not appreciate you saying I’m wrong because I don’t have one.

I have always found the concept or rather term “bucket list” to be rather depressing.

I - I don't even know who is here in this room and I am still the least touristy person in this room.
No one has done more for bucket list travelers than me. With the possible exception of Rick Steves.

I think the terms we use to label the things we want to see and do are synonymous.

It seems like we sometimes go down the rabbit hole of making distinctions among them where no discernible differences exist. By definition, making a distinction without a difference is used when a word or phrase has connotations that we prefer to avoid.

The things I want to see and do when I travel are always my highest priorities, the biggest rocks in my bucket for that trip, no matter how someone else might describe them.

As for the terms traveler vs. tourist, when I first started participating in the Forum I got the impression that being a traveler was "good" and that being a tourist was "bad. When I Google "traveler vs. tourist" most of the results support that concept. I didn't get it then and I still don't.

The simple definition of a traveler is a person who goes on a trip or a journey. The simple definition of a tourist is a person who travels for pleasure and/or interest and/or culture. Both definitions sound neutral to me.

Can you be a tourist without traveling? Can you travel without being tourist? I think that the answer to both questions is yes.

But I do like what Nancy said, "When we go away from our home we are all travelers and, unless we are residents of a place, we are all tourists."

Lo, see Alexandra Fuller's foreword to the 2019 edition of "Best American Travel Writing" for a sharp account of the traveler vs tourist contrast. She makes it a bit easier by using 'vacation' and insisting that a vacation is the opposite of travel, as she (and Rick) often use it. I went into a little more detail in my post about Cameron Hewitt's article making it into the book, but that whole thread got taken down for a few phrases that were violating the community guidelines.

I did not see/hear the comment, but I suspect a more accurate title
for this post is "I took offense at what RS said"

You are correct.

Allan, I was laughing to myself as the replies taking you literally
mounted. 😂

TravelMom, I broke my own rules about thinking before writing and assuming people can read my mind and can interpret what I thought was humorous. It reminds me of a couple of posts from last winter, the first post was best RS advice, a few days later someone else posted a question about the worst RS advice. I believe at the time the worst advice post had more than double the comments. I guess it's human nature to respond to the darker side.

I'm curious to your thoughts on bucket lists, yay?, nay?

Huge fan of bucket lists. I like having lots of choices when carrying liquids or other materials.

DJ

Steven, you are correct I presume. I literally inherited this rather large (maybe 18" tall and 12" in diameter at its widest), somewhat ugly vase that was on display at the Smithsonian during the 1876 Centennial then borrowed from the family in 1976 to once again be put in the Smithsonian in a recreation of 1876 display. Right now its full of travel papers.

Allan, I too watched Rick’s interview and was a little taken aback by his statement about the bucket list. I didn’t think about it again till your thread. My thoughts about traveler vs tourist are nil. Am I a tourist cause I want to see the Mona Lisa to get an idea of what all the hype and fuss is about. Or am I a traveler cause I studied art and the great masters and need to see their masterpieces up close. The same can be said for many sights - castles, monuments, historic homes, fountains, etc. Does it matter. We had a relative visit from Australia and he sat in Central Park for over an hour watching the squirrels run around. They don’t have squirrels in Austrailia. Those are the kind of odd and interesting facts that I like to learn and hear about when I travel. Seeing a New Variety of Plant, why Germans’ put effort into their front Doors and curtains (do they still do this Lo?), why in 2002 in Budapest I couldn’t find a Jewelry store, was looking for a gold charm for my bracelet. Anyway, as my family dynamics expand - Chinese SIL, Colombian BIL, Jewish CIL, etc. I learn about all these cultures, traditions, foods and love it. I can be a traveler without leaving my home. When I do leave it, I guess it will be as a tourist - with a list.

I did not see/hear the comment, but I suspect a more accurate title
for this post is "I took offense at what RS said"

You are correct.

... plenty of time to change the title of the thread?

Who doesn’t have even a vague idea or “list” of what they’d like to do or see when they get anywhere??
As modest as simply wanting to sit outside, enjoy a coffee, and watch the world go by? Or as ambitious as climbing the zillion steps to see a particular view?
We all do.

Luckily, most of the places I dreamed to see or things I’ve wanted to do, I’ve slowly gotten around to experiencing... and guess what? There’s always something new that worms itself into my head for the “next time”, LOL!
So who cares how or why my next dream is in my head/on my “list”, or whether other people have/don’t have the same yearning... the point is to keep dreaming, no?

Allan, yes its dangerous to attempt humor on the internet, without the non-verbal cues that signal intent. The smiling emoji is best for this purpose. Somebody here taught me that.😐

... plenty of time to change the title of the thread?

I thought of it, but decided I should own what I said. Besides some of the insults directed at me it has created a healthy debate not only on the actual question I asked, but on the title of the post.

I thought it was funny and a bit ironic. Allan strikes me as a big boy.

How would one decide to go anywhere if it weren't for some sort of list? Why am I finding this so confusing?

How would one decide to go anywhere if it weren't for some sort of list? Why am I finding this so confusing?

Some people want to go everywhere so they just throw a dart at a map of the world (literally or figuratively). Some people decide where to go based on the lowest plane fares to various destinations. Some people just make last minute decisions on the spur of the moment - maybe they saw a movie or read a book and it just triggered a desire to go there. There are lots of reasons. Not everyone has a list.

Is there no end to his perfidy? Ether the perfidy of Allan or Rick Steves. Yes - I am being sarcastic!

But, wait!! There are many things one can have on his/her bucket list other than travel...........putting kids thru college or finishing college yourself, providing the opportunity for your children or grandchildren to travel, learning a foreign language or two, learning to play a piano, winning a blue ribbon at the state fair, restoring an antique vehicle, hosting a long table dinner with 100 of one's closest friends sitting at one long table, having one's garden published in top magazines, serving on the board of a not-for-profit with a mission one supports, teaching a class, learn to paint or make baskets, etc. , white water rafting, a camel trek, winning a certain award, buying/restoring a historic family house that had been sold out of the family, tracing one's roots and meeting distant relatives one did not know they had, living waterfront, preparing a special legacy, or just learning to chill out and have a life that is pleasant and a little more stress-free. (Note: some of those were on my list and some were not (and never will be)........but travel is only one aspect of what one may want to accomplish before they die. Some may want to lose weight, get in better shape, run a marathon, have more friends, break a bad habit, etc. Likely you all have many, many things on your list that are not travel related, and likely Rick Steves' does, too, whether it is called a bucket list or a life goals list.

What is soooo very funny, many years ago, taking a Rick Steves' Group Tour was on my bucket list. Accomplished (twice).

Very interesting perspectives. I have always seen Rick Steves as a resource, not an idol of travel. He has some great information here and some very comprehensive suggestions.

TRAVEL IS PERSONAL....DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY. There is no such thing as the "right way to travel". I know people who visit the Trevi Fountain every time they are in Rome. They get a kick out of it. Not my style, but they have fun with it.

Remember Rick is a businessman who happens to be passionate about his style of travel and yes he can be condescending. Take it with a grain of salt. For instance, every time I travel I completely enjoy my conversations that might happen with a local, but I could thoroughly enjoy a whole week in a city without having any of those conversations. I don't fly all the way to Europe and spend loads of money for anyone to enjoy but myself.

I say visit every tourist location you can if that is what you want or avoid all major cities and spend your time learning a language and converse with people in the countryside. It doesn't matter. Just Enjoy!!!

I have never liked the term "Bucket List". If it weren't for the dam movie we wouldn't be using it. It's morbid.

I don’t care what you call me, I want to be traveling. I’m a traveler when on the train and a tourist when I have arrived at my destination. Everyone on any tour is a tourist. RS makes the big bucks on all of us on his tours. It is just semantics. It has been fun reading everyone’s interpretations. Maggie, your description of a bucket list or goals was right on. A goal list urges us to action. We have taken some of our most exotic trips because it was on the list and a bargain priced tour was found.

Absolutely, a bucket list can be as simple as getting the vacuuming done today , or to driving around the Italian Riviera...it is what simply inspires you to hold on to the dream or idea of an event , being travel or whatever, And eventually you will be achieve that bucket list. I say , go for the list..float your boat.

Allan.... I accept that you meant to be a bit provocative, but you raise a serious point too. Being from Calgary you appreciate the different perspectives that one [a tourist that is] gets of your region if you take the TransCanada Highway west into the Rockies, compared to taking the local roads. I provide here a map of all of the bus and train routes in the Italian Dolomites for example of what what the RS other mantra of "living like a local" might mean in that region.

https://www.suedtirolmobil.info/en/journey-planner/network-maps

In other words, you can follow the RS tour approach as illustrated in his latest season of shows - Zugspitze-Innsbrick-Hall-Raifenstein-Castelrotto-Alpe Siusi... Or, you can get off the train in Bolzano, Bruneck or Belluno and explore one bus line at a time. It is slow, it is fun. Different fun than Neuschwanstein or Florence. Admittedly more my kind of fun.

I can understand your point of view, but it still doesn’t mean a bucketlist should have such a specific definition as to pigeonhole it to mass tourism only. For example, I have a trip to Scotland that will take place as soon as travel gets underway again. A bucketlist item of mine is to see Calgary Beach on the Isle of Mull which is where my hometown is named after. It’s on my list but I’m fairly certain I’ll be counting other visitors that day on 1 hand. In fact, we’re spending 3 days on Mull, while even the RS guide suggests Mull is just a daytrip to drive across to get to the much more popular Iona and Staffa. Like your example, my 3 days will be slow, fun, but also allows me to check something off my list.

The last few paragraphs of this article tend to support the RS view of bucket lists https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/overtourism-coronavirus/index.html. But this quote from the 2nd last paragraph is thankful for these bucket list travellers.

"Bucket list travel locations are going to be one of the things that
stimulate the recovery, for sure, people will want to do things
immediately, once they have an opportunity to do so," suggests
Johnston.

The first 3/4's of the article is kind of humdrum and goes over topics that have been done to death the past few months regarding how major tourist regions are coping, but I enjoyed the last bit of the article.

Thoughts on Bucket Lists..... My travel partner for all my Eurpean trips and many US trips is my father as I am a single guy.

He is pushing 90 (about 5 months more) and was in great health until two years ago, We walked miles a day on many of our trips.

He never put a bu let list together and in the last 15 years or so we basically traveled mostly where I wanted. With input from him. Our last trip he wanted to visit his Family in Germany so we went to Germany but the rest of our trips have been chosen mostly at random on whim. We would look at books put together a list of places we wanted to see and select an area that seamed to have the most places from our lists. And this worked well.
But the other day we were talking and my dad said he kind of wishes he had put together a bucket list about 10 years or so ago as he has places he wishes he had seen and things he had gotten to do. And if he had realized how long he had he would have picked some different things then what we did.
For example he never did get to Italy, we had considered doing it in 17 but with everything else we wanted to do we would have only had a week. And we considered it in 18 but the same problem or we would have had to skip Germany. So we followed RS suggest to assume we would return to Europe. So we expected and planed to return in 19 planning a 3 week trip to Italy but alas dad got ill and can no longer travel..
So from his perspective it would have been better if he had considered places he wanted to go from an overall point of view and prioritized them. Vs the ad-hoc way we traveled.

So from an older gentleman’s perspective Bucket Lists have their uses

Never heard of a bucket list until the movie, always called it places I want to see ... started keeping track of places I've been (my wife and 2 daughters also) on an excel spreadsheet a few years back ... added the full list of UNESCO sites (45 visited) and 1,000 Places to See Before You Die (103 experienced since, although you can see German Beer, I don't think they mean See literally in some cases) ... using those 2 lists as starting points, I put a check mark (for you excel nerds, change the cell font to Wingdings 2 then type P) next to places I've been/experienced and highlighted the places I want to see/experience ... then adding others that are not on either list (constant update based on all the different travel shows, including RS, I watch on PBS) ... I guess I could call that my bucket list but never liked that term (as someone mentioned, kinda morbid) ... I'll stick with places I want to see ...

I always have an idea of places I'd like to eventually visit. My list isn't based on individual sights but some of the places I'd like to visit definitely include sights to see (or skip) while there.

When it comes to planning "the next trip". It's never to tick off a bucket list "item" but I do have a strong preference to visit places (and sights in those places) I haven't seen before. I've been to Paris eight times but each was the start/end of a loop trip that visited completely different parts of France. I went to Ireland for the second time last year but focused on areas and sights I hadn't visited previously.