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Should we be concerned?

Several months ago Rick Steves’ monthly newsletter stopped including a Travel Forum question of the month. OK, decision made.

In the past week I’ve noticed that our picture clickable link isn’t on the home page anymore, now you have to go to the list on the upper left hand side of the page to find Travel Forum.

Is our relevancy to the travel community diminishing in 2020? Budget savings measures by the Rick Steves organization? Maybe I’m reading too much into our slow disappearance?

🤔 Too much free time and not enough travel on my hands?

Posted by
2679 posts

I noticed this as well. Thought there was significance behind it but wasn't sure what it foretold.

Posted by
7150 posts

Looks like the whole Home Page has been redesigned. Priorities had to be set and apparently we didn't make the cut for a clickable picture. We are not an integral part of Rich Steves ETBD, just sort of a sideline - a place to feed a travel addiction. Ah, such is life. At least we're still here.

Posted by
8915 posts

Perhaps we've become a disappointment.🤔

Posted by
759 posts

On average are there even 20 regular posters posting currently (plus one offs and once in a while folks)? And then you add in Covid and related traveling comments...and little wars there on and you present an image that may not be the best. When Covid is over and regular travel resumes I’d expect to see the Click Box to return.

Posted by
4656 posts

I just keep the All Topics page open as a tab on all my devices. It is by accident I get to the homepage. I did notice a design change along the way, but does it really matter where we are relegated? There is a lot more of import at the present, and as adults, one would hope you had more self confidence and securities to even consider it more that a few seconds. It is the content, regulars and smart help that keeps me coming back, not how Rick or his team considers our 'value' to his cause. It's not like he is lacking supporters(both financial and social) here.

Posted by
6713 posts

I suspect that the absence of "Question of the Month" from the newsletter has to do with the reduced traffic on the forum and the relative shortage of questions interesting enough (to a wide audience) to make the cut. Since so few people are actually travelling, there's a lot less to talk about. Hopefully after the plague passes we'll resume our travels and planning, providing more interesting and useful topics than now.

But yes, Mona, we do have too much free time and not enough travel right now, at least we retirees. I still check the forum every day because, well, I can't read and do puzzles and watch movies all the time. ;-)

Posted by
5396 posts

I hope this move is temporary, and we'll see the forum returned to the home page once travel resumes. On the one hand, there is no doubt that traffic here has decreased considerably since travel restrictions began. It is mostly the regular posters who post each day. OTOH, burying the forums inside the menu may make it less obvious to new visitors looking for advice.

But I've seen similar "shrinkage" on most of the other travel related sites I visit regularly. I think that this too shall pass eventually.

Posted by
2789 posts

Maybe the fact that this was even worthy of posting explains why the travel forum isn’t on the home page?

I mean, this has nothing to do with travel.

Posted by
2645 posts

As others have said, I think it's a result of the current state of travel, and doesn't concern me in the least.