What do "other" newbie Europe travelers do?

I feel that other travel books don't explain "how" to accomplish the essential details, not in the detailed way the RS Europe books do. Rick's books focus on the detail that you really need to know, whereas the other guidebooks write sentences that are too general and don't answer the question the actual traveler has when he gets to a place she/he hasn't been to previously.

Kent,

Others probably use a variety of resources. For example.....

• Younger Backpackers especially from outside North America probably rely on Lonely Planet information, or other guidebooks such as Let's Go, Frommers, Rough Guides or whatever.
• Some middle age or senior travellers probably still use a travel agent, as that's what they've done all their life. Unfortunately, not all travel agents are well versed in the type of travel most of us here are used to.
• Especially with technology these days, many likely start with the internet and then to various travel forums. Hopefully their searches lead them here, where they'll get the best information.

Those that aren't informed well probably do rent cars in Paris and Rome, travel with Passports close to expiry, ride Regionale trains without validating, etc. Those travellers will unfortunately learn "the hard way".

I don't know how or why, but I get tons of tour brochures in the mail from Trafalgar, Viking, other cruise ships, and the like (even though I've only taken one tour and prefer DYI travel). If I was a newbie, all I would have to do is sign up, pay a deposit, and not have to plan anything and cut my risk down to nil (I don't think I'd even have to pick up a book or worry about a thing except following the tour instructions). My main obligation would be to take my luggage down to the coach bus every morning from whatever hotel we're staying in. There are lots of resources for extreme handholding when it comes to travel. Not saying that ignorance is the preferred way, but there are options to take all worry away.

Also, when you're young and just backpacking, you live and learn - you're not striving for efficiency, only fun and meeting new people along the way...the cost of making a mistake is pretty low and your time isn't as valuable or constrained.

And the internet can't be understated - it has truly democratized travel and given people lots of free planning tools. You can get the basics down and just muddle through if needed (you won't know "what you don't know", or what you'll miss by not learning more). There are diminishing returns to more and more planning and research after a certain point.

It may be worth remembering that Rick has his limits and doesn't cover some European countries at all (or in a very limited way), so in a sense, we can theoretically all be "newbies" and need outside resources to fill in the gaps. Rick hasn't helped with my Malta and Romania planning.

I compliment each of you regular contributors, for sharing your knowledge with others whom you don't even know.
Your collective knowledge is the perfect complement to the RS Europe guidebooks and other resources: explaining the details of how to do the things other guidebooks only tell you to do but don't explain.

...other travel books don't explain the essential details the way the RS Europe books do.

Judging from the nature of a number of questions posted, it appears that a number of "newbies" don't read any of the RS guidebooks or even the RS website "travel tips".

The RS Through the the Back Door ought to be a perquisite to asking any general question.

I'm amazed at the "where should I go" and "what should I see or do" questions. I get tempted to respond "where do you WANT to go" because one can save a whole lot of time and money staying home.

Edgar, I have to agree with your observations. It might be the age we're in, where some people just don't want to put the time into reading something, when there are faster/easier ways of being told what to do and where to go: on the net or at this forum.
I guess I'm a dinosaur (old geezer) who still enjoys the reading that I associate with trip research.

We can guess from questions posed to us that some travelers start with a map and highlight all the big cities they've heard of, without much knowledge of what's interesting in between. Any place that's a step further off the radar takes more specific inspiration or research, whether from guidebooks, TV travel shows, magazine articles, top 10 slide shows, or other travelers. No guidebook is comprehensive, but the good ones are a compact, succinct, detailed source for most information that first-time travelers need. I prefer those that have an opinion and help set priorities, such as Rick Steves or Michelin Green Guide. I've certainly also had good trips using Lonely Planet and other sources that don't employ a rating system, but they didn't much help me to narrow down the choice of which small-town Greek archeological museums were most worth seeing, for instance.

I believe that the number of cruise ship departures and passengers to Europe is also rapidly growing, as well as there are many packaged tours from which to choose. I'll assume that these travelers enjoy what they do see, however briefly, and don't know or care about what they missed next-door.

Kent, something tells me that you won't get any true newbies to respond to this question - only old timers speculating on newbies' intents. Judging by the activity on tripadvisor and other forums, Rick doesn't have a monopoly on sharing travel info in any form (travel books or forums like this). The other resources may be "good enough" for many folks. I can't picture a millennial learning about Rick by watching his PBS marathons on tv.

The majority of people just go and figure it out as they go along.(internet, friends, other guide books,etc.) My first trip I had read ETBD, but knew nothing of this site...made lots of 'mistakes' (by others standards) saw amazing places and did a whirlwind trip that I have never regretted. And unfortunately, I hate to say it, but I am glad I found my own way without the advice of a ton of people. I am fairly independent and actually might have scaled back my experience. . If I could re-live one trip that is the one it would be!
I am happy to relay my experiences to those who ask... and some people want to know everything. I prefer to know only a little bit about the places I am going to travel... I really love being amazed by it all! If I miss something... it's OK, because I experienced something else!

Well, let's see - you've pretty much trashed/insulted all other travel information websites/forums/books in favor of RS website/forum/books; trashed/insulted all newbies asking uninformed questions; trashed/insulted anyone who travels differently from the established RS independent travel model (ie tours/cruises). Who's next?

Can you tell I don't like either this question or some of the replies?

As if a new traveler could never figure out anything without RS or the people here on this forum. What hubris!

Well, my take on this is: I think this forum is a special little corner of the net, and each of you regular contributors are proof that there is still help out there, and some good left in the big, crazy world. There are people here who justifiably feel good about what we're all able to do, together, to share knowledge and help people. (including you, Nancy, you're one of our most knowledgeable)

Well, Kent. When my husband and I first started to travel abroad, there was no internet and we had never heard of Rick Steves. My husband was an urban planner so his interest was cities. His knowledge was about cities. Also with an interest in history we both knew which cities and countries we wanted to see initially. There used to be a Maison de la France in Montreal where we could pick up lots of brochures about France, cities and la France profonde. We wrote to tourist information offices in other countries and read books (not travel books) about italy or Switzerland or whichever.

Believe it or not, other travel books /guides have value. We used to like Eyewitness a lot, and the Lonely Planet served us well for Eastern Europe in 1990 when hardly anyone ventured to Prague and Budapest. (I know , they are not really EASTERN Europe but they certainly were considered such in those days.)

People have been travelling the European continent for eons. Think of all those chinless wonders, the sons of the British aristocracy, who did the Grand Tour, accompanied by their tutors, buying up paintings and statuary as they went.

"newbies" still go to Europe having never heard of Rick Steves, whom I greatly admire, by the way. And they make mistakes and they get lost and they pay too much for hotel rooms ..... And they have a wonderful time. They learn on the job, so to speak.

Sorry to go on and on ....

I don't consider myself a newbie anymore, but I can share my experiences when I was a European Travel newbie...

2007, going on an 8-day cruise, round trip from Nice. I did almost zero planning--a travel agent set up the cruise and our flights were given to us. Our flights were all shown on our itinerary as Lufthansa flights, our first leaving LAX at 7 AM to Chicago. We got dropped off at the International Terminal, as this was where we were told all Lufthansa flights left from. Unfortunately, this was a code share with United--something I knew nothing about--and it took some scrambling to find we were supposed to be at Terminal 7. There were some moments of panic, but it all worked out.

Most of our time ashore went smoothly, but we did take a train from Monaco to Nice (long story short, weather had forced our ship to return to the harbor in Nice the night before, and we were in Monaco to see the grand prix. The ship had provided a ferry boat to Monaco in the morning, but we didn't want to wait for it after the race.) We walked to an absolutely jammed train station, had no clue where or how to buy tickets, and got on the first train we could get on to heading towards Nice. We assumed we could just pay the conductor on board. None ever showed up. We tried to figure out how to pay once we arrived in Nice, to no avail, of course. Still sorry for free-loading that ride.

I realize that my experience is anecdotal, but I would say that newbies will be more likely to make errors that cost time and/or money and that add unneeded stress, pretty much the same thing that would happen when people are trying any new venture.

Norma,
Thanks for your insightful (as always) post.
"La France Profonde," that says a lot right there. I remember those days, when that term was current. And when you could travel around and understand what the French meant by it.

Eric,
Thanks for the thoughtful post. I think one thing we're trying to do here is help those newbies save time, stress, and money.

I had already visited Europe four times before I even knew who Rick Steves was. I used Let's Go originally (college trip), then fell into Lonely Planet. These are two very helpful series for young people with more spare time than money.

Mostly, though, like any field of endevour, it's on the ground experience where you really learn. I was a member of the Church of Steves for a few years, but I'm now somewhat of a heretic, since I've discovered that my style, interests and tastes don't align with his. But he's great for adults just begining this adventure.

Tom, you may think of yourself as a heretic. But we here think of you as a member in good standing (of the "church").
Your time as a resident of Germany adds greatly to the help this Forum is able to give to travelers to Germany and west-central Europe.
And your professional advice on matters medical, it's very helpful to us laypersons.

My first travel resources (other than my parents) were those big envelopes stuffed with brochures, train, bus and ferry schedules, and lists of hotels in whatever place I had written to the national travel bureaus about. I really was excited to get those envelopes, they changed my life.

Zoe,
And it shows in your posts, which share a lot of knowledge.

Oh Zoe, I agree. Back before the internet I was sending away to every travel destination I thought I would ever go to. Every time the mailman came I ran to the box to see if there was one of those big envelopes. They sometimes made my day. Unfortunately it was years before I was able to afford to travel to some of those places but I learned so much from those brochures.

Many of the responders on this site are older and have travelled for many years (me included). That means we made our first trip to Europe before we ever heard of Rick Steves and before there was an internet. I find this forum (and Rick) to be extremely helpful, but I'd give it up before I'd give up the internet. It was so much harder to plan trips in the pre-internet days. I read as much as I could in guide books to plan my first few trips. I used a travel agent to help finding hotels. Everything worked out fine, and I had a blast. But the planning was not nearly as fun as it is now with Trip Advisor, this site, and other internet sites.

Most newbies probably read guidebooks and/or talk to friends who have been to places they want to go. They might make mistakes that cost them a little money or time or whatever, but we all learn from mistakes in travel and life in general.

Rick Steve's resources are great to prioritize destinations, sights, transportation, and time. You can't see it all.

IMO, reading Rick Steve's guide books and the Explore Europe, Travel Tips, and Forum sections of this site are half the fun of visiting Europe. This allows you to mentally visit each location as you plan your itinerary and heightens the anticipation.

You can probably come up with 101 itineraries for a 10-day trip from Frankfurt alone. Try it sometime, it's quite fun!

I am a relative newbie, and my first time to Europe (London and Edinburgh) was without a Rick Steves book, and subsequent times have been with. I can tell you that I was able to gather the same information, however, it certainly took a little bit more time. Also, the other guidebooks I rummaged through lacked some of the practicalities and detailed information of locations. I have since read through Rick's London book, and even though I feel like I did not "miss out", I do feel that the planning probably took more effort. Also, it did help that we stuck with two relatively easy locations. If my trip was broader and involved more locations, I think it would have been more of an issue. I do think that there are so many newbies that are traveling with tours and cruises, so not much planning happening. I would be interested in the some data points regarding the breakdown of how people travel to Europe (i.e., DIY versus land tours versus cruises versus etc.).

But the short of it is: I used the internet and one other guidebook to figure things out.

I'm with Terry Kathryn. I'm sure glad I did not know about this forum when I did my first trip. It would have had my head spinning. Nonetheless, I bought ETTBD and followed its trip planning process to the letter and it all went off without a hitch. Did a few things that would not be recommended.
Like take the K-D boat boat all the way from Mainz to Cologne, but even that was fun when we noticed how the boat filled to the max at Ruedesheim and emptied out at St Goar. Met a retired German who spoke some English. Turns out that retirees in Germany can travel free on the buses, railways, and boats, anywhere in Germany on their birthday and today he was taking advantage of it.

Did Rothenburg because Steve liked it, and I liked it too, but my wife loved it.
I started posting here to share what I learned. I thought I was a genius for discovering the VRM Minigroup Ticket. Then reading the posts on this forum, I learned how little I really knew. The knowledge base is very deep here, with Lee on the German train system, Tom and Ms Jo on-the-ground in Germany, and Roberto's and Quirite's reality checks about Italy.
Thanks everyone!
Has anyone heard from Pensacola Ed?

Sam,
You asked about Pensacola Ed. Apparently Ed is MIA.
Maybe he will be back, who knows? I burned out for a few years, then returned.
Ed was a valued member of the Forum community while he was with us. But the Forum experience is so anonymous. If you stay, it sure isn't for any tangible perks. I think burn-out happens to many old-timers here, after the hundredth time answering the same questions.
But attrition, if inevitable, is survivable here because there is so much depth. Like a well-oiled military machine (as Ed would have said), if we lose someone, there are others to fill in.
I burned out for a few years, then came back. But I can't remember too many who were here when I started in 2002.
I think part of what's going on with the banter between the Regulars is an unarticulated supporting of each other. If we don't support each other, there will be more attrition.

I wasn't here when Kent arrived, but I was here when he became the first of us to reach 1000 posts....and that was a long time ago! What I have really come to appreciate here is the depth of knowledge that the posters have. Everyone has their own area of specialty, whether it is a particular place, the Schengen rules, technology, traveling with medical needs, or whatever else. No matter what the question, someone here can answer it, and probably in great detail. The arrival of more European locals here has enriched it so much more. My own "newbie" experience was a semester abroad in Salzburg, Austria. I didn't have to do a lot of planning or arranging of transportation for that trip, but I used "Europe on $5 a Day" for what I did do (ok, it was more than a few years ago). I still use a large variety of resources when I plan a trip now. I tend now to agree a bit more with Tom. I have never actually followed an RS book's itinerary, or necessarily cared about the recommendations. I also have a problem with the limits of some of the books, though I know that no book can cover everything. I take what I like from the RS philosophy and leave the rest, but I have no problem with people who follow it to the letter, either. What I like about this forum is the sense of community that exists here, and the community it fosters in real life - people who enjoy the topic so much that they meet in person to talk about it, or to show others around their home turf. You can't get that in any book.

Hi Nancy,
Good to hear from you.
Yep, I remember "Europe on $5 A Day." In the day, I thought maybe I could do it for $4.50 a day.
Oh well...I hear the update of the book is going to be "Europe on $500 A Day."

One limitation we have not been able to overcome is that this Forum, being necessarily in English, means we have not had very many Regular contributors resident in Europe, except for the UK.
So it's mainly N. Americans talking to other N. Americans.
Nothing we can do about it. I guess the same basic reason that on American TV we have twenty UK crime dramas but few if any from France, Italy, etc.

" I would be interested in the some data points regarding the breakdown of how people travel to Europe (i.e., DIY versus land tours versus cruises versus etc.)."

Maryam, here is one thread that had some comments on that subject:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/lessons-learned-tour-vs-independent-traveler

As newbies, my wife and I used a variety of resources including Rick's guidebooks and videos. After awhile we found ourselves coming back to his style of travel and travel philosophy in general. So, when we finally made the commitment, we started by watching his three part travel skills series on Youtube. My wife watched it maybe twice, myself perhaps a half dozen times. Then I read the current copy of Europe Through the Backdoor from cover to cover followed by each of the city/country guides applicable to our trip. From there we branched out googling various related topics and I made my first trip to this forum a few months prior to departure. I have to say, a handful of the best tips I came across were from some of y'all. Thanks for that!

There's no substitute for experience, even if the style of travel promoted by the majority of folks in here is somewhat more casual than what we prefer, at least at this point in our lives.

I believe this forum is indeed a valuable resource which is why even with my limited experience, I like to chime in once in awhile if I can be of any help.

That said, as we've begun researching tour companies for trips further afield we've checked out their European offerings, and I must say, Rick's not the only game in town -- not a shocker I know. But, I do think he's still one of the best. My opinion.

Not sure if this directly addresses your IP Kent. But that was how we did it and we'd make the same recommendation to other new travelers.

Nancy and Kent, I too did Europe on $5 a Day back in 1972! No more sleeping on trains to save money for me, though. Ugh!

I have had opportunity to witness some newbies as they visited us in the past few years, somewhat oblivious to the need to plan at all.

• Our (very adult) son, whose idea of planning involves only what time to have lunch, says "It's a vacation! I don't need a plan!" But he started to realize you miss things if you don't plan. After three nights as I recommended in Venezia ("Why should I stay there so long?" he asked) he listed all the things he did NOT see in 2 1/2 days and the lights came on.
• Friends who were dying to see St. Peter's the Saturday before Easter but kept getting distracted by shopping, then lunch, until they arrived at St. Peter's, assuming "it's always open" to find guards turning people away. If they'd researched and prioritized the day, they would have made it in....
• Our nephew who didn't bother with a tour book because he'd been traveling to Europe (with parents) for years, and was shocked to arrive at the Vatican Museums to find them closed on Sunday, their last day in Roma.

I think a lot of people wing it, ask their hotel, etc. In fact I am often amazed at how hosts at B&Bs and apartments we stay in assume we know nothing and have planned little. Apparently this is the norm for many visitors. Me? Armed to the teeth with plans and options!

I still remember the American man who went up to me in St Pancras station as a random passer-by and asked me where "St Pancras Airport" was. Apparently his travel agent in the US had booked him on a Eurostar train immediately after his transatlantic flight, and he hadn't realised Eurostar wasn't an airline.

When I first started traveling in earnest (throw out the many surfing trips into Mexico in my youth), I pretty much just showed up. I picked a place/places I wanted to go, got my passport and visa(s) ready (back then it was pretty normal to send your passport away to get a visitor's visa stamp), shopped for a decent deal on a flight, and went. I'd get off the plane with no reservations and no idea what I wanted to see or do.

I didn't even know TI's existed, so I'd just check into a hotel and ask the front desk what there was to do and see locally. In some ways I still do that, I travel without lodging reservations because I've found you will find lodging and it's better not to be tied down by your reservations. I've also found you eat better and cheaper using local recommendations rather than guidebooks to find food.

The big change for me is preparing what I want to see and the epiphany was visiting Okinawa. The island is a big military post for Marines with some Air Force. When I asked people what there was to see and do, most of the responses assumed I wanted to see what the other Americans wanted to see (e.g. bars and strip clubs). I didn't think much of the place. After I got home, I saw a National Geographic article about a 15th century Shogun's palace on Okinawa. It would have been my top must see on the island but no one even mentioned it while I was there.

Now I'll check out multiple sources to get a good idea what sights are available then pick the one's I want to see. When I arrive, I check with the TI to see if there are any special ceremonies, celebrations, or festivals going on that I should include in my must sees? I don't try to see and do everything, but I do try to know all my options so I can see and do the things in which I'm most interested.

I think it's fair to say that R.S. isn't the only resource out there, and that different types of travelers gravitate to those forums which are good matches for their style. Myself, I belong to multiple of them as they all serve a different purpose plus I like gathering material from more than one source - including guidebooks.

I do find it interesting that there is a scarcity of forum questions on R.S. from members who don't live in English-speaking U.K. Australia, Canada, U.S. etc. as some of the others have oodles of those: English is a second language in a large part of the world. Most of the forum posts I see elsewhere from citizens of places where English is not a first language are clearly (and admirably) composed or reasonably so.

Heck, even a healthy amount of Europeans ask about destinations within the continent but outside of their country; everyone has a first time somewhere!

The Rick Steve brand is virtually unknown in continental Europe, with the exception of some of the business owners whose services he recommends. That's at least part of the reason we don't see too many queries from that part of the world.

My first trip abroad was to London for a week--good amount of time to see if I liked travelling alone (I do!!) and to a country that speaks my language (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) so I relied on my common sense and advice from a friend, plus Rick's London book. I didn't use the website until after that, and I've learned so much more from everyone here. I also like Trip Advisor.

Traveling in Europe was sure easier in the 70's than it is now. Back in the 70's, traveling by Eurailpass was a breeze. Rarely did I ever need a train reservation. I was able to walk into the Sistine Chaple and only had a 20 minute wait and no wait to see David in Florence. I will be returning to Italy for the first time since 1977. How things have changed. Most of the major sites now require a reservation or you will wait in a long line. Transportation requires advanced planning along with hotel reservations.
As a result of all the changes, I have found it easier to book a RS Tour. It will be my first tour in 6 trips to Europe. I don't think I would book a tour to other countries in Europe. Italy seems to be more challenging today than in the past. I am glad for RS books and this forum for alerting me how things have changed since I was last in Italy.

Some newbies and a few irregular travelers to Europe call upon folks like me and get pertinent advice, including referrals to information available from this and other websites. Of course, the explosion of information can be incredibly beneficial, but sometimes less than first rate as well as overwhelming. Times have changed from my initial trip to Europe with rail passes (a good deal then) and a budget multi-country guidebook in hand. Itinerary? Ha!

Laurel,
We used to get a lot of questions about night trains but not so many anymore.

My first trip to Europe was in 1984 as part of a concert tour of teenagers--over a hundred of them. We only had a rough itinerary with no details before leaving which was frustrating to me since I like to read about what I am going to see. This was followed by another trip to China a few years later--same symphony of teenagers. My son lived in England for several years and I would travel on my own to visit him there.

What Rick Steves' forum has done for me is make it easy to navigate and plan my own trip. My husband is the navigator and driver when we arrive. I enjoy the planning, making reservations and researching. I have relied on everybody here to share their wisdom. There were times when I would post a question while in the Dolomites or Prague and have a very fast response about routes or whatever I needed to know. So I like making my own trip and having this resource when I need it for as long as I am able to travel on my own.

As an actual newbie, and a millennial to boot, I found this whole post to be very interesting! I have just under 6 weeks until my first trip to Europe. My boyfriend is fairly well traveled, and he introduced me to RS and the shows on pbs. Since we started planning this trip, I've read several RS books cover-to-cover, and spend time researching online. I use this forum and TripAdvisor for asking my specific questions and looking over the posts of the areas I'll be visiting. I must say, I also enjoy searching for activities and tips on Pinterest. It has lead me to several sites with great info on gear, itineraries, hidden gems, and the like.

And thank you, to all of you who answer us newbie's questions every time, and with enthusiasm and respect. Not many websites have such a nice group of people participating. That's one of the reasons I will keep coming back to these forums.!

Heather,
Thanks for letting us know you've found us helpful!
Regards,
Kent

My 'go to' book is always Lonely Planet.

Interesting timing.....I saw my dental hygienist yesterday and she told me she was planning a trip to Italy with her husband. It would be their first to Europe.

I asked her about her plans and she said she was planning the trip using a guidebook from that "Rick" guy. I suggested she also come to this website. She didn't know it existed.

She then asked me about luggage since it's something I know a little about. She wants to travel like "
Rick." I suggested getting one of his bags. "He has bags?," she asked.

I then told her how to search for cheap airfares and set up a watch list for fare changes.

She's going in September so it will be interesting to see if she calls me or comes here looking for advice.

In general, people research their trip depending on the type of trip they want to take. Someone who does not want to pack light, does want to stay in a fancy hotel, and wouldn't think of washing something out in the sink, is probably looking at Frommer's or Fodors.

Others who are taking tours or cruises, may not be looking at any guidebook and will rely on the tour/cruise to make suggestions on what to do during their free time.

The internet is the key. Travelers can connect with just about any tourist office anywhere to get up to date information. They can read brochures on-line and ask questions directly via email. Most guidebooks these days are months old by the time they're printed.

Travelers who do not connect with RS do what they have always done: they make plans, do research, and have a wonderful trip. My first trip to Europe was to Iceland, and there is no RS guide covering that country (why Iceland is left out of the RS library is a question I've wondered for quite a while). There are plenty of other guides and sources of information out there. While they might not be the RS style, some are still quite useful. I had a wonderful trip without an RS guide and without this forum.

Sure, there are travelers who don't do as much research and just wing it. They sometimes get themselves into trouble. Sometimes not. But anyone who is willing to take the time to plan should be able to find answers to the core do's and dont's of the place they are visiting.

There are days that I take some time to read forums for places I probably will never see, and marvel over the people out there on adventures that make 2 weeks in Spain, in Italy, in Germany, etc. look like a trip to the spa. They're backpacking solo deep into Africa, cycling across Mongolia, scaling Kilimanjaro or Everest base camp or navigating their way through a minefield of border headaches in the Middle East.

Besides being humbled at what these intrepid individuals take on in the first place, I'm floored that there's usually someone out there who can say, "Oh yeah, I did that and here's what you should try…" in response to impossibly difficult questions posted from remote corners of the earth. Talk about the power of the internet!

Anyway, they put things into perspective for me: in a large part of the world there are no flush toilets, a shortage of clean water and food, perils that can relieve one of far more than just a wallet, and EVERYBODY washes their clothes in a basin. And I'm worried about six minutes between trains in Belgium?

@Mike W.... Iceland has such a sophisticated, well-tuned tourist infrastructure that it doesn't need an RS guide. It is a small country and its national tourist bureau heavily promotes tourism - it works with its airline to do free layovers and specially designed tours, it links the airport with perfectly timed shuttles into town that link up with the Blue Lagoon on your way into and out of Iceland, and the road infrastructure is well maintained and easy to navigate so you can circle the entire island easily. Plus there are tours that go just about everywhere which are very easy to book. I remember being at the airport and answering like a 500-question survey designed to provide input to make the travel experience better (as if it wasn't excellent to begin with)! I got the impression that they really care about tourism and want to make it easy and fun to visit Iceland. I know many people who have done the Iceland layover and loved it. Rick can't really improve on the great up-to-date info they publish on their travel websites. Plus, Lonely Planet covers Iceland very well.

Oh, I agree that Iceland is easy to travel. And I recommend it as a place for the first-time traveler, Europe or otherwise.

The question asked by the original author boiled down to (paraphrasing) "Is it possible for a first-time traveler to not make simple mistakes if they don't know about RS?" The implication here is that if you don't find the RS before you go, you are setting yourself up to make a lot of basic mistakes. I was merely using Iceland as an example because it was not only my first European trip, but also there there is no RS information to get before you go -- you have to get it from other sources. And that's exactly what happens when other travelers don't find or use RS for other parts of Europe -- they get it from other sources, and there's nothing wrong or incorrect about that.

I thought of this thread this morning, arriving at work. Because there was clearly someone who hadn't read Rick Steves or indeed much else about France before coming to Paris.

I was almost to the exit of the metro station (the internal exit, where you exit through the metal doors to exit the paying part of the station before making it to the stairs to the outside world).

I saw a young couple - one with a baby in a backpack walk up to the back side of the entry turnstiles and then turn back. As they followed me to the metal doors, I heard the wife say, "Hmmm. Sortie. I guess that means exit."

It made me chuckle as i thought - well they certainly haven't been consulting Paris By Train!!

A lot of people use other travel forums, like Fodors and Tripadvisor. There are regular contributors on both boards who are every bit as helpful as the old-timers here. When I actually have a question I go to Tripadvisor. They have boards narrowed down to individual cities all over the world, and often the advice comes from a local. So I like Tripadvisor forums a lot for learning.

Hi Kent!

Interesting replies to this interesting post...

I still consider myself a "newbie", compared to many of you who have traveled around the world, & are extremely knowledgeable & savvy. I've enjoyed learning from many of you & I'm grateful for stumbling upon this travel forum.

I've always relied on several travel guidebooks but mainly I've used 'Frommer's' guidebooks for my previous travels.

I actually had the opportunity of taking a "last minute" trip to Italy with my mom this past fall & the Frommer's Italy book (2015 edition)
was not on the bookshelves yet...
So, I decide to buy the RS Italy (2014) guidebook & the rest is history...
When I posted a few questions on this forum, back in September, I was surprised by all the helpful responses!

Upon our return from our trip, I decided to offer my 2 cents to others...

EDIT:

Kent,

This is one of my favorite responses... excellent example of keeping your cool & collected demeanor!

Well, my take on this is: I think this forum is a special little corner of the net, and each of you regular contributors are proof that there is still help out there, and some good left in the big, crazy world. There are people here who justifiably feel good about what we're all able to do, together, to share knowledge and help people. (including you, Nancy, you're one of our most knowledgeable)

Keep up the good work!

Priscilla,
Thank you!

You are most welcome Kent!

Most newbies from my area purchase guided tour packages in Europe. We Saskatchewanians aren't generally known to be adventurous. Vacations are usually all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean, Disneyland or parking the RV at the lake for two weeks.

My first European trip started in Denmark with a friend who was an experienced traveller and spoke Danish. He made all of the arrangements and I learned my travel skills as we went, noticing that it was effortless for him, even when got to the Faroe Islands and didn't understand the language at all.

Now, acquaintances just shake their head when my husband and I head off to Europe on our own, sometimes with little more than a plane ticket and a rough itinerary. They anxiously ask questions like "How will you find a hotel? Do you speak Hungarian? What if you get lost?"

I suppose all of those worries are why the guided tours are so popular. I did take one as a chaperone for a school trip. It was enjoyable but hitting only the major tourist sites, staying in big hotels, travelling on a tour bus and shopping for souvenirs isn't my style. I have to admit to carrying my Rick Steves guide with me and consulting it for more in-depth info on the places we went, especially the museums. After a couple of days, our guide started asking me for facts if the students asked questions he couldn't answer and asked me where he could buy the book.

Or they take cruises. I don't care where we have gone or who we have mentioned going there to, if the person doesn't know us, they ask, "Did you go on a cruise?" When I say that we didn't and that I planned the trip, their jaw drops.

My newbie trip was in 1977 with Let's Go Europe, rail passes for GB and the continent, and about $2000 in traveler's checks. I took the first Freddie Laker flight from NYC to London Heathrow for $100 and after following my nose for 4 months, took one back for the same price. My "plan" was to stay in hostels and an occasional room or pension, found through the TI. I started in September in the north (GB, Benelux and Scandinavia) and headed south to Greece with a slight diversion to Spain along the way. I spent 5 weeks in Italy, 3 of them in Florence. I took the "magic" bus back from Athens to Amsterdam through some rather interesting passport checks in what was then Eastern Europe. Then it was the ferry back to London for a week or so and back home.

It was definitely seat of the pants and cheap. I had a few "musts" and I hit all of them. I was fully prepared to head back to London and home when I could see my money getting too low. I figured that would mean about 2 months or so, but much to my surprise it lasted almost double that amount of time. At 31, I was a bit older than most, so that may have made it less daunting than it might be for someone much younger or much older for their first trip.

Contrary to what I see here in terms of newbies trying to take too much stuff, I packed lighter than I do now. Perhaps I should get that 19"x13"x6" 2-wheeled Lipault 5 pound carry on and drop from the 2929 cubic inches of my spinner down to the smaller bag's 1778!

This thread has been an interesting read. There was some implied criticism of the question, but seeing all the interest from people, I'm glad I got the discussion going.
Thanks to each person for contributing to this thread!

No criticism from me, Kent. Good question and interesting conversation!

That is one experience I regret not having gained in traveling to Europe...taking a Freddie Laker flight. His commercials on TV were something one could not miss.. Instead, I took an APEX open jaw flight with Air France, went over also in 1977 late summer for almost six weeks armed with travelers checks, Let's Go Europe, (not Europe on $5 a Day), a Eurail pass, stayed mostly in HI hostels (no private independent ones then), first time visiting Paris solo on that trip. True, hostelers did not reserve their stay, you hit the hostel once you got into town and hoped it would be open for checking in, otherwise you waited.

" I can't picture a millennial learning about Rick by watching his PBS marathons on tv."

I'm 26 and that's exactly how I found out about him :) From channel 9. With watching his shows and reading the forums here, I know of more places I'd eventually like to see. And going to Europe is a lot cheaper than I have originally thought!

My 13 year-old science loving, cautious, nephew, has decided that he wants to go to Europe based on listening to Rick Steves on NPR and by downloading the TV episodes to his iPad. I had thought that I would have to convince James to travel, but his mom assures, me that the pix and stories I've brought home and Rick have already accomplished that goal! :)

I've been to Europe about 12 times. Some friends had never gone overseas and asked us to plan a trip for us two couples.
There is so much opinion in how various people want to approach travel that I don't know if they'll trust us again. :-)
We love museums and strolling old streets/markets. They like to shop and eat.
There are so many travel styles/goals out there and, therefore, many varied resources.