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What does RS% mean in the travel books?

That's it. In the accommodations listings in the Florence book, I see RS% with some of the locations. Does this mean RS approved? Or RS discount if booked directly? Thanks!

Posted by
6733 posts

I believe it means you (should) get a discount when you drop his name when booking.
I usually say "Can I get the Rick Steves discount? I have the book and a tattoo."

Posted by
10344 posts

The Rick Steves Official Tattoo gets you the best discount, a bigger or smaller % off depending on the tat's location.
Of course, to get the discount the tat has to be the RS Europe official tat and you can only get that one at "Rick Steves World HQ" in Edmonds WA, they do the tats down in the basement....

BTW (I hope it's obvious), RS Europe doesn't really do this (well, AFAIK).

Posted by
3112 posts

Somewhere in the guidebook there should be an explanation of any abbreviations used. The location may vary depending on type of guidebook (country vs. city), but that will answer your question.

Posted by
7737 posts

And just a little clarification - Edmonton is in Canada. You get your tattoos at RS World Headquarters in Edmonds, Washington.

Posted by
4022 posts

Does Rick prefer that we put the tattoo on our foreheads or our butts?

Posted by
11031 posts

Does the book really not have an index or 'key'?

Since Rick does not have a tattoo on his forehead...... . well, you figure it out

Posted by
32517 posts

Does Rick have to have a tattoo too? I'd have thought his beaming visage would do the trick...

Posted by
16893 posts

In the newest guidebooks, the Key is inside the front cover of the book. It is a discount for booking directly and you may be asked to show your guidebook upon arrival. The amount of discount is not specified and will vary by location.

Posted by
32517 posts

But seriously, what about if the book is an e-book, Kindle stylie? Is it still valid for the RS%?

Posted by
10344 posts

Re post above that corrected my previous post: Thanks for the correction.
But actually (and this is not well known), they give the official RS tat in 2 towns: RS World Corp HQ in Edmonds and the RS tattoo annex in Edmonton.
Curious minds, above, have inquired whether the location of the tat affects the amount of discount:
Well, as you might have suspected, a tr..., er, I mean, a tat on the lower back will generally be appreciated by most hoteliers and is probably worth an extra % off, they will be inspected for quality and authenticity in the baggage room.

But of course those of us here can make no guarantees.