Monthly news letter is one big ad

I hate to tell you this but most of the website is an ad for his tours. That's his main business. He offers good information interspersed with promoting his tours.

Have you noticed he only pushes areas his tours go to? Nothing wrong with that. He has a right to make a living like anyone else.

Anyone that is selling something, is going to push their own agenda. You need to sift through the info and figure out what pertains to your life and is helpful to you.

Most web sites are just big ads to some extent. With regard to "...interesting travel info...", this forum probably has more good, interesting, and valid travel information in one place that anywhere else. Since it is his site, he really doesn't have to have the forum at all. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

I do not get the newsletter but would expect it to be mostly related to the tours. Not a problem in my view.

But I totally disagree that the website is also one big advertisement for the RS tours. Most of the website, including Travel Tips,mExplore Europe, Travel News, and the Forum (apart frommthe RS tours section,ma small part) is dedicated to information useful to independent travelers. And the books and video programs are also aimed at indy travelers. Yes, they mostly cover the places that Rick likes and takes his tours to, but they teach people how to see these places as independent travelers. So that is not promoting his tours, if anything it is undercutting them.

Rick has two newsletters -- tour news and travel news. You received the tour newsletter, which obviously is all about the Ricks Steves tours.

The TV shows (available on the website, on PBS, or by order), the guidebooks, and the podcasts are the best sources for education and information. Not the newsletter.

Granted, the podcasts can become a bit repetitive if you listen often enough because Rick must do blitz interviews when certain guides are in Washington State for meetings or reunions and/or there are a number of interviews with the same small group of authors. With that said, I think they are well produced, and there are some really thought-provoking interviews contained in the podcasts (e.g. David Suchet, David McCullough).

If I was getting a news letter that I was not happy with, I would unsubscribe from it.

The very nerve of a business promoting itself!

Try this one:

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/travel-news

Ha Ha! Christi, I'm right with you. I think some people forget this is a business, Rick is not their best friend, as likable as he might be, he is a business owner. It is called PR! Every business and public personality does it if they have sense, it's just people don't realize what they read, just about anywhere is PR. (My daughter is in PR, lol.) Granted, personally he appears to be very generous to his causes, and a good guy...but he's a business man and has done very well. Kudos to him.

I think that because his show has always been on public TV that folks think his business is non-profit too.

I agree Wray - he is very generous with his success - very admirable.