oldmacdonald

Anyone remember Kramer's coffee table book about coffee tables? Well, I am thinking the time has come for a European travel business that studies Rick Steves travels through Europe from 1985-2010!

My tours would go to places Rick has recommended, eat at restaurants he has recommended (perhaps some are no gone?), witness people using his guide books, retrace his steps from the TV shows, lose our travelers checks to see what happens, visit distant relatives, etc.

We would focus on the classic Rick Steves destinations like Dingle, Civita de B, Burg Eltz, Beaune, Gimmewald, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, etc. Our tours would be small, about 6-12 people and we would eat picnics as we go. Thoughts???

bobthenavigator

Pick some new places. The old Rick places are already overrun.

rex

I might be willing/interested - - to serve as a leader for you, or to follow you ,as a leader.

But the track record of using this forum as a vehicle for putting together small group trips of like-mindd people is pretty weak. There were two or three examples in the time frame 2001-2002. some were as small as two three folks; "mine" with seven people was the most ambitiopis as far as I know. It followed certain Rick Steves "principles" combined with some notion of "slowtrav" (the two concepts partly mesh, and are partly of fairly different minds).

Got a trip in mind? 2012?

Best wishes,

Rex

oldmacdonald

Well, we will have to go to the exact places Rick has recommended in his guide books, lectures and shows - the point of the company is to study Rick Steves travels in Europe. I am also thinking I could write some guide books that would study and critique Rick's recommendations. Obviously, some hotels and restaurants have closed, some rail options are no longer available, and some towns - like Dingle - have become overrun with tourists. We will look at all of these phenomena in a sort of "post modern" European travel model! It should be like comparing gothic to romanesque!

J62

Better yet would be the anti-RS tour.

How to find a good restaurant? Locate the groups of tourists holding blue tour books & see which direction they are headed. Turn around and walk the other way...

oldmacdonald

Blue books? What are those?

thursdaysd

Why would anyone go with you when they can go on a genuine RS tour if they're interested in his travel recs? It really sounds parasitical - if you want to lead tours come up with your own ideas.

oldmacdonald

Well, it's like traveling to see how the Etruscans lived, or the life of Van Gogh or Hemmingway in Paris. Rick has become a historical figure and I want to offer travel that will study Rick and his life.

Aduchamp1

Do you have to wear blue shirts, smoke dope, and eat food from other people's trays in cafeterias?

adrienne

What happened to "European Travel is too Expensive"?

I thought you weren't venturing beyond Mexico?

oldmacdonald

Well, adrienne, you know...a guy has to dream! I have some entrepreneurial ideas...we all have to eat, right?? I actually think it's a great idea. Rick has the best selling guide books to Italy, Ireland and I think Slovakia, so it seems like a no brainer idea. I am betting there are "Rick fans" out there and would love to travel through Europe, focused on Rick himself! Pretty good idea huh??

adrienne

RS fans are pretty loyal (or too lazy to look elsewhere) and aren't about to decamp. The rest of us don't care two hoots about RS.

oldmacdonald

Maybe if I offer a Tyrolean Folk evening and plate of Belgian fries (we are all still getting used to the mayo!) with ever tour, that would generate more bookings? I am determined to offer a tour that will experience the true Rick Steves through the back door! If heaven isn't what it's cracked up to be, send me back to Paris!

spaarne

Troll? Silly post du jour? Or too much of that stuff that Ricky smokes?

La_Tour_de_Cause

Troll, methinks.

ira

Hi O,

Satire is wasted on Americans.

Be sure to spend at least a full day on the Rue Cler.

J62

make that one hoot.

What are blue books? They're the RS guides many Americans have glued to their noses as they wander the streets of Europe.

Granted, they do contain some useful info, but as a color-by-numbers guide book they are a poor substitute for one's own eyes, nose, and ears. I recall (twitch) listening to one poor sap reading aloud something like "If you get there early in the morning you can actually smell the bakery.." then lifting his nose like a basset hound and remarking his moment of discovery.

Aduchamp1

To make the exerience complete you need the Rick Steve's equivalency of Groucho glasses. It would include nerdy glasses, a doughy complexion, a vacant stare, and the worst Italian and Spanish accents I have ever heard.

It should be marketed as you would second hand smoke, nearly the same experience but not as deadly.

chartley

There is an interesting article in today's Guardian about ant-tourist sentiment in Berlin.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011...otest-tourists

I particularly liked this quote:

"The Trouble With Tourism Tour was led by a Northern Irish guide called Finn Ballard who told a stream of stories about the stupid things Berlin's visitors say and do. "Once," he said, "I had someone say to me, 'we really want to visit the Third Reich. Please can you show us where it is on the map?' What can you say to that? 'Go to the end of the street and turn right at 1933?'"

spaarne

oldmacdonald,
To make sure that you have an authentic "Do it by Ricky" web site promoting your tour you must have at least four photos of the shepherd on each web page. E.g. http://www.ricksteves.com/. The dork can't get enough of himself.