Rick Steves Alternatives
Oct 26th, 2015, 11:23 PM
#41
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Ach so.
Aber dann ist Alles anders ! Ich hoffe das wir zusammen Deutsch sprechen, nichtwaar ?
(Einschuldigne mihr geneuber Leute die ganz korrekt Deutsch sprechen - est ist zu schwerig fur mich, aber nichts sagen...).
Mfg.
Aber dann ist Alles anders ! Ich hoffe das wir zusammen Deutsch sprechen, nichtwaar ?
(Einschuldigne mihr geneuber Leute die ganz korrekt Deutsch sprechen - est ist zu schwerig fur mich, aber nichts sagen...).
Mfg.
Oct 27th, 2015, 01:56 AM
#44
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House Hunters International is pure fantasy, and some of the people appearing in the Paris version are simply using the show to advertise the sale of their property before they plan to move somewhere else. I personally know two people who have done this. So, best used for entertainment purposes only.
The problem with travel videos is that they seem to be more food-related than ever - but I guess "food porn" sells better than a trip to a museum, which many might find boring.
YouTube is excellent for looking up things in detail - such as what it's like to climb the stairs to the top of the Eiffel Tower, etc.
Otherwise, look for travel videos produced by the tourist board of the region you plan to visit. They are about as comprehensive as anything else you'll find.
The problem with travel videos is that they seem to be more food-related than ever - but I guess "food porn" sells better than a trip to a museum, which many might find boring.
YouTube is excellent for looking up things in detail - such as what it's like to climb the stairs to the top of the Eiffel Tower, etc.
Otherwise, look for travel videos produced by the tourist board of the region you plan to visit. They are about as comprehensive as anything else you'll find.
Oct 27th, 2015, 02:49 AM
#46
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OP could try the BBC Travel Show items on Youtube :
www.youtube.com/user/room4252/videos
I was thinking fondly of the Rough Guide shows that used to be on BBC2, only to realise they were nearly 30 years ago! But they're still around on Youtube. Also the Rough Guides have their own Youtube channel:
www.youtube.com/user/RoughGuidesTV
www.youtube.com/user/room4252/videos
I was thinking fondly of the Rough Guide shows that used to be on BBC2, only to realise they were nearly 30 years ago! But they're still around on Youtube. Also the Rough Guides have their own Youtube channel:
www.youtube.com/user/RoughGuidesTV
Oct 27th, 2015, 03:35 AM
#47
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<i> Fodor's has been owned by a German publisher for years. </i>
It is true that the creation of Penguin Random House, of which Fodors is a division, resulted from an unequal merger; Random House (owned by Bertelsmann) owns 53 per cent, and Penguin, 47 per cent, of the merged company. However, this is not the same thing as a complete buyout by Bertelsmann. Also, this merger happened in 2012, which is technically years ago (3 is >1) but it is not THAT long ago.
The latest that I read in Bloomberg was that Pearson could sell their share this month under an option of the merger, but their official announcement was that they plan to hang onto it until at least 2017.
The real question, though, if we're talking English speaking publications, is who owns Amazon. That's why the merger of Penguin-Random House happened in the first place.
It is true that the creation of Penguin Random House, of which Fodors is a division, resulted from an unequal merger; Random House (owned by Bertelsmann) owns 53 per cent, and Penguin, 47 per cent, of the merged company. However, this is not the same thing as a complete buyout by Bertelsmann. Also, this merger happened in 2012, which is technically years ago (3 is >1) but it is not THAT long ago.
The latest that I read in Bloomberg was that Pearson could sell their share this month under an option of the merger, but their official announcement was that they plan to hang onto it until at least 2017.
The real question, though, if we're talking English speaking publications, is who owns Amazon. That's why the merger of Penguin-Random House happened in the first place.
Oct 27th, 2015, 03:37 AM
#48
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Sorry, my post is a bit unclear. Pearson PLC (British multinational based in London) owned Penguin, and now owns 47 per cent of Penguin Random House. A minority share, to be sure, but still a substantial share.
Fodors division is based in NYC.
Fodors division is based in NYC.
Oct 27th, 2015, 04:36 AM
#49
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kja - Actually I agree with you, I just didn't say it well. Now that I think about it, it's the 'newbies', not the regular posters here who are frequently talking about wanting to 'meet the local people' (along with seeing all the major sites in Rome, Florence and Venice in 6 days). You're right, many Fodorites do try to explain that this is not really going to happen. And when you think about it, quite possibly the people who want to do this got the idea that this is something they can do from watching Rick Steves videos.
That said, there are plenty of respondents here who advocate taking time to just sit in a cafe, getting involved in local culture, etc. and not just ticking off a list of major monuments and museums (and I agree this is a good idea) - and this is what I think Rick Steves is trying to do in his videos. He is a bit of a buffoon, but his information is good - and he never claims to be a 'comprehensive' guidebook.
That said, there are plenty of respondents here who advocate taking time to just sit in a cafe, getting involved in local culture, etc. and not just ticking off a list of major monuments and museums (and I agree this is a good idea) - and this is what I think Rick Steves is trying to do in his videos. He is a bit of a buffoon, but his information is good - and he never claims to be a 'comprehensive' guidebook.
Oct 27th, 2015, 06:34 AM
#51
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Rick irritates the heck out of me, but I HAVE used a lot of the resources he provides (his free mp3 walks are darn good!), so I'm willing to overlook a lot.
As to the locals--you are right, Isabel. Newbies think they can somehow schmooze with the locals on their 3-cities-a-day plan. I have seen Rick say over and over again about leaving the tourist places behind, ordering food at a shop, etc--how to do it, what to get, what to say.
He bores me to tears, but that does not make him wrong.
As to the locals--you are right, Isabel. Newbies think they can somehow schmooze with the locals on their 3-cities-a-day plan. I have seen Rick say over and over again about leaving the tourist places behind, ordering food at a shop, etc--how to do it, what to get, what to say.
He bores me to tears, but that does not make him wrong.
Oct 27th, 2015, 06:50 AM
#53
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Amazon is, of course, an American company. Their international sites do carry American products, with a lot of overlap between the sites of the various countries. I often order from amazon.it, but most of what I order actually arrives from amazon.de.
The Rick Steves books on amazon.it are all in English, as are the descriptions. Maybe they're marketed to ex-pats and tourists who left their guidebooks in the taxi.
I checked on ibs.it, which is the largest Italian online book company. There is nothing by Rick Steves in their catalogue.
The Rick Steves books on amazon.it are all in English, as are the descriptions. Maybe they're marketed to ex-pats and tourists who left their guidebooks in the taxi.
I checked on ibs.it, which is the largest Italian online book company. There is nothing by Rick Steves in their catalogue.
Oct 27th, 2015, 06:59 AM
#54
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Europeans who speak English might have heard of Rick Steves, but if they don't speak English, they almost certainly wouldn't have a clue who he is and wouldn't buy his books, because the travel philosophy just isn't the same.
pariswat -
我希望你去餐館里克推薦！
如果沒有，只是撥打了120急救室...
最良好的祝愿，並會很快好轉 = D
pariswat -
我希望你去餐館里克推薦！
如果沒有，只是撥打了120急救室...
最良好的祝愿，並會很快好轉 = D
Oct 27th, 2015, 09:02 PM
#56
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@ isabel -- and I agree with you that its new posters who are most likely to think they can have meaningful interactions with locals in their 2 or 3 days in any given place. ;-) I also agree that there are many Fodorites who, quite rightly, point to the benefits of enjoying a leisurely visit without worries about seeing specific sites. I honestly believe that the differences between people in our approach to travel are to be celebrated -- there is no right or wrong way to go about it, IMO!
I would add that I made the choice to become a Fodorite back in 2006 in large part because this was the one travel board that, at the time, seemed to have a number of posters with genuine interests in the arts and in museums -- which, of course, never precluded ALSO enjoyed spending time in cafes or strolling back streets or whatever. I could be wrong, but my impression -- based on nearly daily involvement with Fodor's for years and years and years -- is that those of us who travel in part for the opportunity to savor the arts and museums has been declining steadily. Again, I could easily be wrong.
I would add that I made the choice to become a Fodorite back in 2006 in large part because this was the one travel board that, at the time, seemed to have a number of posters with genuine interests in the arts and in museums -- which, of course, never precluded ALSO enjoyed spending time in cafes or strolling back streets or whatever. I could be wrong, but my impression -- based on nearly daily involvement with Fodor's for years and years and years -- is that those of us who travel in part for the opportunity to savor the arts and museums has been declining steadily. Again, I could easily be wrong.
Oct 27th, 2015, 10:35 PM
#57
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I am still reeling over the news that Househunters International is all fake..
I loved that show.
Drats.. there is so little decent stuff on tv and now I am down one more show!
As for RS .. who cares.. I agree with the poster ( think it was Twk) that pointed out all guides can have mistakes or misinformation in them.. there is no perfect guide. So people should just use the guide they like and are comfortable with the style of travel promoted .
I also think it should be obvious that most europeons would not need or be interested in RS books. They do not need to learn about the currency differences, they usually already know all the road signs, and how to use the train system,, many small bits of information would be useless to them.. so they likely favor more detailed hotel , highways/roads routes and restaurant reviews.
Remember many europeons can travel for one hour in their car and be in a different country.. its not all new and strange to them.. sure there are differences between Belgium and France, or Italy and Switzerland, or Spain and Portugual. but I doubt the locals travelling between these places are worried about what to eat or what to wear.. lol and they likely could care less about "living like a local" they just want to have a good holiday .
That does not mean RS books/videos are useless or bad.. they are not.. they are perfect for a certain type of traveller , and sales have been the proof of that pudding whether you agree or not.
I loved that show.
Drats.. there is so little decent stuff on tv and now I am down one more show!
As for RS .. who cares.. I agree with the poster ( think it was Twk) that pointed out all guides can have mistakes or misinformation in them.. there is no perfect guide. So people should just use the guide they like and are comfortable with the style of travel promoted .
I also think it should be obvious that most europeons would not need or be interested in RS books. They do not need to learn about the currency differences, they usually already know all the road signs, and how to use the train system,, many small bits of information would be useless to them.. so they likely favor more detailed hotel , highways/roads routes and restaurant reviews.
Remember many europeons can travel for one hour in their car and be in a different country.. its not all new and strange to them.. sure there are differences between Belgium and France, or Italy and Switzerland, or Spain and Portugual. but I doubt the locals travelling between these places are worried about what to eat or what to wear.. lol and they likely could care less about "living like a local" they just want to have a good holiday .
That does not mean RS books/videos are useless or bad.. they are not.. they are perfect for a certain type of traveller , and sales have been the proof of that pudding whether you agree or not.
Oct 28th, 2015, 12:04 AM
#58
In the 6+ years I lived in France, just ended, I never heard his name mentioned once among the fairly well-traveled friends we had (French, Dutch, English, Belgian, etc.), never saw his books for sale, never saw his program on French or English television.>>
same here [ie I'd never heard of him in the UK either; we tend to speak english there, most of the time]. I only heard about him here, and bought his book on Rome, which I found to be so-so.
<<Aber dann ist Alles anders ! Ich hoffe das wir zusammen Deutsch sprechen, nichtwaar ?
(Einschuldigne mihr geneuber Leute die ganz korrekt Deutsch sprechen - est ist zu schwerig fur mich, aber nichts sagen...).>>
Pariswat - vielleicht soll ich deutsch sprechen und du französisch; denn verstehen wir uns besser.
same here [ie I'd never heard of him in the UK either; we tend to speak english there, most of the time]. I only heard about him here, and bought his book on Rome, which I found to be so-so.
<<Aber dann ist Alles anders ! Ich hoffe das wir zusammen Deutsch sprechen, nichtwaar ?
(Einschuldigne mihr geneuber Leute die ganz korrekt Deutsch sprechen - est ist zu schwerig fur mich, aber nichts sagen...).>>
Pariswat - vielleicht soll ich deutsch sprechen und du französisch; denn verstehen wir uns besser.
Oct 28th, 2015, 01:29 AM
#59
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kja - it's not your imagination, tourists have changed. I hesitate to use the word "evolved", because I think it's just the opposite.
Some of us are dinosaurs - art appreciation, language and history aren't emphasized in schools as they were back in our day.
The average tourist is used to instant gratification, given the world we live in now. People have been trained to want sound bites, rather than plowing through a paragraph or two. It's the Twitter syndrome - everything distilled into 140 characters or less.
So, going to a museum becomes a drive-by experience - getting a glimpse of just the top 3 choices someone else has decided were the only things worth seeing. Who was the artist, why was the movement important? Nobody cares. They came, they took a selfie, they moved on.
I honestly don't know why people spend a fortune on air fare to come to any city that is rich with art, history and culture, when they aren't interested in seeing anything beyond their own navels.
Some of us are dinosaurs - art appreciation, language and history aren't emphasized in schools as they were back in our day.
The average tourist is used to instant gratification, given the world we live in now. People have been trained to want sound bites, rather than plowing through a paragraph or two. It's the Twitter syndrome - everything distilled into 140 characters or less.
So, going to a museum becomes a drive-by experience - getting a glimpse of just the top 3 choices someone else has decided were the only things worth seeing. Who was the artist, why was the movement important? Nobody cares. They came, they took a selfie, they moved on.
I honestly don't know why people spend a fortune on air fare to come to any city that is rich with art, history and culture, when they aren't interested in seeing anything beyond their own navels.
