jtpj777

NYC FoodSnob,

"Throughout history, travelers have always included the vapid, self-absorbed, and the narcissistic. The internet gives these folks room to play. You simply have to swim past them and try not to rub elbows."

I hear Americans don't do irony!

jtpj777

PS immimmi,

My wife has a thing for Neil Oliver, also!

justineparis

Should add.. RS does not ( yet) cover Asia ... or really anywhere but Europe.. and even not that thoroughly.
I think he did one on Iran.. but not sure I may have wrong middle eastern country.

justineparis

sorry.. I am posting in between cooking my chili.. so I am in and out of kitchen..

I think some of the most interesting videos are on youtube.. however you have to wade through some really lame holiday ones that people take,,but some are amazing.

CarolA

Samatha Brown's vidoes are so outdate it's just sad! I actually enjoy Anthony Bourdian's videos.

I do watch Rick and don't find he has near the impact on me that he does on the OP

One other source I like to use is HGTV House Hunters. It doesn't have a lot of tourism tips, but it does show some of the "non tourist" areas of the places they go.

NYCFoodSnob

<i><font color=#555555>"I hear Americans don't do irony!"</font></i>

American actresses <i>do</i> irony all the time, and some are very good at it.

suze

I get travel inspiration for new destinations from Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern shows. But neither do much in Europe. House Hunters International and even Amazing Race give me ideas.

But for this OP I think the straight forward internet searches using google to find youtubes and websites for individual cities and places of specific interest is the answer.

dfourh

One question that haunts me through this highly informative and entertaining thread (thanks everybody - - so many great recommendations) is whether videos actually give you a feel for a place. I kind of think that you are better off with still photos.

I've seen many a Rick Steves, Samantha Brown, Anthony Bourdain, Wolf Burt or Burt Wolf or whatever - - and frankly, I don't think they will predict anything about your experience. The ones I've seen that picture places I've been, have no relation to the actual experience.

Of course everything looks wonderful - - they are vastly produced. This beautiful sunset or that elegantly framed cornice or the other yummy meal - - I mean, seriously, it's all production value. It looks so vivid in a video, but they are stripping away massive dimensions of what your actual experience will be (the smells, the steps, the grit, the hassles, the good, bad & ugly - - all covered up with rouge and polish). And unless you have an advance production team to put you in those spots, an editing team to select the pithiest elements (and omit the detritus), and a production team to frame it up like a big fairy tale, you will not experience anything like the same thing.

Get a good guidebook (Insight guides have lots of pictures) or just troll the internet, and you are better served. The video shows are entertainment, pure and simple.

kja

dfourh wrote: "whether videos actually give you a feel for a place" -- FWIW, as I wrote upthread, I've never thought so -- but then, because I haven't thought so, I don't seek them and so can't speak to what people who do think them helpful find helpful about them.

And to be honest, I don't think guidebooks -- much as I believe in that they are invaluable! -- or internet sources give me much of a feel for a place, nor do I find a "feel for the place" in the places many tourists go. (Ex: Sitting in a lovely cafe, in a stunning central plaza, surrounded by other tourists may be very pleasant and well worth doing -- but it does not, IMO, give me a "feel" for any place.) For me, "getting a feel for a place" requires being actually being there and getting far enough away from other tourists, at least for a little while. JMO.

pariswat

'American actresses do irony all the time'

Like the French actresses, they do all the ironing too.

kja

@ pariswat -- ;-)

fuzzbucket

If you know where you're going and want to see what's actually happening in a particular street, enter an address and take a StreetView tour on GoogleMaps. Most of the photos in Paris have been updated to 2015. You can wander through entire neighborhoods without leaving your armchair. I think this is one of the world's most helpful inventions, especially for tourists.

northie

Oh well I've just joined the morons and non travellers as named by one poster here as I hadn't heard of Rick Steves or AutoEurope . Probably cause I live in an Englsih speaking colony down under .

jubilada

I agree about street view in terms of seeing a non produced real view.

Or better yet, just go.

kleeblatt

Interesting strategy about streetview. I agree it may help you "see" some of the sights one dimensionally but it's devoid of all sounds, smells, moments, buzzing energy and life in general. It's the latter that makes travel so unique. Even travelling alone, my most poignant moments involve sharing thoughts of the area with others, even if it's only a few sentences.

janisj

northie: don't sweat it. Very few of my overseas friends have ever heard of RS either. No loss IMO - he can be a total dweeb sometimes.

kja

@ kleeblatt -- I agree that "seeing" isn't the same as "experiencing."

@ justineparis -- a belated acknowledgement of your observation that the Energizer Bunny might be my "spirit animal" -- I prefer to think of less mechanical inspirations, but you are right in thinking that I bring every ounce of energy I have to my travels and will continue to do so until I can't -- at least in part because I know that I will, someday, come to the point when I can't! Belated thanks for the image.

annhig

I've pressed the yellow button on trecash.

bilboburgler

Gosh this has been a fun thread.

I'm a Brit and never came across RS until I started reading fodors, I've watched a couple of his videos and he covers the basics well enough, I'd rather watch travalogues based on subjects that interest me.

If I want detailed guidance I still find Rough Guide gives the best overview and some fun things to do, the research is very detailed but so is the script (I cannot get long enough arms to read it now).

There are a few on TV at the moment one series where a Brit and an Italian drive around Italy cooking and looking at Architecture. Fascinating it's called "Italy Unpacked" and there appear to be at least 2 series.

maitaitom

I often will pick a place I want to travel and go to YouTube. There are lots of interesting videos, although there are also a bunch of videos that have such slow and boring music that it makes me want to kill myself.