Oops, forgot to add that there are many people who have to be on the move all the time and would love the 3-week itinerary mentioned originally.

My father among them. Low boredom limits. I do remember our vacations in the 60's well--a couple of hours in Venice, skipped Florence entirely because of a traffic jam, 1-1/2 days in Rome (he must have been tired), etc.

hopscotch,

Pretty amusing. A few first thoughts: he doesn't arrive in Paris until the last day which I assume is also the day of departure so it's more like 1/2 day total in Paris.

In his "sightseeing priorities" he suggest adding on Rome and CT for the Italy add-on. Rome, OK. But the Cinque Terre ahead of every other Italian destination????

While I would never go on a Rick Steves tour (or any other tour, for that matter), I find some of his suggestions helpful. I also thought that the $3.95 I paid for the U.K. outlet adapter was very reasonable, plus I ordered our BritRail tickets and British Heritage Pass from his site - it was very convenient to do it that way. He constantly advocates meeting the locals, absorbing the culture, etc. Nothing wrong with that point of view.

RS did label the list as a "whirlwind itinerary." That it is. I don't know what it says about people that get so animated about RS.

Regarding RS' comments about Iraq (whether literal or sarcasm), I think most of us hope that the comments about peace, prosperity and democracy turn out to be true. Alas, I'm sure there are some here that hope for the worst, simply because GWB was at the helm.

ktyson: Should your gander stay up for more than four hours, though rare, it will require immediate medical attention. Be sure to wear baggy pants to the ER.

Honestly, it's difficult to imagine RS getting anyone's gander up!

Nimrod: And someone said Americans don't have a sense of humor!

I wonder if people get this worked up over Rudy Maxa?

I haven't been on this forum in awhile, and just read through this thread. What I don't understand about RS' whirlwind tour, and the comments leveled at it, is, does anyone here think RS INVENTED the whirlwind European tour? Does no one else remember the movie, "If It's Tuesday, It Must be Belgium"?

Oh gosh yes, I do remember that movie. You are so right. The whirlwind tour was invented a long time ago. It's been resurrected, thanks to American marketing prowess.

Being an American with limited time to travel (and limited money), I use both Rick Steves' guidebooks and the Michelin guide to help me lay out the outline of a trip, because they prioritize sights. Then I use other sources to flesh the trip out.

Rick Steves gives very good information for deciding between a rail pass and point-to-point tickets.

He also gives very good detailed information: little maps, location of laundromats, driving instructions. I remember using his instructions to find our way to Burg Eltz.

Rick Steves' original book, Europe Through the Back Door, advocated traveling as Europeans do, using inexpensive hotels and traveling off the beaten path. He has become extremely successful and branched out into selling tours (not part of his basic philosophy) and travel equipment.
He has encouraged many people to travel, who might not otherwise have ventured to Europe. That's a mixed blessing to Europeans.

Comparing Rick Steve's itinerary to a low-end 60's comedy may not be the best way to defend it.

It does seem to be appropriate though...

Some of you are making excuses for Rick and implying that he is joking with this itinerary or that it's not his fault or that he's not the first to do this or etc., etc., etc. Well, his itinerary starts off with the statement "This whirlwind itinerary represents the best three weeks and 3,000 miles that Europe has to offer" and then dives right into it without even a happy face. This looks pretty serious to me, and seriously stupid. Why would anyone even consider such a trip? Why would the shephard suggest it as the "best three weeks" unless he means it? Oh, what a whacked world!! As for the good that Rick has done for traveling Americans, he has merely copied the travel philosophy of Arthur Frommer from whom I learned 30 years ago. He has also copied much of Frommer's travel writing style and formatting. What Rick added to the formula was marketing -- the ability to get his infomercials broadcast for free on public TV every week.

You do know that Public Television stations "pay" to use their programming? And we like Rick Steves shows a lot more than the "Travel" Channels poker tournaments and enless Las Vegas exposes.

Rick told me that he doesn't get paid for his shows on PBS. In fact, he said that he doesn't know which videos go on the air or where until the orders come in during the following week.

I take good suggestions where I find them and discard the rest, be they from RS, Frommers, Rough Guides, my red-neck next door neighbor... You take my point! As to Eloise's comments, you are lucky to be such a "sophisticated" traveler. However, not everyone has such a cosmopolitan past and no one deserves to be looked down on for that. RS users are trying to find some useful information and hopefully, will at some point recognize that not all advice is created equal. In the mean time, kudos to them for trying to expand their horizons!

P.S. I just followed the initial link... Ha Ha Ha. While I still stand by my earlier remarks, just tell me, is his show on PBS or Comedy Central?

"Sophistocated travelers" don't get angry because someone is making more money posting "travel advice" than they do.

hopscotch--here's one reason some people would consider it:

Author: RufusTFirefly
Date: 02/17/2005, 01:19 pm

Message: Oops, forgot to add that there are many people who have to be on the move all the time and would love the 3-week itinerary mentioned originally.

My father among them. Low boredom limits. I do remember our vacations in the 60's well--a couple of hours in Venice, skipped Florence entirely because of a traffic jam, 1-1/2 days in Rome (he must have been tired), etc.

I will add, he was happy as could be with this type of travel--it bored him to tears to have to stay 3 nights in one place. There are many people whose psychological wiring demands movement and change. They are not stupid, ignorant, or culturally insensitive--it's just the way they are built.

I split my sides when I realized how obsessed people are with RS.

Intrepid1: I make a good salary in my own profession, and if I choose to post on this board, it is because I enjoy travelling and am happy to share my experiences with others who, I hope, also enjoy travelling.

Judging from some posts, however, there are more than a few posters here who obviously do NOT enjoy travelling, not the getting from place to place, not the restaurants, not the hotels, not even the sights. Perhaps they should refrain from travelling or at least from casting the pall of their negativity over the board.

And I do NOT mean the posters who, for whatever reason, have not enjoyed Paris or Rome or wherever. Their posts have often led to very interesting discussions.