Fra_Diavolo

>>>I can't believe how negative this group is about Mr. Steves in general<<<

I think it's because none of us thought of turning our hobby into writing guidebooks, filming travel shows or founding a travel company and becoming a multi-millionaire. That's just so tacky.

phillyboy

I agree that he did a poor job in this video. I do enjoy his TV Shows ... find them sometimes instructive and usually entertaining. However, I had never purchased any of his books until recently, when I bought his latest Ireland book for an upcoming trip, and I was disappointed. I have used many different guide books in the past, including Fodor's, Frommer's, Rough Guides, Lonely Planet, Eyewitness Travel, and others. The Steves book seemed to dwell quite a bit on areas or towns that I just didn't find that interesting, the writing came off as flat, and the photographs were mostly small, drab, black and whites in the corners of pages. I'll be bringing the much better Lonely Planet book along in September.

StCirq

<<I think it's because none of us thought of turning our hobby into writing guidebooks, filming travel shows or founding a travel company and becoming a multi-millionaire. That's just so tacky.>>

Well, one could easily argue that it was pretty smart. I have pretty much always thought he was a dunce, and been appalled at his lack of factual accuracy and just general ho-dee-do-ness about European travel, but he made an empire out of doing what a lot of people around here might have done even better if they'd had the gumption.

janisj

TDudette: >>. Also in general, DH and I found some of his DIY info very helpful and unique.<<

As I have posted many many times. some of his guide books and even videos are fine, some are actually pretty good. BUT his advice and guides re the UK are pretty dreadful. For years and years before someone finally edited them he said to take a train from LHR to Bath without explaining there is no train between the two and it would require either taking a train to London and then another rain to Bath, or take a coach from the LHR bus station to Reading and a train from there. In his guidebook he recommended two different very small B&Bs (one with 2 rooms and one with I think 4 rooms - both of which were on working farms (this was in the late 90's/very early 2000's when most people still used guidebooks to search for accommodations and such) and BOTH B&Bs were forced out of business -- they were farms for crying out loud and once a couple hundred thousand Yanks got hold of their phone numbers it wasn't worth it with the constant interruptions calls and people coming to the door w/o reservations. One was fabulous - right ON Hadrian's Wall but they just couldn't take it. Who lists a teensy B&B in a mass market guidebook?!

And he is always going on about Mme Tussaud's . . . maybe he IS channeling Pal ???

J62

I have relatives who swear by his simple to follow, travel-by-numbers sightseeing approach, and I understand that for many people that actually works ok even if it seems like checking off a list. What I don't like is how hordes glom onto his every word and follow his itineraries without deviation or independent thought. Worse yet is when he tags some "local" eatery as genuine/authentic and it's suddenly overrun with even more tourists. That's not necessarily his fault. The US pop culture has a long history of TV personalities that many would pan as less than expert but still very popular.

Graham Kerr - galloping gourmet
Jack Lalanne
Bob Ross - that painting guy with the hair on PBS.
Marlin Perkins (but not Jim Perkins...)
...

I'm sure this esteemed fodors group can add (or subtract) from that list.

StCirq

He lost me when he wrote that Magellan circumcised the globe.

suze

Oh I'm sure he's cryin' all the way to the bank. Of course any Rick Steves thread on Fodor's is going to go down this way.

Has he quit hanging out the windows of trains? I always did think that was stupid. Or learned how to dress a little better? That would be a big improvement.

Besides that I respect the man and what he has accomplished. I respect his politics and business model. He is a home-town boy made good (Seattle).

Since you are all such world savvy travelers you don't need his advice or opinions. It's too simplistic for you. Fair enough.

hetismij2

I have no problem with the man, his books, his videos, his money. I'd never heard of him until I joined Fodor's, but became aware he was responsible, almost single handedly, for ruining Cinque Terre and other places in Europe, before the Instagrammers got in on the act and completed the over tourism boom.

I do have a problem with him illegally operating a mobile phone whilst hogging the middle lane of a motorway and demonstrating how to drive a RHD car. I also have a proble with an aparent travel expert calling the Lake District the Lakes Ditrict. I wonder if he also refers to Cotswold, hence the common mistake on the forum.
I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on his Fiat Airbag and assume he was joking, though I fear he was not.

I am glad the police responded to the Tweet, and I hope they give him a severe talking to if nothing else.

Off topic - talking of Pal anyone heard from the pothead lately?

janisj

I've met him (twice) - didn't like him much and no its isn't because I'm sooooo darned sophisticated. Bank account isn't my measure of whether someone gives good or bad advice - nor would his politics come in to play. Someone can be a doofus no matter what causes they support.

Michael

Citroën Airbag = Citroën Aircross?

suze

I do not believe Rick Steves "almost single handedly ruined" Cinque Terre.

And I never said he wasn't a "doofus".

phillyboy

StCirq said - He lost me when he wrote that Magellan circumcised the globe.

Did he ever actually say this? Hilarious.

phillyboy

How does one get rid of these things ... and . I have tired to edit them out, but they won't go away.

Gyhtson

PatrickLondon

Are you typing your posts in some other program and then copy-pasting them into Fodor's? If so, you're probably importing the hidden formatting codes from that program (Microsoft Word?}. Best to use a simple text editor/notes sort of program that doesn't offer formatting, or copy and paste it from Word into such a program and then copy-paste again in the text editor program to strip out the hidden code. Or, in Fodor's, when you're in edit mode, click on the "source" button (on the extreme right of the editing options) - I've just edited some out that way.

Rocket79

Wow! Tough crowd. My experience with RS goes way back to the late 1990s. I had never been to Europe and my then-husband had a fierce fear of flying, so if I were to see it I would have to go it alone. I made the decision to join a RS tour, called Slow Dance Through France, because I wanted immersion in France and studied French in college, but I didn't feel comfortable going to a different country alone. This was a village France tour, and for three glorious weeks, our group plied the highways and backroads of France, hitting some big name things, but also villages that most had never heard of back then. We stayed at small, local hotels, and ate foods of the region. Our American guide was a French and Spanish prof, and his assistant was nearly fluent in French. Our French bus driver was a blast. It was the best thing I ever did; it taught me a lot - importantly, that I could do it on my own. In fact, I went back to France 6 months later solo with no set plan except for my Paris hotel for arrival and departure. I just made the decision where to go next based on my whim.

Of course, now I do all of my own planning. That was long ago. But there are many people out there who relate to RS's down to earth, if not goofy, way of delivering info and advice. I haven't stayed current, so if he is giving faulty info, that's not good. And I didn't see the driving Tweet. But still, different strokes for different folks.

OReilly64

As Patrick said, Phillyboy, this happens if I do a cut and paste, but not from directly Word. It happens when I look up spelling of a place name on-line then paste into Word and transfer up here. Years ago there was a feature in Word that would allow you to see these codes

Wekiva

Tough crowd is right...Rick Steves helped me have the courage to plan my first Europe trip in 1999 and we've used his videos ever since when we're contemplating visiting a new location. As a crowd of self proclaimed lovers of travel...can't you cut him some slack for spreading the joy of travel to others, even if he may shoot for a crowd a bit different than you?

So he drove a car while filming...not a great idea I'd agree. Good thing none of us ever make a mistake.

janisj

>>So he drove a car while filming...<<

It is not the mere fact he was driving - at all. But before one declares oneself the 'Expert on all things European travel" - he should at minimum know the rules of the road he's 'splaining to us.

A first-time visitor 'might' be forgiven the centre lane faux pas, but for an 'old pro' who supposedly has visited many times, that is plain stupid. (that isn't even addressing the other mistakes). Why do you think the Cumbria Police are interested??? Or do you think they should 'cut him some slack' because he's this famous Yank travel guru?

J62

Regarding the formatting question (thread within a thread...)

if you use chrome browser, after you copy from wherever you are writing you can right click here in fodors reply and "paste as plain text"

that will lose any formatting you may be dragging along.