PalQ that's precisely what bothers me about him. Keep that stuff to yourself.

JoeTro: I must say i agree with you on that point - still his stance is courageous, if uncalled for in a travel site.

In the Spring to get in the mood for our vacation we bought the entire set of DVD's of all his shows including the original series.

I specifically remember him making the comment about taking food from the breakfast buttet for lunch later on in one of the episodes. I watched so many though, that I can't remember which episode in particular it was.

I remember commenting to my husband at the time, what a tacky thing to do, but Rick made it sound as if it was the "European" thing to do and was commmon practice.

So it it not a case of I think I heard someone say he said something like that once upon a time.

Nora - I think that is exactly what he seems to be saying.

I also found a March 2006 Seattle Times article stating that often "often steals lunch from breakfast, stuffing a couple of pieces of bread and some meat into his backpack.

It's not that he can't afford to buy a ham and cheese baguette — the 50-year-old public television star and best-selling author runs a $31 million dollar Europe Through the Back Door travel business based in Edmonds. He just likes to save time and money." Perhaps that is part of the rumor?

As to the issue of his stance on legalization of marijuana I agree with PalQ (this is getting to be a habit! that is takes courage for a public figure to do that. As to keeping "that stuff to yourself" - it is strange how we tend to say that when we disagree with the view but not when we agree with the view. Am still waiting for an out of the closet athiest to take high office

another doffed hat to Mr. Steves for
purchasing a 24 unit apartment building
in the Seattle area to house homeless
women and children. His wife is also
v. involved in this endeavour.

He seems to be a liberal Christian
(Lutheran) and as such does good
works w/o proselyting - as a non-
Christian I appreciate that stance.

I've just booked a month's worth of
hotels using all available information
sources - esp. Fodors and Trip Advisor.
Much to my amazement, every single hotel
I booked using these recommendations are
also listed in R.S. guides! Seems to
me everyone's on the same page in that
respect.

The idea of getting food from the breakfast table is not heresay. I saw that episode with my own eyes, and heard him say it. I'm sorry, I'm not in the habit of making a journal of what date and what time and what episode number I have just watched. I can tell you he was somewhere in southern Italy -- along the Amalfi coast? It was the same episode in which he was in a tiny B&B and was looking over the rooms and then had a broken conversation with the owner who didn't speak English about the price and managed to get him down on the price. I just thought that seemed tacky -- as if he was saying to the guy that his home wasn't worth that much but he'd pay this certain amount. About the breakfast thing -- let's not exaggerate. He was not talking about stockpiling food. He was shown in the breakfast room and he made mention of the idea that it is "perfectly acceptable to make a sandwhich and take a piece of fruit for your lunch" or words very much to that effect. OK?

Incidentally, that broken conversation I mention with the owner was another time when he was clearly showing that he had learned to speak a few phrases in Italian and how important that was, yet at the same time showing that it was possible to communicate with someone who didn't speak any English. I consider that a far cry from these accusations of him encouraging people NOT to speak another language. Where on earth does that idea come from?

If my responses make it sound like I'm wishy-washy about liking him or not -- well so be it. I just don't get in the habit of degrading someone for everything they do because of not liking him. I like at least as many things I've heard him say as there are things he's said I didn't like. All does not have to be black or white.

I bought some luggage from the Rick Steves web site and it is really great :) I also bought a bag that folds up into it's own outside pocket. Once I figured it out, that one is great too. Perfect for going to the beach or whatever.

I'd say he definitely fills a niche just as <b>this site</b>fills one and sometimes the &quot;attributes&quot; of both can be amazingly similar.

Wombat7: It's already happened, about out of closet aetheist taking high office - Thomas Jefferson, President! And i strongly agree with your point here that only God fearing Christians or those who profess to be are the only ones electable in US - sad, sad, sad.

I must admit I carry my Italy RS book with me as a security blanket. He finds a way to pack a lot of useful information in an easy to read package.

Rick Steve's first edition of &quot;Europe Through the Back Door&quot; was published in 1980. I found it very helpful in 1984 and am glad I visited Cinqueterre then, not now.

If his point of view doesn't match yours, read Fodor's.

OK---I see I'm wrong on this breakfast thing. Thanks to those who answered my question. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't just a rumour passed around without any basis. It does seem out of line with his other recommendations for travelling light, literally and figuratively.

PalQ - missed that one! Wonder if he would have taken the same approach in the days of CNN, Fox TV etc etc

PS PalQ - was not only referring to US - same applies in Canada (those unarmed americans with health care); UK (armed americans with healthcare?) and I am sure other countries

There are many guidebooks out there and not one is the do-all, be-all. I think Rick's books are interesting reading. For those on a budget, his advice is very worthwhile. I've moved up to moderate-expensive hotels, but that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore his advice in other areas.

If it were not for Rick's TV shows on the Cinque Terre, I would not have gone there in 1997. I just returned from Lake Como where I stayed in Varenna on Rick's advice. Excellent advice, I must say. Not many guidebooks direct people to Civita di Bagnoriggio, but his does, and it is truly fascinating.

Rick has a new PBS series coming out next month and I'm anxious to see where I'm going next.

When we first started watching Rick Steves on PBS many years ago, it opened our eyes that yes, we too could travel throughout Europe comfortably even lacking the language skills. He truly opened up a whole world of adventure for us and we have now been to many countries. Like this website, travel has become our obsession and I sometimes think we would have been content to just sit around and not try Europe has we not watched his series. Tho we tend to travel by the seat of our pants nowadays, we still continue to watch him. His information isn't perfect but then whose is?

I very much respect that Rick Steves practices what he preaches. Of course, he is in a position to let it all hang loose as he is independently wealthy. PBS needs him more than he needs them, or so it might seem. As an old history major, he aggravates me with his pedestrian knowledge of the Middle Ages, or as he sometimes calls them, &quot;the Dark Ages.&quot; High schoolish. He also delights in needling Americans' &quot;prudish&quot; attitudes towards nudity as if all Europeans strut around in the buff while Americans dress as Cotton Mather or Pat Robertson would want us to. On the contrary, America has plenty of nude beaches and nude resorts. Millions of nubile American women are scantily clad in bikinis and thongs at the beaches and pools of America as I type.

All in all, Steves is a good guy, sells a good product, and has helpful advice for European tourists. I'm looking forward to his new season.

You know I have been reading some of the negative posts on Rick Steves and I feel it's time to tell you about our experience.

We are going to take our second tour with Rick Steves in September. (Best of Italy) We are doing this along with independent travel. Why?

1.The last tour we took was wonderful. (Provence) Yes the hotels and meals were not the very top, but we had plenty of days to eat on our own.I am sure if we had eaten in Michelin starred restaurants or very very good ones,and stayed in 4* hotels, the price of the tour would have been out of our reach for us. I do believe there are tours that do this.


2.Despite what you have heard, the other people on the tour we took were for the most part very well-traveled, and highly educated.
There were artists, music teachers, etc.

3. Most of the attractions we stopped at had superb local guides who added to whatever we were seeing.For example, in Nice at the Matisse and Chagall museums we really had expert guides.These were not optional extras..they were free.


4.Although we will always do some independent traveling, because of our age, we really need to have train and bus transportation, and this made it easier for us. Thankfully, the bus was not one of those huge ones you see all over Europe.

5. The guide on the tour often spent time telling us told us a lot about the culture of the people, and the country and altho I am fairly well-read, I still learned a lot. As a side point everything was so well organized.

I do not work for Rick Steves nor am I relative, but I just felt someone needed to put in a word for him (or his tours). As for his books, I love them but I use other sources too..DK,Green Michelin, etc.

Whew!..I've been wanting to say all this for a while.
I truly feel anyone who helps people to travel deserves some praise...oh yes, we were the oldest people on the tour.

I guess I missed the part where the OP supposedly said (or was that &quot;implied&quot;???)they were trying to decide whether or not to use an RS guidebook.

Silly me, I took the question &quot;what is it about the 'Rick Steves tourist' that makes some of you roll your eyes?&quot; as being the whole point.

Dukey---in her first post, she says it's her first time to Europe this fall. In her fourth (after being accused of trolling), she says &quot;I'm currently checking out every guidebook my library has to offer, deciding which to purchase and take with me. Haven't gotten to his.&quot;