For Rick Steves fans

[HFWR]

I’ve enjoyed his programs on PBS for years. Though we didn’t necessarily follow any of his itineraries and such (used Costco Travel), we found his books useful and informative during last year’s Italy trip.

 

[RunningBum]

I've found his TV shows very interesting, and his books useful. Now he's got a show on NPR, but I find that very boring, for whatever reason.

 

[CHBinFL]

I still travel on the cheap with splurges on things I can't do for cheap. Cheap usually means I meet more locals and can travel twice as long for the same amount of cash. Although I don't do hostels anymore unless I can get my own room. I'm OK with sharing a bathroom, but probably not a bedroom anymore.

Was a big Rick Steves fan back in the pre-internet days. But haven't kept up with him much in the last 15 years or so. Judging from the article, it sounds like maybe we have parted political ways a bit, too.

 

[Sunset]

Our local library often sells off old books, and I pick up RS books that are 4 yrs old for 25 cents. When I compare them to new ones, the big difference is the prices of things. But the maps and advice about historical things is the same.

I don't feel bad about ripping out the maps, and foreign phrases as the book was so cheap. The maps ripped out of his book are handier than trying to see something on a phone.

 

[Dreamer]

Our local library often sells off old books, and I pick up RS books that are 4 yrs old for 25 cents. When I compare them to new ones, the big difference is the prices of things. But the maps and advice about historical things is the same.

I don't feel bad about ripping out the maps, and foreign phrases as the book was so cheap. The maps ripped out of his book are handier than trying to see something on a phone.

That is a good idea. I need to go to our library for some children's books and I will look to see if they have any Rick Steve's books. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[audreyh1]

Our local library often sells off old books, and I pick up RS books that are 4 yrs old for 25 cents. When I compare them to new ones, the big difference is the prices of things. But the maps and advice about historical things is the same.

I don't feel bad about ripping out the maps, and foreign phrases as the book was so cheap. The maps ripped out of his book are handier than trying to see something on a phone.

The biggest issue I see with the old books is that hours, days open, and most importantly where to buy tickets, the ticket buying procedure, and what the visit time scheduling rules are seem to change every couple of years. Especially with the most popular venues where you have to make arrangements months in advance.

We spend thousands traveling to Europe each year, so $14 - $16 every year or two for an ebook is tiny compared our travel outlay.

 

[Chuckanut]

For an overview an old book is fine. But after spending big bucks on a trip to Europe it’s foolish not to have the current book, and refer to the online RS updates for that edition. One goof can easily cost a person more than the cost of the book plus wasted time. My 2¢. Yes, I rip my book apart and only take the relevant parts when walking about.

 

[NW-Bound]

I read travel books for an initial orientation. For detailed planning, I go on the Web to verify the attraction open hours, and to buy advance tickets.

For example, tickets to the Alhambra in Granada have to bought a few months in advance. It's the same as reservations in Florence, Italy, that are bought over the Web.

Another example is the limited traffic zones (Zona a Traffico Limitato or ZTL) in Italian crowded towns. After learning of their existence, I had to go to the Web to find the exact boundary. I found out that a similar Zonas acceso restringido exists in Granada too.

And Google map street views are indispensable to look for parking spots, and to plan the walking route to an attraction. I don't expect a travel book to have all the details.

 

[audreyh1]

For an overview an old book is fine. But after spending big bucks on a trip to Europe it’s foolish not to have the current book, and refer to the online RS updates for that edition. One goof can easily cost a person more than the cost of the book plus wasted time. My 2¢. Yes, I rip my book apart and only take the relevant parts when walking about.

Yep.

But I really don't like carrying paper which gets heavy and bulky. So it's ebooks all the way for me. Plus I have marked them up electronically and added notes.

I suppose I have the option of having the map printed at the hotel, but I really hate carrying paper maps.

I definitely refer to the online RS book updates!

Up to date information is available on the web. However, the RS books cut through enough of it that you don't have to spend hours and hours on the web trying to figure out how things work. Web research ends up more being a confirmation of the process and the actual booking.

 

[Sunset]

The biggest issue I see with the old books is that hours, days open, and most importantly where to buy tickets, the ticket buying procedure, and what the visit time scheduling rules are seem to change every couple of years. Especially with the most popular venues where you have to make arrangements months in advance.

We spend thousands traveling to Europe each year, so $14 - $16 every year or two for an ebook is tiny compared our travel outlay.

Everyone is totally correct, an old book could be wrong in hours and how to buy tickets, which is why I use the old books just for the maps and phrases and sometimes the historical stuff.
I do read his new books (but don't rip those) and check on the web for reviews about places.

In Lisbon and Pompeii we used his free downloadable walking tour, which was pretty interesting and allowed us to pause it and spend extra time where ever we wanted.

 

[Badger]

I like paper. I started saving mostly Lonely Planet books from 6 of the countries we have visited. I may start looking for some older books on countries we visited before I started saving. They are fun to look through and reminisce about the trips we have taken over the years. Yes, I know there are plenty of free books to download and videos to watch but on rainy evenings I like to sit back with a glass of wine or beer and read the worn, dog-eared, highlighted paper books.


Cheers!

 

[cathy63]

For those who are Amazon Prime members and like e-books, many of the Lonely Planet books are available to borrow for free on Prime Reading. Link here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=lonely+planet&rh=n%3A15195281011&ref=nb_sb_noss

I usually get the relevant Lonely Planet e-books to supplement the Rick Steves books.

 

[audreyh1]

For those who are Amazon Prime members and like e-books, many of the Lonely Planet books are available to borrow for free on Prime Reading. Link here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=lonely+planet&rh=n%3A15195281011&ref=nb_sb_noss

I usually get the relevant Lonely Planet e-books to supplement the Rick Steves books.

Great tip, thanks!

 

[Breedlove]

We have a friend who made travel videos , kind of raw but they are on Net Flix
Adventures in Europe ( Big D ) He made five videos about Holland and Germany mostly the parties .

 

[Chuckanut]

I recently returned from a tip in which I used the RS Guidebook quite a bit, along with other sources.

RS did OK by me. Thanks to his advice we missed the huge crowds at both the castle in Prague and the Shönbrunn Palace in Vienna. We skipped an over rated and over priced café in both cities and settled on two very nice local places within a block of our hotel. We found a quite little park in Prague and a very nice hangout in Budapest to while a way some time away from the crowds. We found inexpensive concerts at the Franz Liszt Academny of Music at very good prices in a very nice music hall. Then a nice Hungarian dinner at a recommended restaurant not far away.

I strongly recommend getting the multi-day transit pass in both Budapest and Vienna. Freed from the time wasting hassle of buying individual tickets we zipped around from one place to another with ease. Hmmm..... Like to have dinner in that little bistro we saw across town? No problem. Hop on the Metro or Tram and be there in 20 minutes, no added costs, no lines to buy tickets, etc, etc.



One problem. Why did I come home?

 

[audreyh1]

Wow - great that you were able to take advantage of such great advice.

We were in Vienna long enough to justify buying the 1 week pass, which is based on a calendar week starting Monday, but as it happened that lined up with our schedule. I found their system very easy to navigate - helped that Google Maps gave precise instructions.

I really want to go back to Vienna - just to go to a bunch of concerts. We barely scratched the surface of the museums, but there is only so much museum visiting I can do in a week. Really enjoyed exploring the outskirts.

One problem. Why did I come home?

If the trip to Europe is too short I feel that way. We usually visit for at least 6 weeks. Some of that time is spent with family. But it takes that long before I'm unhappy about leaving.