When our kids were young and we traveled (because employer paid for H’s ticket and room and car), kids under 2 years old were free, and we were pretty flexible when they were young, we ate a lot of frugal meals. We were able to stay at some places with nice kids menus and I would eat their leftovers and a soup or would make sandwiches and we had LOTS of picnics.
Whoa! That was quite the pontificating speech yesterday! I didn’t know beforehand, but he’s written a book called Traveling as Political Agenda and that was pretty much his talk. Not really travel tips, funny or interesting stories, learning new things.
First, I agree with his politics mostly, but that’s not why I went to see him… He was fairly strong handed in his views, too. If I didn’t believe them, I would have been really ticked to be sitting there and listening to that. I understand he’s using his platform to attempt to enlighten people based on his on views, and maybe he does to some, but I doubt it. If it frustrated me to listen to it, I can only imagine others.
It was well thought out, but still.
I read a review about him when we came back and there was one engagement in the Deep South where they refused to pay him. Personally, I don’t blame them.
He made some comment that if we wanted to learn travel tips he has lots of videos on his website, I found that very dismissive. He was dismissive. Hey, you know what Steve? Why Go to music concerts? I can just listen to someone’s music on the radio or elsewhere, right?
He told us to get up and stretch for a minute as he had 15 minutes left and he was going to talk about Guatemala and Ethiopia, their plight and how to help. Everybody stands and after about 20 seconds, he comes back on stage and says sit down he’s cutting that short, I think people were leaving, he saw that and wanted to start in,
So, unless you all want to be subjected his new book and it’s teachings, skip RS tours right now. Article below.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/03/20/magazine/rick-steves-travel-world.html
We met Rick Steves while traveling in Italy in 2011. We were staying in a hotel that he recommended a short walk from the Coliseum and while we were there, Rick arrived with his crew to stay while filming a couple of new sequences for his show.
We ran into him and his crew early one morning in Piazza Navonna while they were blocking out the shots they wanted to get later in the day when the Piazza would be crowded. He noticed us hovering around - not trying to bother him - and he called us over. We chatted for a few minutes and he was gracious and posed for a picture with us.
As for his talk, I would probably have been disappointed if the talk was not promoted as being about “Travel as a Political Act”… I’m surprised that it wasn’t as his views on that subject are pretty well established. He first published the book in 2010 (I actually read it on the Italy trip we took in 2011) and has done at least one Ted Talk on the subject.
I agree with much of what he has to say in the book, and I kind of understand if he was there presenting that topic that he may not have wanted to talk about specific travel tips - but that should have been understood as the topic of his talk if that was the case.
When we went to see him, it was very obvious beforehand that his talk was going to be about travel as a political act. We were sitting next to a very, very right wing couple and they enjoyed most of the presentation. They were noticably uncomfortable with any pro-marijuana talking points (of course, this was years ago and the sentiments on marijuana have been gradually changing) and they were not at all happy when Rick pointed out that if you force your religion on our entire country, it’s no different than the regimes that force a different religion on an entire country. He was trying to get people to think about what it would be like if their religion wasn’t the “winner” in their country, and would they still be pushing to reduce or eliminate the separation of church and state.
H and I both felt that we paid a lot of money for a political ad at yesterday’s Rick Steves talk. In addition, we were annoyed that the public television station sponsoring his talk wasted the first 25 minutes advertising for their station.
Interesting, interesting! Thanks for the update, @conmama! Appreciate the comments from others also.
I have to comment as I have found the last 3 - 5 years of my extensive (4 -5 multi week trips a year) traveling in Asia and Oceania to be a personal “political” learning experience that I never anticipated. I don’t know what RS has to say, but I do know that meeting and talking with a variety of people in countries I never thought I would visit has given me a much broader perspective on the world and humanity.
These experiences follow a life time of travel in Europe. I simply never encountered as many different life experiences and outlooks from fellow Westerners as I have from those raised outside North America and Europe. Not that my many European experiences and friendships weren’t enriching - they were, but my more recent experiences have been eye opening. I frankly feel quite humbled and extremely fortunate to have had these opportunities.
I must say, however, that I would not use these experience for financial enrichment a la RS, valuable as they have been to me personally. Nor would I ever attempt to impose my personal experiences in this area on others - this post is the closest I’ve ever come!
On a lighter note related to “Europe on $5 a Day” posts, I was one of those travelers! I believe my first backpacking trip the book had just become “Europe on $10 a Day” but it came with me. With Green Michelins, it was my primary guide. (I still like Michelin.)
Some other laughable (to me) changes. I stayed in France for about a month, sleeping on the floor of a dorm where some of my college friends were studying. (not allowed, of course, had to be out the door before la femme de chambre arrived at 7 AM). The cheapest wine I could buy was Cote de Rhone - all but rotgut then, but now cultivated and sold as a fine wine. La Vache qui Rit cheese was a staple food as it was cheap. I later packed that cheese, available in the US as Laughing Cow, in my children’s lunches!
@ksm, we must be in the same city. I even thought he came of a bit condescending.
For those of you saying his guidebooks are out of date…he posts guidebook updates and corrections on his website. He and his company are aware things can quickly change between the time his books go to print and the time the reader books their trip.
We saw him speak at a travel show at the Los Angeles Convention Center…it was long, but it flew by! We also enjoy watching his shows and browsing his website. We use his books for travel though we don’t rely on them 100%, we also use other books and resources as well. We ate at a really good Indian restaurant in London that was recommended by Rick Steves and D ate at a Rick Steves recommended place in Paris…
I know people who’ve taken his tours and they’ve really enjoyed them! Personally I’m not a fan of tours and his tours aren’t really my style, but I know people who only take Rick Steves tours. My parents only do Tauck Tours, but they’re wayyyy too expensive for H and I and H thinks they’re way too fancy. Anywho, we love Rick Steves, but he isn’t the only travel resource we use to plan our trips. And we don’t consider his books to be the gospel either…we just think he offers some handy and helpful tips. Oddly, one of my neighbors who is very conservative is a die hard Rick Steves fan and his going on of his tours this spring. It’s his fourth tour with the company. Who woulda thunk it?!