
Rick Steves Wants to Save the World, One Vacation at a Time - ohjeez
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/03/20/magazine/rick-steves-travel-world.html
======
cageface
I did a ton of traveling last year all over the world and the conclusion I
reached was that the popular destinations are completely overwhelmed.

I guess it’s the combination of cheap flights and instagram but if you want to
enjoy yourself then forget about Kyoto and Venice etc and look into some less
popular and less well known places instead.

And do the rest of us a favor and don’t location tag if you do discover
something great.

~~~
11thEarlOfMar
Roger that. We visited Venice in October, off season. First night in the
restaurant, 4 tables surrounding us... 3 were Americans and the 4th French.

As noted elsewhere, the cost of Intercontinental travel is dropping and the
primary tourist destinations are overwhelmed, even in off seasons.

~~~
dustinmr
I was in Venice in May a couple of years ago. While the city was cool, and the
typical attractions were fun to see, we were a bit underwhelmed.

We then hopped a RyanAir flight to Bari because that's where my wife's family
emigrated from. Thought we'd rent a car, spend 4-5 hours hopping around Bari
and then move on to Naples. We ended up spending 4 nights and completely loved
the city and the whole of Puglia. It ended up being the best part of the trip.

Maybe it was just expectations were reversed, but we truly loved Bari, and
could have just skipped Venice and Naples and spent more time there. Not that
Venice and Naples were disappointing, but they didn't stand out at the end of
the trip.

Italy as a whole was wonderful. Can't wait to go back.

~~~
james-mcelwain
I love Bari. In general, I've found the "deep cuts" in Italy to be way better
than the tourist traps. I most recently spent two weeks in rural Sicily where
there wasn't much to do and it was fantastic.

~~~
cageface
Do you need to speak Italian to travel in these places? I’d love to see more
of Italy but not sure how hard it is to get by on English.

~~~
shivaas
English works fine. Get a roaming data plan and use google translate for
situations where basic english doesn't cut it. I also print out common phrases
and words and try and learn a little bit of the cultural nuances (hand
signals, body language etc) which always help break the ice and make
communication easier / fun.

------
NoblePublius
I volunteered at my local PBS station in high school during pledge drives.
This was 2001. Rick was there once, talking about the DVDs of his show you
would get if you donated. After his segment, he hung out and talked with every
volunteer. None of the other hosts ever did that. Love him so much.

------
mturmon
I read his book _Europe through the back door_ before my second trip to
Europe, around 1992. What a refreshing book, especially in a category that was
(and is) dominated by publications and institutions that are invested in
making you want expensive and exclusive accommodations and attractions.

He has kind of a upright earnestness, combined with a sort of Germanic
devotion to efficiency ("save money by sleeping on the train"; "plan a day's
activity city-hopping by integrating a few key visits with the train
schedule", "roll your trousers when packing"), that some nerds would generally
find appealing.

I've returned to that book several times over the years when I feel like I
need an attitude adjustment about how I travel, because it's easy to fall into
the habit of just booking expensive accommodations. The result can be one-
dimensional.

~~~
Mediterraneo10
> What a refreshing book, especially in a category that was (and is) dominated
> by publications and institutions that are invested in making you want
> expensive and exclusive accommodations and attractions.

That was mainly a problem of the US market, though. In the 1990s the American
travel guide market, i.e. the sort of guides you would find in any mall
bookshop, was completely dominated by Fodors and Frommers, which aimed at
those with rather high budgets. So, Rick Steves could offer an alternative to
that within North America. Meanwhile, however, in the UK and Australia Lonely
Planet and Rough Guides were more widely available. (Not to mention some of
the travel guide series in the German- and French-speaking world). _Those_
guides opened up travel to even lower budgets than Rick Steves could.

~~~
mturmon
I agree with this. I found the Rough Guides another good antidote to
Froddors/Michelin - and in fact, a better _guidebook_ than ETTBD. I don't
think I remember LP guides for Europe being helpful - I thought their main
forte was Asia. Maybe that impression is mistaken.

For me, the thing was that ETTBD presented, explicitly, a whole travel
philosophy/attitude that I found inspiring at the time.

------
glup
Weird fact: For the last ~10 years I have always watched Rick Steves' show
while doing laundry (sorting and folding). The two are now inextricably linked
in my head (thinking about folding socks makes me think about Barcelona), but
I really look forward to doing laundry.

~~~
hyperbovine
I grew up watching The Frugal Gourmet and Sesame Street on PBS. Jeff Smith is
inextricably a part of my boyhood.

Unfortunately, it is no longer politic to utter that sentence.

~~~
hopler
Why?

~~~
lionsdan
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Smith_(chef)#Sexual_abuse...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Smith_\(chef\)#Sexual_abuse_allegations)

------
llamataboot
I like travel. I like traveling outside of the US. It undoubtedly does all
sort of great things. But first you have to realize, that paid vacation isn't
even guaranteed in the US, at least 1/4 of all workers get no paid vacation,
and of the ones that do the likelihood that it is enough time to get to
another country and back is pretty slim.

Edit: typos

~~~
jefe_
Was able to get 6 nights in Japan on 4 vacation days by leveraging
Thanksgiving. Told relatives I would miss Thanksgiving but attend Christmas,
everyone thought that made sense. For those who celebrate and enjoy Christmas,
I don't recommend missing Christmas for solo travel overseas, did that once
and felt very isolated. People in the place I was visiting were celebrating
their own Christmases and people I knew back home were celebrating Christmas
and I wasn't there. With Thanksgiving it's likely not a holiday in the country
you're visiting so everything is open and for me at least, I don't really care
about missing Thanksgiving, a better version happens 1 month later.

~~~
magduf
>Was able to get 6 nights in Japan ... For those who celebrate and enjoy
Christmas, I don't recommend missing Christmas for solo travel overseas, did
that once and felt very isolated. People in the place I was visiting were
celebrating their own Christmases

I'm pretty sure Japan doesn't celebrate Christmas. So if you don't care about
celebrating it, or would really like to just get away from all the Xmas hoopla
(esp. if you're single; Christmas is a terrible time for single people, and
suicide rates go way up at that time of year), Japan seems like a great place
to go. Stay away from the European countries though.

~~~
Thrymr
Japan apparently celebrates Christmas with KFC [0].

[0] [https://www.businessinsider.com/how-kfc-became-a-
christmas-t...](https://www.businessinsider.com/how-kfc-became-a-christmas-
tradition-in-japan-2016-12)

------
dashundchen
I wish we could decarbonize long distance travel. I would love to see more of
the world but I can't justify contributing to climate change for such a
trivial thing. I can limit emissions by doing smaller trips with bike, bus or
train locally, but oceans present a problem.

A round trip transatlantic flight from New York to Berlin emits 2.4 metric
tons of CO2e per person.

[https://co2.myclimate.org/en/portfolios?calculation_id=16976...](https://co2.myclimate.org/en/portfolios?calculation_id=1697638)

The UN says global emissions per capita needs to drop to 1.5 metric tons/year
by 2050 if we have any hope of keeping to a 2C temperature rise this century.

I wonder if there's any hope of electric planes hitting the energy density
needed for commercial airlines, or algae based plane fuel taking off. I would
even use a slower or more expensive mean of travel if it meant the emissions
were drastically reduced.

[https://www.treehugger.com/aviation/worlds-first-flight-
powe...](https://www.treehugger.com/aviation/worlds-first-flight-powered-
by-100-algae-biofuels-completed.html)

~~~
josephv
This sort of hyper-sensitivity to any negative effects of your actions is
absolutely paralyzing, as you clearly demonstrate.

It will keep you from enjoying anything. People believe they shouldn't have
kids because "there's too many people". Or spend the $10 on a reusable bottle
of water they are going to lose instead of buying the $1 and giving $9 to your
cause of choice (charity, church, weed for the homeless).

The only way to really go zero-emissions, which would really benefit everyone
(I guess, by this logic) is to just off yourself.

But I'd argue that you could do more good, have more potential to solve these
problems you are concerned about, by exposing yourself to things outside your
comfort zone. Other places, people, cultures, great works of art and
engineering, and rich experiences.

All of the planes you ride on are going to fly anyway, get out there and get
it!

~~~
toomuchtodo
> People believe they shouldn't have kids because "there's too many people".

This is true though. There are too many people on the planet, and you
shouldn't have kids if it aligns with you beliefs.

Luckily, countries are already headed in that direction (fertility rates below
replacement rate) [1]. But we should do more with carbon tax funds to further
incentivize this outcome.

[1] [https://ourworldindata.org/fertility-
rates/](https://ourworldindata.org/fertility-rates/)

~~~
vibrato
If you’re so sure, why stop at not having kids, why continue being a person?

~~~
toomuchtodo
The changes required to live a more sustainable life aren't out of reach for
most people, and don't require action so drastic.

You're already here, stay for a bit.

~~~
vibrato
I absolutely agree with you, which is why I would never alter my life creation
activities for environmental concerns. If humans wanted to fix our energy
issues we could make a serious push (perhaps 5% GDP) towards nuclear
technologies.

~~~
toomuchtodo
I'm not suggesting we remove agency (yours or otherwise), but there are people
out there that will accept cash to not have children. Efforts like that should
be pursued as long as its entirely voluntary, as not having a child is one of
the most impactful actions someone can perform to reduce damage to the planet
(we're pushing limits at 7.53 billion people already). Economics is a powerful
incentive.

Regarding nuclear, I'm not going to beat a dead horse in this thread.

~~~
magduf
Long-term, I'd like to see anti-aging therapies really work out so that human
lifespans are greatly extended, along with contraception and fertility
technologies perfected so that people only have kids when they're really,
really ready for them (probably after age 50).

As for nuclear, I'll beat the dead horse: we don't need it (at least fission).
We need more renewable power, especially solar, since 1500W/m^3 hits the
Earth's surface all day long. We just need to figure out how to make solar
panels in a more environmentally-friendly manner (better recycling of their
materials, etc.), and deploy them in more places, especially in places where
they don't have negative effects, such as on rooftops, over highways, etc.

Then, we need to figure out how to have humans live in a more environmental
manner, by increasing density. If most of the population lived at the density
of Manhattan or Tokyo, we wouldn't have all these complaints about humans
taking up too much land area.

The problems associated with overpopulation can be solved with technology and
policy, if we really want to.

------
rc_kas
I don't know how Rick Steves came to be, but he is a gem. His show is so
ridiculously wholesome, it's a true joy to watch.

~~~
rconti
As a Northwesterner, it's clear to me how Northwest he is. He's like Ballard
in a person. Or Bellingham.

------
squozzer
I appreciate Rick Steves and always enjoyed his shows.

But reading recent posts on HN about how tourists are ruining Europe (and
other places) makes me wonder if his message has become obsolete.

After all, air travel contributes to climate change. And I for one do not
relish jumping on the QM2 - which surely burns fossil fuels - to spend two
weeks (one week each way) traversing the Atlantic.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Queen_Mary_2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Queen_Mary_2)

Cheap airfares contribute to overtourism. Just ask Dubrovnik.

AirBnB has priced locals out of their own housing markets. Just ask Venice.

That said, I hope he continues doing his thing.

~~~
reidjs
Perhaps ruining specific parts of Europe, but I think it’s unfair to say
tourists have ever ruined an entire country or even city. Usually there’s just
small easily avoidable areas if you don’t want to deal with crowds and
overpriced food. That said I will never travel to Rome, the Bahamas, or Paris
unless forced.

~~~
Mediterraneo10
> Usually there’s just small easily avoidable areas if you don’t want to deal
> with crowds

I recently visited Madrid, a city I lived in nearly 20 years ago. What struck
me was not just the suffocating crowds of tourists in the very center of the
city compared to back then. I also found that what used to be quiet
residential neighborhoods (after all, they lack any particular sights) now had
a distinct amount of tourists walking around with suitcases or backpacks – I
assumed that AirBnB was now spreading tourists throughout the whole city.

~~~
magduf
For the ones in local neighborhoods, as long as they're not overcrowding the
place, or committing crimes or something, you have to remember that all those
tourists are pumping money into the local economy. They're eating food at the
local eateries, they're paying for transport (probably helping fund the local
public transit), they're giving money to local homeowners who then spend at
least some of it locally and hopefully pay some extra taxes, etc. I fail to
see how this is a problem, unless it's just too many of them of course.

------
myroon5
Related thread about more efficient ways to broaden your horizons than
traveling around the world for a week:

[https://twitter.com/juliagalef/status/885211413618212864](https://twitter.com/juliagalef/status/885211413618212864)

She lists examples like reading and hanging out with different people, but I'd
love to hear more alternatives. Trying new hobbies is another great one

~~~
umeshunni
Classic gatekeeping tweet.

~~~
smokeyj
I don't take it that way. In terms of "broadening your horizons" it's easy to
travel and not connect with the local culture. You're just a tourist, window
shopping into the lives of the local people. Strolling through with your
selfie stick to earn social credibility on the Gram.

That said, I think people who enjoy Rick Steves would also be the type to make
an effort to get the authentic experience. Could be my own projection.

~~~
oh_sigh
So what if you don't connect with the local culture? What if that isn't your
point of traveling?

~~~
askafriend
You don’t have to do anything.

The tweet began with a premise. If the premise for travel is “broadening your
horizons” then the assertion is that there are far cheaper, more accessible
ways to do that than hopping on a transatlantic jet and spending a week in a
foreign place. There is a real conversation to be had about the impact of
tourism on local ways of life and local economies (both in good ways and bad).

If the premise for travel is “because I want to”, then by all means go
ahead...

It’d be helpful if people thought a bit more about what other people are
saying and were more charitable about interpretations instead of finding the
first reason to get mad.

~~~
oh_sigh
What if I want to broaden my horizons by visiting the ancient ruins of Rome,
Persia, etc? Or going to observe Mountain Gorilla in Biwindi?

> It’d be helpful if people thought a bit more about what other people are
> saying and were more charitable about interpretations instead of finding the
> first reason to get mad.

I'm not mad - I just think it was a stupid, self-back-patting point.

~~~
askafriend
1\. She stated it was her opinion. She’s not forcing you to do or think
anything.

2\. Her assertion was that she thinks it’s overrated, costly, and inefficient.
You did nothing to address those points.

If you think travel can be cheaper at achieving the premise, is not overrated
at achieving the premise, or that it’s a more efficient ways of achieving the
premise of “broadening horizons” than alternatives then that’s a relevant
conversation. If you can effectively make those points then we’d have a real
conversation on our hands.

Saying it’s “stupid, self-back-patting” is not productive and misses the point
entirely.

~~~
oh_sigh
1\. Yes. And I'm allowed to have opinions on other people's opinions.

2\. Yes, and that is what I take issue with, and yes, I did address the point.
She says that it is 'overrated, super-inefficient way to "broaden your
horizons"', and I said that there is more than one way to broaden your
horizons than to talk to people who live far away from you, such as going to
historical locations or natural settings.

------
ronyeh
Very well written and entertaining article.

The best part is his journal called High Notes, in which he writes his deepest
thoughts while being stoned.

“Make a rug with vacuum marks, so it always looks freshly vacuumed.”

The article also touches on how his obsessiveness has hurt his relationships.
Including how he snapped at his children for not wanting to power-travel like
he does.

------
temp129838
We live in a time where international air travel has become ridiculously cheap
relative to domestic travel. I regularly see roundtrip flights between SFO and
Singapore/HK for ~$600 and RT flights between US and Europe for ~$400 or so,
but expect to pay at least $650 to go between SF<>NY and even $350 just to go
between SF and LA sometimes.

Point is, it's never been cheaper to travel internationally. Enjoy it while
it's still true.

~~~
magduf
It's not just that: everything in the US is ridiculously expensive now, so it
doesn't make sense to travel domestically at all for me any more. I can stay
in very decent hotels in western Europe and Japan for $50/night, but paying
that much in America would put me in a rat-trap. Eating out (hard to avoid
when traveling) is much cheaper in Europe in my experience. And ground
transport is _far_ cheaper in other countries.

America is just plain overpriced. The only thing that's harder about
international travel is that so many people don't speak English in other
countries, but that's also part of the fun of it.

~~~
rconti
Yup; I stayed in a rented room (AirBnB) in Vienna with a few software
developers in their 20s, 25 euro a night. Their penthouse apartment directly
overlooked the Danube. I couldn't believe what a deal I stumbled upon, but
then I found some of the clean budget hotels (Ibis or similar) were like 45
euro a night. In a major European city!

------
akeck
Nothing like Rick Steves and Bob Ross episodes to take the edge of a day.

------
jedberg
My first intro to Rick Steves was when his soothing yet excited voice guided
me through the Louvre via his iPhone app. Ever since then, and time I'm in a
new place in Europe, I always look for one of his guides. He's helped me
through places like Vienna and Budapest. I'm glad he exists.

------
amanaplanacanal
Love Rick Steves, and used his resources to plan a 3 week vacation touring
Italy almost 20 years ago now. It was an amazing trip.

Rick has also been on the board of NORML forever.

Warning: If you travel enough you might come down with "Cosmopolitan bias",
which is evidently a bad thing in some circles.

------
rileyraver57
Step 1 - Have money

~~~
11thEarlOfMar
Yes, you need to have some. But the barrier is getting lower by the year, even
for International travel.

For example:

San Francisco <-> Milan, May 7 - May 20, Norwegian Air+Easy Jet: $598.

Air Bnb for the duration: Central Loft, $70/night, 13 nights, $910. (you can
find much lower as well, if you want to go for the minimum).

Shop local, cook & eat in the apartment, $20/day? $280.

Spend 13 days walking and exploring Milan for under $2,000.

That's not a trivial amount, but it's not the $2,000 air fare and $150 night
hotel and $50 day food type of money, either.

~~~
jrjarrett
> San Francisco <-> Milan, May 7 - May 20, Norwegian Air+Easy Jet: $598.

That's great if you are near a large city like San Francisco.

However, Madison, WI <-> Milan, May 7 - May 20, United: $1304 economy, 21h
travel time.

It IS the $2000 airfare ( or approaching it).

Now, ORD <-> MIL is $687, but MSN -> ORD is at least a 2 1/2 hour trip by car,
longer by bus.

It's a $60/rt ride from Madison to O'Hare on the Van Galder bus. If you drive,
it's whatever cost to take your car plus at least $10/day at ORD.

~~~
eswat
Not sure about unpopular US departure cities but if one is flexible and waits
for deals then it’s doable to find cheap fare even outside of a flight hub.

I used to pay ~$1500 CAD from Ottawa, Canada to Manila, Philippines. Now that
I’m aware of deals and have a flexible schedule/remote-work-policy I scoff at
any trip with the same itinerary that’s > $800.

------
javiramos
How can I watch Rick Steves?

~~~
dashundchen
I don't know if it's available outside the US, but PBS has some of the more
recent episodes online for free: [https://www.pbs.org/show/rick-steves-
europe/](https://www.pbs.org/show/rick-steves-europe/)

~~~
javiramos
Thank you!

------
bigfatfrock
His energy and positivity are both refreshing.

