What do you think of Rick Steves and his travel guides to Europe?

Question by Wickedone: What do you think of Rick Steves and his travel guides to Europe?

I find he's very pro-European to the point that he sugar coats his travel guides to make Europe out to be paradise.

I'd be interested to hear from Europeans on this. Is this guy liked over there or is he a wanker?




Best answer:

Answer by Willeke
I have read his Europe through the back door guide and compared it with several other guides in the same category. I like his writing style and he has good information how to prepare the travels, but he is lacking in details for much of Europe.
If you just follow his guides you will find the people who also read his guide.
But if you follow the spirit of his advice you will learn to travel independently.

I am sure if he writes or has written a guidebook for traveling somewhere else it would also be sugar coated and make the place look like paradise. It is his look on places he travels and his writing style, and I see nothing wrong with that.
And if you read other travel guides, whether they are low budget like the 'let's go' the 'Europe for ? $ a day' or the Lonely planet series, or the ones for more upscale travel, you will still find the authors very much in favor of the country they write about, it comes with the job. They are selling you the place they write about.

Most Europeans do not know about Rick Steves, his books and websites are aimed at visitors from outside Europe and only a small percentage of the Europeans have even heard about them.
I only know his book because I found it in a second hand bookshop, most likely left behind by an American tourist before traveling back home.

I am European and love to travel, on my own continent as well as farther away from home, I agree with Steves that most of my continent is worth visiting, but as with traveling everywhere, you only get out of it what you put in.
If you come to Europe wanting to dish it, you will not enjoy being here.
Like a question I saw earlier today, where the person asking was basically saying that Europe is bad and old while the rest of the world is better and new. A person like that will never enjoy coming to Europe, as his mind is set to hating everything he sees.

What do you think? Answer below!