Re: Need Advice re: Rick Steves 21-day European Tour

In article <iImdnX5wIOOlrZ7eRVn-qA@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, bob <me@xxxxxxx>
wrote:

> You've more than likely gotten the message by now...
>
> First, a minor point. It has always been one of the hobbies of r.t.e. to
> bash Rick Steves, and it's not completely without reason. He made the
> if-this-is-tuesday-... style of travel "legit". To his credit, he has,
> through his books and TV shows, opened up a lot of door to places people
> would not normally go. Others would say he's sent hordes to once secret
> places, the most infamous being Cinqueterre. In all, I think he's done an
> admirable job in some areas, but his timetables are way too hectic. The line
> that has always stayed with me is from one of those 21 days or backdoor
> books, where he goes over an Alpine pass and writes, (paraphrased)"have
> lunch, throw a snowball, shove The Sound of Music into the tape player, and
> head for Austria". Woah boy. Slow down!!!
>
> All that said, this is an outrageously high price for such a trip. You can
> do it on your own,

OK. But that is not the basis of comparison... it is how much do other
organized tours cost.

jay
Wed Aug 17, 2005
mailto:gofig@xxxxxxx



> with a much more sensible plan, for a hell of a lot less.
> I'm not Kreskin, but I'm guessing with kids that age, you're not part of the
> blue-hair set, who I would not discourage from taking a package tour. Many
> people are put of doing things on their own for fear of...I don't know, for
> fear of what, getting lost? Not finding a hotel? Not speaking the language?
> It's much easier than it looks, and you'd have a much better time going to
> fewer places for longer. I wouldn't drive that route in less than a month.
> As far as the kids are concerned, they'll have plenty of time to travel if
> they wish to when they're older. Leave them at home. I remember trips with
> my parents just in North America when I was that age. I'd much rather have
> been at home with my friends for most of them.
.

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