Guide Books & Rick Steves

I'm one of those people who hates to read instruc-tions. I would rather figure things out myself. But planning a trip to Europe involved too many things I knew nothing about. So I began by scanning through the Frommers and Fodors guide books from our public library. I chose those simply because I had heard of them before. The results were informative, but dull. Whenever I needed more precise information, they didn't have it. The layouts were not engaging. Reading them did not make me want to visit the area more.

One drawback most guide books have is an unwillingness to pass judgement on anything mentioned in the book. They want to be an encyclopedia of information, so they cover everything without judgement. But judgement is exactly what I need when faced with a seemingly infinite number of choices. I can always choose to ignore or disagree with that judgement, based on other information I might have. If you were someone from France reading a guide book on the USA, would you expect the chapter on Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma to be as thick as the chapter on New England or California? Of course not. Yet that is exactly the type of thing you find in an effort at even handedness.

Then I discovered Rick Steves. It was exactly what I needed. The European travel writer/guru and PBS mainstay has made it his goal to make European travel less daunting to Americans. His guide books are full of personal anecdotes, secret tourist treasures and yes, judgement. He acknowledges that there are certain sights that everyone wants to see and he gives precise instructions on the best way to see those sights. But he also directs you to less common sights he found rewarding. He provides priceless tips on transportation connections, restaurants, lodging and entertainment - all from the perspective of a person who has actually ridden the same rails or driven the same road, eaten the same food, seen the same rooms and the same shows he is recommending to his readers.

As a practical matter, it is simply not possible to include that kind of detailed information about every corner of a country. To solve that problem, Rick Steves does the obvious; he ignores the areas of a country tourists are unlikely to visit. You can be critical of that kind of brutal editing. But it is entirely practical. If you have reason to visit areas not covered in his books, there are other guide books to read, and he encourages you to do so. We have, as well. But Rick's books are priceless for 90% of places we want to visit.

But more than just a repository for practical information, Rick's books are infused with his travel philosophy - to travel cheaply and efficiently - to experience one culture at a time and to do that by visiting both urban and rural areas - to pack lightly and smartly - to interact with the locals, learn a bit of the language, and try some local food - to embrace differences and understand that there are over 6 billion equally valuable human beings in the world - that, while they may admire Americans, most of them do not wish to be Americans. More than anything, travel is life intensified - addictive in a way that is entirely healthy.

However, there are times when you need to find out more about an area Rick's books don't cover, or just want a second opinion. For those times, I would highly recommend the Lonely Planet series. These have the broadest and most detailed information I have found of any conventional guide book series. They are geared toward budget travelers and also include a bit of judgement when it comes to the quality of some attractions, restaurants, lodging and transportation choices.

Whichever book series you choose, use it as a springboard for further research on your own and over the internet. There are so many online sources out there any attempt to list them all would be dizzying. Just start doing web searches. Read reviews and discussion boards (including Rick Steves' own at http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm), see photos and other travelers' blogs and online photos. Look for books from your local library including personal accounts of travel to the places you are interested in and histories of that area, as well as works of fiction set in that location. Everything adds depth to your understanding of an area, and for me at least, is almost half the fun of going at all...