What's the general consensus of Rick Steves? I think

>>1238024
He's a good guy.

>>1238024
It's between good, mediocre and complete shit.
Interesting to watch but don't take his "suggestions" too serious. He's often talking out of his ass.

It's good armchair tourism, nothing more

>>1238024
I'm not going to watch that rapist's TV show.

Look up his criminal history.

his show is free advertising for his books and seminars

he comes to town here once a year and charges $100 for a 2 hour presentation

problem with his books are he gets special treatment so his advice isn't always the best

>>1238024
If you talk for as long as he is the odds that it's all good advice drops exponentially.

>>1238024
Used to like watching his show on PBS when I was younger. I think it really motivated me to travel.

Don't know how good his guides are, but I agree with OP that his show is comfy af

>>1238024
>look up a video out of curiosity
>he actually uses the word comfy
Kek

His shows are fun to watch but pretty lightweight, as are his guides. I looked at some of them and they're written in a pretty conversational way and don't have as much info as the Rough Guide or Lonely Planet. The seminars (lectures) he does and the videos of them he he posts on youtube are really useful for basic social etiquette in the countries he discusses as well as some tips.

His audience isn't /trv/, though. His audience is really exclusively Americans, especially middle class families. He wants them to have a deeper cultural experience during their 2 weeks of vacation each year, and experience European lifestyles that are different and (in his view) much more balanced.