Gotta love Rick Steves.......

[marmar]

Yes, he's a big nerd. And yes, he has worn that same pair of khakis to every corner of Europe. .....

But I'm watching him on PBS now, appearing on Pledge appeals during breaks between his travel shows, and he's such an unapologetic liberal. "Travel is a mind-opening experience that promotes tolerance and understanding ..... that would clearly benefit some in this country."

And he "gets it" when it comes to the point of travel.....even if I don't like some of his budget tips, like sleeping in a barn in Switzerland.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. I find him completely uncharming and unappealing.

Yet I can't help but watch his show for some reason.

[Kid Dynamite]

2. Rick Steves is not a trustyworthy political commentator

His comments on Iran, while somewhat veiled and underhanded as he always is, were especially distrubing.

[blondeatlast]

5. "Distrubing?" Just what did he say that upset you? nt

[Kid Dynamite]

11. His support for the Westernization of Iran

Unfortunately I saw the episode quite some time ago and can not provide any specific quotes, even from memory.

[EFerrari]

19. I loved that episode and didn't see it as him advocating "westernization" at all

but more as myth exploding and bridge building. I thought he did a great job.

[Kid Dynamite]

21. Ultimately any "accord" between the United States and Iran

seems to rest on Iran becoming a client state of the US. Now that can happen in other ways than "westernization" true (Saudi Arabia) but they are all unpleasant.

[EFerrari]

23. Well, I don't disagree with that. But Rick's segment seemed subversive to me

insofar as he invited us to be with actual Iranians without imagining them all to be the enemy.

[Kid Dynamite]

25. Agreed that he wasn't bellicose

but his comments are still largely in the service of the weepy sentimentality and crocodile-infested waterworks that "humanitarians" turn off and on as needed depending on the needs of their agenda.

[DebbieCDC]

10. FYI - He's not a political commentator

[omega minimo]

17. He's a human being and entrepreneur who makes personal & political comments about our world

[Kid Dynamite]

18. You say that like its a compliment

[fishwax]

20. I've agreed with most of the comments I've heard him make

The only things I've heard him say about Iran were all about presenting a more humanized image of Iran than one gets from the mainstream media, back when it seemed like the bush administration was ramping up for an invasion.

[blondeatlast]

3. Always liked the guy and Anthiny Bourdain, too. They don't do the "tourist" thing,

they go to the heart of their destination.

I always love how Bourdain ends up sitting down at a family table almost every time.

[peacebird]

4. i *love* Rick Steves! His tip got us in to the key ceremony in the Tower of London!

It was very cool! I always make sure to check out his books whenever I travel - his "off the beaten path" travel ideas have shown us some lovely, unspoiled areas!

[liberal_at_heart]

6. I love Rick Steves

He is right. I think world travel is a great way to learn tolerance and understanding. Trouble is many people whether conservative or liberal don't want to learn tolerance. They just want to go on justifying their own brand of prejudice, intolerance, and hatred. I've never had a passport before but I do want to travel so I plan on gettin one very soon. In fact I would love to live abroad someday.

[MajorChode]

7. If you spend any time at all in Europe, you definitely sense the differences in tolerance

It's quite easy to hop on a train in Europe and within a very short period of time get exposed to a completely different culture. In the US, most live their entire lives without ever owning a passport. That's not to say you HAVE to own a passport to be tolerant, but it certainly helps. Small-mindedness is epidemic in the US and there are too many who think they can just live in their fishbowl and shit on everyone else.

[DebbieCDC]

8. Rick Steves is great

And I found his show on Iran to be enlightening and informative. He wasn't pushing any ideology, just showing the people and their culture.

[Libertas1776]

9. I love watching his shows

and agree with pretty much everything he says...however, he strikes me as someone who would be boring as sin to travel with.

[marmar]

13. Oh no doubt.....I'd love to talk to him, and enjoy his shows.....

.... but I can't imagine traveling with him. My idea of nightlife would be a club crawl in Madrid, not a folk dancing show in some small Alpine town. :)

[Bluenorthwest]

24. Rick's idea of nightlife starts in a coffee shop in Amsterdam

and is fairly inclusive of various experiences. He teaches the tourists who come to him to do so as well.

[Loge23]

12. Rick in Amsterdam

...just saw that rerun this AM.
Don't know his politics, but we swear by his tips. We use his books everytime we go abroad without complaint.
I do agree with his very liberal opinion on marijuana which he highlights a coffeeshop in this episode.
Most guidebooks avoid these places, Rick rates them!

[fishwax]

14. yeah, he's on the NORML Advisory Board

:smoke:

[Tesha]

29. We love Rick Steves for his travel advice, but...

...when we heard him speak at the ACLU Biennial Meeting
in Seattle a few years back on the topic of Marijuana
law reform, we became Rick Steves loyalists for life.
He's just as clear and well-spoken for that cause as
he is for his style of traveling.

Meeting him face-to-face was a great pleasure.

(Another speaker was Seattle's ex chief-of-police
Norm Stamper who is now a very strong advocate of
reforming both the laws and the approach of law
enforcement.)

Tesha

[tigereye]

15. ah, he's great - very earthy and wants to see where folks who live in Europe

actually live, work, shop and eat.

[On the Road]

16. I Love Steve's Guides and Phrase Books

Being a nerd gets him an audience who would never watch Anthony Bourdain. He really opens up more independent and adventurous travel methods to the more conservative middle class.

I love that fact that he encourages people to try to speak a few words of the language and go outside the tourist industry to talk with locals and do business the way they do. For me, it's led to a lot of interesting stories and encounters.

Traveling Rick Steves's way is the polar opposite of a guided tour. It is "a mind-opening experience," and the more Americans who do it, the better it is for this country.

[fizzgig]

22. i dig rick steves

i watch him a couple times a week and i love it.

the funniest thing i've ever seen on his show, though, was an outtake during the credits during which he flubbed a line, said oh shit and turned around. i was :rofl: at the thought of him swearing.

[tridim]

26. He's my absolute favorite unexpected pothead.

He's very outspoken about it too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y2gHGOVsfA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyabv_0Cvxs

[GoCubsGo]

34. I never would have guessed...

Wow! Heh!

[SalviaBlue]

27. I am a Rick Steves fan.

[comrade snarky]

28. We've called him "The Travel Nerd" for years

I knew he was all for tolerance, learning about each other and that kind of thing but it wasn't until I had the chance to hear him speak that I realized what a leftist he is. I don't know if he's a Democrat but he sure ain't no Republican.

His philosophy of travel has been a huge influence on me. I appreciate the emphasis he puts on being open to the experience and rolling with the unplanned. Meeting the people in addition to seeing the things. I know that's not exactly unusual in the travel world but he's brought it to a mass audience in a way that hadn't been done before. Though, yeah, I'd rather eat glass than go to a folk dance recital like he does sometimes.

If you haven't heard his radio show, check it out. It's free on iTunes. Lot's of interviews with guides\experts from all over the world and some international politics as well. It's worth a listen.

[marshall]

30. Most people don't see the value of travel

I know most of my friends think I'm just wasting my money when I go to Machu Picchu or Uluru with money I could have bought a big screen television with or something.

But then I always meet like minded folks on the trip.

[WolverineDG]

31. "You only have ONE TV?? But you've been to Australia!"

(actually said to me by someone who owns more than one gargantuan TV)

Uluru rocks! I was there 10 years ago tonight.

dg

[KT2000]

32. he hosted a legalize

marijuana show that ran in the northwest.
There's one thing you can say about him - he does not live in fear!!

[TheCentepedeShoes]

33. I Like Rick

Not much aware of his politics or pot stance
Kind nerdy myself
If I could get a life do-over I would like to be the female RS

[KakistocracyHater]

35. yep, I saw him go into Iran last month or so..........I LOVE him

great guy.