Steve Ricks: Euro-nerd video

Rick Steves recently posted to his blog this amusing spoof video:

Lonely Planet Empire

Rick Steves, last november interviewed Tony Wheeler, the founder of Lonely Planet. Mr Wheeler had recently released a new book, "Unlikely Destinations: The Lonely Planet Story." The book is an account of Mr. Wheeler's travels and the creation of the Lonely Planet empire.

The interview included a discussion of "travel guilt", a guilt common in Britain among travelers who regret traveling because it causes global warming. Carbon credits have become an important issue for travelers concerned with their carbon footprint. You can alculate your travel carbon footprint here.

I was so intrigued by the interview I purchased the book from Amazon.

I personally have always relied on Rick Steves' guides for the lists of museums, churches, and other tourist sites with his simple rating system. I have found that many more tourists travel with the Lonely Planet guides, but I find them a little too wordy on history and events. Rick Steves really "cuts to the chase" of where you should go and why. However, as I start to travel outside of Europe I expect Lonely Planet will be my best option.

Note: The interview from November 24, 2007, is also available as a podcast on iTunes.

Rick Steves Thought of the Day

I have always identified with Rick Steves' ability to find and use hidden gems of knowledge about a city. He litters his books with tips and tricks that save time and money that many guides overlook to pontificate on some factoid that will be obvious once you actually visit.

I found this great quote from The Zen of Journaling on his blog:

Your journey is a facet of your broader life. Journaling thoughtfully relates your travel experiences to your life in general. It brings meaning to eurekas that might otherwise have eluded you. Collecting intimate details on the road and then distilling them into your travel journal sharpens your ability to observe and builds a souvenir you'll cherish for a lifetime.

I always get a virtual high when I travel to a new place, and revisiting my journals is a great way to reproduce that feeling once the vacation is over. On a previous blog post I have mentioned the same phenomenon with collecting souvenirs of my travel, and thinking more about that I realized a big part of reliving the experience is based on sharing the stories of my travels with other.