Exit Row Seat

For most people travel is momentary, often it feels like you returned before you left as the post vacation glow subsides and work crowds in again. When my travel energy needs a recharge between trips I turn to my favorite travel writers:
Rick Steves‘ guidebooks made our first European vacations a simple delight. Rick’s potted [...]

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The Australian is reporting that BBC Travel has bought Lonely Planet from the founders, Tony and Maureen Wheeler who retain a 25% stake in the company. Let’s hope the BBC maintains the vision and continues to support us travellers with the vast array of material provided by Lonely Planet.

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Tired, disheveled travellers rush off the Eurostar platform to join a long line of people waiting for a London cabbie to get them to their London digs. We walked past them, crossed the road and a few minutes latter stowing our bags at reception before heading off to explore London. As we bought tickets [...]

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Travelling to Europe this year, read Rick Steves‘ country by country travel update in the Seattle Times.
Florence deals with its floods of tourists and congested museums by requiring reservations to enter several of its top attractions. The easiest way to make reservations for the Uffizi Gallery (Renaissance art) and Accademia (Michelangelo’s David) is to [...]

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Sitting on dinner tables, peaking from coat pockets or hiding the readers’ faces in museums, the casual observer sees the ubiquitous Rick Steves’ guidebook throughout Europe. Their wrinkled clothed owners briskly walking from one Rick experience to the next, following the guidebook as if it is the path to enlightenment.
In Rothenberg, Rick’s back door [...]

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