On Monday evening, I enjoyed a warm welcome in Burlington, Vermont. All over the country, community public television stations like Vermont Public Television are working to stay strong in their mission of keeping one non-commercial spot on the dial healthy. Here you’ll see a few photos from VPT’s Facebook page. It shows the fun I’m having each night as I continue my Road Trip USA 2013.
As you can see from these shots, each stop includes a quick tour of the town; a dinner with special supporters; a big and enthusiastic crowd, generally in a classic old-time theater; and then a meet-and-greet time afterwards. Personally, to meet with so many enthusiastic fans of our shows and travelers who have enjoyed our guidebooks supercharges my teaching battery. I’ll share a rundown on the last half of my road trip in a couple of days. Right now, I’m off to Cleveland, where tonight I speak to a sold-out crowd of almost 1,200.
Happy travels, and thanks to everyone for supporting public television in their communities.
Travelers gather outside Rick’s talk in Westerville, Ohio (just outside of Columbus), to get a guidebook autographed.
I’m midway through my Road Trip USA 2013. In the last week, I’ve been pretty busy. I’ve given talks in Gaithersburg, Maryland (retirement community); Washington DC (travel show); Newark, Delaware (University of Delaware); Salem, Virginia (Roanoke College); Charlotte, North Carolina (World Affairs Council); and Urbana, Illinois (WILL Public Media, at University of Illinois). As I type, I’m on the road to the Westerville Public Library near Columbus, Ohio.
The trip began in Washington, DC, where Keith Stickelmaier, my assistant and driver, picked up our trusty Chevy Suburban. Each day Keith (a guide and tour salesperson from our office) decides how many hours we’ll be on the road to determine our “wheels up” time. After driving an average of five hours, we check in to our hotel and report for duty with whoever’s hosting us. Our Garmin GPS unit is amazing in determining, to within a couple of minutes, what time we’ll arrive in each destination. We’re playing it kind of close, but each day Keith (and his sidekick, Garmin) gets us there right on time. And each day comes with about six hours of public time — meet-and-greet with VIPs, giving talks, recording pledge drives at the local TV station, and so on.
I can maintain that pace fine, but this morning I hosted a breakfast in Urbana with 70 big supporters of that community’s public TV station…and I remembered how grumpy I am before my coffee kicks in.
To pass some of the time between Indianapolis and Columbus, I collected these memories of the trip so far:
After a delightful evening at the University of Delaware, in what locals proudly remind me is our nation’s first state, our serious drive began. Stopping for a few minutes in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, we got a dose of this area’s rich history (especially from the Civil War era)…and how little time we have to dawdle. But we enjoyed the scenery of the gorgeous Shenandoah Valley en route to Roanoke College, in western Virginia.
I got a nice thank-you sweatshirt — my first hoodie — at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia.
Roanoke is a classic little 2,100-student liberal arts college with an enthusiasm for lacrosse and a Lutheran heritage. Because the evening talk filled up as soon as it was announced, I offered to give a second talk — which I gave immediately after checking in to the haunted old guest mansion (Monterey House) that stands on campus. The school leaders are determined to keep their Lutheran heritage alive, and — as I’m a Lutheran — I think that’s one reason I was invited. At the VIP dinner, I was asked which theologian I’ve read that had the biggest impact on my thinking. That reminded me I need to do a little more reading. Giving my second lecture that night, I could feel a tiny cold sore popping out on my lower lip as I spoke — God was speaking to me, as he often does, with a physical reminder that I need to take a break once in a while.
The next morning, we drove to the southernmost stop on our tour: Charlotte, North Carolina. I requested a quick city tour upon arrival, and our guide, a very blond woman in a very white Hummer, picked us up for a wonderful two-hour loop through town. Charlotte, named for the queen of King George III, has a history going back before Revolutionary times. The highlight: visiting a small plantation at the edge of town for a fun peek at life back in the days of “The Unpleasantness” (as the Civil War was called in Dixie), when people routinely “fetched” things.
At my talk that evening in Charlotte, I was introduced as many things (including a divorcee), and my host requested that I not talk about marijuana. I love giving my talk to an audience where I’m not preaching to the choir. Over the 90 minutes of my lecture, I keep an eye on the body language of the men with arms crossed tightly across their chests, dragged there by their artsy spouses. As instructed, I didn’t talk about drug reform. But the first question in the Q&A section was, “I understand you were a leader in the movement to legalize pot in Washington State. How is that going since the election?” Thinking it would be worse to say, “I’ve been instructed not to talk about drugs,” I had no choice but to answer the question.
The low point for me that evening was mistakenly calling Charlotte “Savannah.” Now I know how a confused politician feels, after that little blooper.
We had about 12 hours of driving time from Charlotte to our next stop, in central Illinois. After signing the last autograph in Charlotte, we set out for the Great Smoky Mountains and into Daniel Boone country. I couldn’t stop singing “Daniel Boone was a man, yes a beeeeg man…” But I quickly realized, with some embarrassment, that I only knew the words of a racist variation I heard around the schoolyard in the 1960s.
After finding a sleepy little hotel in the wee hours, we grabbed some shuteye and carried on at sunrise. Emerging from the Smokies, we grabbed a great breakfast at a Waffle House and felt like real tourists, getting all excited about grits. “What do you put on this stuff?”
Keith and Rick
The day was spent driving — nine hours to central Illinois through five states. Coming from the “Evergreen State,” I couldn’t help but notice that all the forests here are deciduous. In the winter, the bird nests are so easy to spot. What a drag for a little mother bird to make a nest for her babies hiding out in the leaves… and suddenly the trees are naked and any big predator can see them easily.
Each time we crossed a big river, I thought how it must have been strategic in colonial days, Daniel Boone days, and Civil War days — but, unlike in Europe, they don’t always have a road sign telling you which river it is.
At each off-ramp, I noticed a forest of colorful logos of eateries and gas stations boosted high in the sky — like fish lures on stilts — trying to catch drivers as they motor by. We passed a lonely sex mall called “Adult World XXX” in the middle of nowhere, whose neighbor had erected a 50-foot tall white cross to shame people dropping by for some dirty video entertainment.
Our routine: Subway sandwiches: Healthy and fast, a long one wrapped in two separate halves provides two meals for $8. As Keith drives, I keep up with office work, thankful for my little “Mi-Fi” gadget that lets me be online from the car. My writing project for this trip: organizing five years of Facebook/blog entries into a new book. I’m enjoying the amazing travel memories that shuffling through all this writing rekindles.
Thirty minutes before our first gig at the University of Illinois, we pulled into Urbana — a town one local bragged is “uniquely un-unique.” Actually, I thoroughly enjoyed a tuned-in and enthusiastic crowd of travelers who gathered to hear my talk and support their public TV and radio station, WILL, at the same time. I’ve been on WILL TV for 20 years. My last visit here was 15 years ago, for a pledge event. Seven years ago, when I started my radio program (which is now carried by over 200 stations), Urbana’s WILL was the third station to pick me up. For that, I am grateful.
Coming up: Bloomington, Indiana (WTIU); St. Louis (KETC), where I say goodbye to Keith and start flying; Burlington, Vermont; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; a quick stop at WGBH in Boston; Cleveland; and Chicago to talk at the Rockford Public Library…before heading home to pack for Egypt.
At each stop, the wonderful people who host me wish us “safe travels” as we head out. I wish they’d just say “happy travels.”
Overlooking the commotion of the Washington DC Travel and Adventure Show.
Last week, I embarked on my second annual “Road Trip USA.” I had such a wonderful time doing my cross-country trip last year, I just had to do it again — this time focusing on a dozen fine communities in the Eastern Seaboard, South, and Midwest.
My trip this year began in and near our national’s capital. I kicked things off giving two talks at Asbury Methodist Village retirement community in Gaithersburg, Maryland. I could spend the entire year doing talks like these, as “progressive care organizations” pay well to have me give a talk at their facility (partly to attract prospective retirees who may want to move in). And I really enjoy these talks — I find older audiences impressively young at heart.
From there, I spent the weekend giving two talks each day (travel skills and Italy) as the headliner for the Washington DC Travel and Adventure Show. They pay us well to have a booth there and for me to give my talks, as they need to attract lots of people to pay the $10 admission. These talks are challenging for me because there’s a huge crowd and the venue is immersed in travel-fair commotion — noisy booths, other speakers just behind a curtain, and folk-dance shows. Our booth was really lively, and we gave away 3,000 newsletters and mounds of tour promotional material.
I enjoy checking in with the other speakers at these shows. This time, I got to hang out with Arthur Frommer a bit. My travel writing inspiration and mentor is a gracious man, still teaching travel as he has since his first book back in the mid-1950s. The first thing Arthur asked me was, “And how is your son, Andy’s, little tour business going?”
My DC time was also busy because of everything else going on in that city. My daughter, Jackie, just happened to be flying in for an alumni gathering at Georgetown. She needed a place to crash, so she moved into my hotel room for two days. I wasn’t sure how she’d feel sharing a hotel room with her old man — but it didn’t matter, as she spent each night out with her college friends, and I barely saw her.
“Filling up” a Tesla, it’s not regular or unleaded…it’s AC or DC.
I enjoyed breakfast with the Egyptian tourism director, who assured me Egypt is stable enough for Western travelers to feel comfortable. (I’ll see if that’s true, in person, next month.) One evening I taped a pledge drive at WETA. The next I went to the European Union Ambassador’s mansion for a party. Jackie couldn’t believe I was heading out to the party without a tie, so I bought one at the hotel gift shop on my way out. That turned out to be a very good move. Ambassadors from nearly a dozen smaller European countries were invited there to meet me over drinks. I enjoyed being lobbied by each of them to give their country — from Belgium to Latvia to Greece — more attention. The EU is underwriting our radio program, and this evening provided a great opportunity for me to connect with them. It’s rare that I meet people as enthusiastic about Europe as a whole (rather than individual countries) as I am. The EU staff is evangelical about Europe.
As I’m newly elected to the board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, my last DC night was spent at dinner connecting with the director and founder of NORML. The three of us talked about the drug policy reform business and coordinating a good plan to build upon our recent victories in Washington State and Colorado.
My DC highlight was taking a few minutes to test drive a Tesla. Wow. I have never had such an exciting driving experience. Completely electric, with almost no moving parts, no gears, a big bright touchscreen computer terminal for a control pad, and rocket-like acceleration, I felt I was piloting the jet-like car of the future as I zipped giddily around our nation’s capital. (Too bad about the price tag.)
I was recently asked these questions, and thought you might enjoy the answers:
We’ll be traveling abroad with our kids in 2013. Is there one must-have item for an international family vacation?
I believe kids should have their own money belt, an expanded “vacation allowance,” and the responsibility to manage their funds and understand the foreign currency. They should also keep (as a precondition for getting the expanded allowance) a trip journal with meaningful thoughts and observations. That will end up being their favorite souvenir.
I’ve noticed that on your PBS show, you often carry a day bag. What’s inside?
In my day bag, I carry a camera, a sweater, an extra pencil, travel notes, my script (when making TV), a small water bottle…and, very often, a small ham-and-cheese sandwich swiped from the breakfast buffet.
When traveling to a foreign country, how important is knowing the native language? Are there any apps or books that you recommend for translation?
While I wish I spoke a foreign language (and Ireland is one of my favorite countries partly because, when hanging out with locals there, I have the sensation that I’m understanding a foreign language), I find that speaking the local language is not important for the basic needs of a traveler. For the same reason, I personally haven’t used a phrase book much, and I don’t think I’d bother with an app. A bold spirit of adventure, a dollop of common sense, and a big smile are all I need to communicate in my travels. These days, you’ll find anyone who’s young, well-educated, and/or working in tourism very likely to speak English.
What new places will you be visiting in 2013?
The West Bank (Palestinian Territories), Alexandria in Egypt, and Reykjavik. This summer, I’ll be taking a Rick Steves’ Scotland tour and expect to learn plenty as I visit some exciting new places with our Scottish guide. I’ll cap my travel year by taking a cruise on the Baltic Sea (working on our new Northern European Cruise Ports guidebook — coming out in its first edition this July). I’ll jump ship in St. Petersburg, Russia, where I’ll spend about five days, then stop by Iceland on my way home for my first-ever visit there.
We are just about the only guidebook publisher who still endeavors to visit–in person–every sight in our top-selling titles every year. (And even our lowest-selling titles get a personal visit every other year.) That’s a lot of territory to cover, and we have a team of talented and hardworking researchers who are preparing to set out on their annual research rounds. While I still enjoy the work and wish I could do it all myself, it’s just far too much for me to cover in the 60 to 80 days I dedicate to guidebook research each year. Each spring, we meet with our researchers to review our strategy and share advice on smart researching. Here are just a few of the tips that came up this year:
Tourist Information
To identify English-speaking locals, look for young people who are well-educated and/or work in tourism.
The TI clerk may freeze up when they realize you’re a “journalist”; therefore, just ask questions as a confused tourist as long as you can.
Many tourist information offices (TIs) are now privatized–and have become ad agencies in disguise. Use them, but be savvy. Recognize when TIs are pushing their own pay phone numbers (when a toll-free alternative may still be available) or talking up hotels and tour companies that buy their favor. Be skeptical of gimmicky sights, restaurants, and activities that advertise in the TI magazines–in many places, a TI seal of approval means only that that outfit gave them money. TI scorn is likely just a blacklisting of small businesses that refuse to buy into their game.
Hotels and Restaurants
When visiting hotels and restaurants, to be sure you have the correct contact details, write your research notes on the establishment’s business card. Cross your 7s–European-style–so you don’t mistake them later for sloppy 1s.
Look for decals on doors of hotels and restaurants to see which guidebooks and organizations recommend them. If it’s in all the guidebooks, that’s a negative.
At a hotel, pretend you intend to sleep there, and ask for only one night. That way, you’ll be considered as “undesirable” as possible, so you’ll be offered the worst-scenario price and see their hardest-to-sell room. Don’t worry about the quality of beds–the days of saggy beds are past. And if we cover something in one listing, it needs to be consistent and specific in all the others.
Walk different routes to maximize your learning about neighborhoods where we recommend hotels. Also be sure to walk through these neighborhoods late at night to gauge possible lowlife and noise problems. We won’t necessarily delete a place with these problems, but we need to be candid and warn people who might find this a problem. Don’t let hoteliers edit our listings. If they are above a porn shop and don’t want us to mention it, ignore their request. The listing is not a paid ad. They are lucky to be in the book at all.
Museums
List when the museum actually closes, not when they shut the ticket window. If researching during the off-season, be sure to ask about peak-season hours.
Combo-tickets are generally a scheme designed to let mediocre sights that few people will pay to visit enjoy the coattails of sights that everyone will see at any price. The disadvantage of combo-tickets: They cost more. The advantage: You can buy your ticket at the unpopular sight and walk directly into the popular sight without waiting in line (examples: Correr Museum for the Doge’s Palace in Venice; Palatine Hill for the Colosseum in Rome).
Nothing temporary is worth knowing about for your guidebook research. Don’t be distracted by something that won’t be there anymore by the time the book is published.
Be a cultural lint brush. Live the book. Stay on top of your research. Try your hardest not start the next town until all your notes from the last town are carefully typed up. Remember: The quality and thoroughness of the work you do will impact thousands of travelers next year, and will make for more happy travels than you can imagine.
