My friend Michael Shapiro recently did an (Google-able) article for the Washington Poston a little scandal caused when Lonely Planet author Thomas Kohnstamm admitted he cheated on his guidebook research chores. The media jumped on this to discredit the world’s greatest guidebook publishing company and Michael wanted my take on things. I thought you might enjoy the interview.
Michael: I’m working on a Washington Poststory about guidebooks and how they’re written. As you may guess, the jumping-off point is LP’s Kohnstamm and his recent comments about plagiarism, payment, trading positive coverage for favors, and his claim that he didn’t visit some of the places he wrote about.
Rick:It is a trust to write and research a guidebook. The formula is more shoe leather than genius. While LP is not updated as often as I’d like it to be, that is the nature of the book business when you are trying to stay in business. It’s not easy to both publish good guidebooks and be profitable. I have always found LP books to be among the best and fear this Kohnstamm thing is a bit of a anomaly.
Michael:Do you visit all the places mentioned in the books? If not, from where do you get the information?
Rick:I visit virtually every place mentioned in all my books. Lately, as our scope has grown, I have research assistants and co-authors helping. On a rare occasion I will list something as an option without visiting it but am careful to give it no opinion or assessment, just explain that it exists (e.g. an embassy, tourist office branch, or Laundromat). In these cases, I get the info from the tourist office or from people who run hotels who rely routinely and happily on that service for their clients. I guess my biggest “cheat” is listing a remote agriturismo someone I trust raved about. But, again, in this case I am careful simply list it with no assessment.
Michael:Washington Post travel editor KC Summers told me you’re open about taking freebies — do you feel this can affect your recommendations in any way? Are freebies or discounts inevitable? Do you disclose that you accept some discounts or freebies?
Rick:I take freebies. I know many journalists make a huge point about not taking freebies to avoid corruption (and then proceed to write as shills for the local tourist industry). My job is to sort through all the come-ons and deceptive advertising and bogus sights and activities and distill things down for my American readership, which has the shortest vacation in the rich world, along with a dollar in the tank.
I was in Portugal last week. In six nights in Lisbon, I slept in three different hotels — all for no charge. One was provided by the tourist board — a fancy “design hotel” which I did not like. Staying there affirmed my feeling that “design hotels” are passionate about “function follows form” — bad news for my travel priorities. The two other places have been in my books for years. One is reported (from my reader feedback) dirty. The other has prostitutes loitering on that block. By staying at each place, I’ll know them more intimately (the hotels). Ironically (and don’t tell them), a place that gives me a free room is more likely to be down-graded or dropped from my guidebook because by actually sleeping there I’ll learn about a noise problem in the wee hours, thin walls, or horrible breakfast that I might not discover with a quick visit. (I believe anyone who claims to actually sleep in all their recommended accommodations has a small book or is lying.)
Many small guesthouses have been in my books for years. I send them a quarter of their business and they would never want to charge me. I believe I am incorruptible when it comes to my listings. I have never hidden that fact that I take free rooms and a free meal now and then. One night last week I popped into three different fado bars to check out the music and ambience. I told them what I was doing, paid for nothing, and had a very productive night assessing where my readers might want to go for their local musical experience next year.
Michael:Beyond his inflammatory comments, Kohnstamm raised larger issues — not enough time to visit all the places listed, incentives to accept freebies that could affect judgment, and so on that he suggests affect many writers and guidebooks. Your thoughts?
Rick:My understanding is that guidebook researchers and writers are generally no longer getting royalties. This demoralizes a hard worker. I believe I’m one of the few travel writers today still getting royalties. That makes my pay based on the quality of my work and the long term loyalty I have to the project. I stick with my publisher and with my readers and with my guidebooks through thick and thin. Consequently, I make good money with the books.
Michael:How many titles do you now sell?
Rick:I have 30 titles on the bookshelves now and sell probably about half a million books a year.
Michael:How many total books per year are sold worldwide?
Rick: I have no idea. But I do know that 12 million Americans travel to Europe each year and I believe that the very best selling guidebook to any European country from the USA (which happens to by my Italy guidebook) sells well under 100,000. In other words, there’s plenty of business for all the travel guidebook publishers. The challenge for all of us guidebook writers and publishers is to impress upon the traveling American public that guidebooks are $20 tools for $3,000 experiences and to travel without one is classically pennywise and pound foolish.
The whole scope of your job fascinates me. It just seems so exciting! I didn’t realize that you had written so many guidebooks. I will have to check them out. They are relatively inexpensive considering that they offer a wealth of information.
The perks sound like fun, but they aren’t exactly free if you are often returning the favor with free advertising.
Imagine how cool it would be to stay in hotels for free and just skip around the the sensual world, savoring every minute!
Do you ever post travel photos on your blog or someplace else? I’d love to peek at the places before they air.
Where can I find out when to start TiVoing the handsome Rick Steves again?
Jess from Glenside, PA
Cute photo on the Where’s Rick page. I was wondering if you will ever be doing any speeches or book signings in the Philadelphia area. I would love to take a photo with you for my silly blog. I have admired your work for a while now, and would love the opportunity to shake your hand and have a brief conversation. I am especially looking forward to seeing your Sweden show. My grandmother is from a town south of Stockholm. Will you be venturing away from the capital?
What a great topic to write about–I have read many travel books and must say I become disappointed at times…There are some that I have read that are skewed and misrepresent a country, for example: if an author favors a location he/she may fabricate the history and contributions of a civilization to make it look better–to me the most important thing in a tour book I am going to pay for is to represent a country historically correct–I now go to the library and take out “The Teaching Company” dvd’s, which are professors from top universities holding classes on history, art, country contributions etc. I now honestly believe that before a travel book is written it should be reviewed by top professors, so paying customers can get the correct information….I believe there is more to travel than restaurants and hotels…thanks for trying to keep your books as accurate as possible and fun reading at the same time….
I think your freebies policy is right on. I’ve used Lonely Planet guidebooks on occasion, generally for countries you don’t provide guidebooks for, and to the extent there’s any direct research in there, it’s watered down and pretty much useless. With a Rick Steves guidebook, it reads like a set of very comprehensive recommendations and advice from a seasoned friend–with Lonely Planet and other guidebooks, it’s more like a phone book. The point about royalties is an interesting one, and probably has a lot to do with the different levels of personal investment on the part of authors and researchers evident in such books–I wonder whether the business model might ever change in the wake of such scandals. Interesting food for thought.
I trust your books enough not to be overly concerned about freebies, since you have spent decades building your reputation. I don’t know if you include a disclaimer in you introductory sections but that would be a good idea. If there is a significant change in a property (downgrade, addition, subtraction) a disclosure on that particular property might be in order. That being said, how anyone makes big money in the business is a mystery to me.
I’ve looked into guidebook writing and the amount paid (a flat fee)isn’t nearly enough to pay travel expenses. As a result a lot of guidebooks are written, not by travelers, but by locals, which can bias the writing, either by favoring friends or by not seeing a place through the eyes of a traveler. Overall, I think that travelers need to research the destination using multiple sources of information. With so many internet sites publishing the reviews and photos of real travelers, the days of the guidebook may be coming to an end.
Rick, I agree wholeheartedly with the last sentence of your article. I spent $3,050 (airfare, hotel, sights, food, and souvenirs) on my one-week vacation in Rome last month. Your Rome 2008 guidebook (purchased at Barnes & Noble for around $20) made my vacation FOUR TIMES BETTER than expected, and I had planned the trip for two years! Take all of the freebies that you want. As long as you keep turning out great guidebooks I’ll happily be a member of the “Rick Steves Nation.”
I have never written a guide book, and in spite of all my travel, I never will. I have written books about our travel, I call them “Why Not Travel†books, not “How to Travel.†The other thing unique about my books, they are not for sale. Several years ago, a couple of weeks after self-publishing three books, my Beautiful Sweetie had a stroke, and selling books was the farthest thing from my mind. I have given many away, but the closet is still nearly full. My books just tell about what we saw and what we enjoyed. Our 968 nights in Europe, included only 23 nights in a hotel, usually our first night or two, while we looked for a RV, the only way to fly, for us. Also we said, “Eat to travel, don’t Travel to Eat.†Remember, the clerk in a grocery or a bakery is thrilled to meet an American, a waiter or bellhop is thrilled to get a tip. The most important things I could recommend, is that you should have a reason to travel. We wanted to meet the people, see the architecture, and explore the country side. We often didn’t know which country we would spend that night, but we knew it would be a fascinating day. And I have not, and never would recommend our travel style for anyone else. Even our friends in Europe could not imagine driving a RV 87,000 miles in about 30 countries, including 9 visits to Paris, and 4 in Rome. Each time we visited Venice, it must have been after a heavy rainfall, the streets were always flooded, so we didn’t drive there.
This is an entry I have to comment on. Speaking about tour books, I’d like to write about the city that Rick is in right now…Athens years ago was a backwater in Europe, people stopped long enough to see the mandatory sights, since the olympics the city has changed much and tour books are noticing…Time Out Athens, Frommer’s, Lonely Planet and a variety of newspaper articles are saying wonderful things, …years ago Athens was no more than a one day stop. When visiting Athens now, people can savor it’s history with a lovely ancient promenade that incorporates lovely neoclassical homes, churches, small museums (the new benaki islamic museum) etc..along this walkway. Many new museums will be opening soon, including a modern art museum. Athens still has a lot of grit, but that’s what makes it interesting. It’s great to see that some tour books are doing great research and giving you a wonderful feel of the places they are writing about.
Rick, We have looked at all the guide books before we exclusively started buying yours, and the bottom line is you make the books so much more interesting and entertaining on a vacation. When I am on vacation I want it to be light, I am not in a college classroom studying the country. We have always caught your inside humour when we are in the oddest places! I have always found 90% to be acurate, I think restaurants are the hardest, because they change all the time. This year in Orvieto the laundry that was listed had already gone out of business. But you have helped us resolve many things on a long trip! Thanks!
Rick: I will concur with Joseph that your books have saved me money,time and have improved my experiences abroad. I think the thing about guide books is that you don’t understand how valuable or worthless they are until you lug them around on a trip with you. I have found your books to be the best references to travel with and recommendations sound, at least for the way I like to travel. The orientation section is especially good for preparing people on how to get out of the airport in a timely fashon, using mass transportation and how to handle the financial stuff (ATMs the way to go).I’m heading back to Paris this year (hopefully, no train strike this time!) and your book will be with me again! Cheers! Ed Brown
My wife and I have traveled to multiple US cities over the last three years and we agree that Rick Steves-style guidebooks are sorely needed for American cities. We had great trips solely because we did tons of Internet research rather than relying on a book. TJ has it right. Other travel books tend to be more like phone books than GUIDE books that contain real recommendations you can rely on.
Rick, I agree with Judy your books are very entertaining and fun to have on holiday. Having your books in Paris and Rome was great. To me walking around european cities is like being in a history book, and you inject a fair amount of information: it’s nice to know what’s behind the paintings in the Louvre and why the colisseum was built. Keep up the good work! And your humor is exceptional, I look at the Mona Lisa in a different light thanks to you. Happy travels
Rick Your walking tours in the books…… 1) handy as they can be done anytime….. 2) fun and informative….ie Amsterdam Joordan walk, colosseum and many others…. 3) save the cost of hiring a guide (although guides are often excellent and a good idea also)…… 4) a sense of self satisfaction on doing a great tour on your own at your own pace…. 5) liked the bejinhof courtyard in Joordan tour ,… very nice, a hidden gem Thanks again.
bias is the given. There is no absolute objectivity. Any author, even on a more benign subject, like, oh say, world’s sexiest lingerie, will show bias. What is evident with this organization is that ordinary bias does not undermine the consistent demonstration of honesty, integrity, and wine drinking. For as long as this company upholds these eternal verities it deserves our loyal patronage…many thanks
I thought the whole point of becoming a travel writer is so you can get free travel perks…just like the whole point of being a news writer is to feign shock and exasperation over perfectly mundane things.
The problem with anything free as it might turn out like this: So, thank you Mr Hotel manager, your property was without doubt the most thought provoking accomodation of my trip. It was simply an amazing hotel room, of course, it had a view to die from, and I noted the somewhat rectilinear wall construction as well as the fact that you have shorn the shag carpeting to minimize accumulation of toenail clippings. The bleeding edge trendiness of mismatched fixtures and your environmental sensitivity in preserving a rare colony of shower mold was quite evident. So captivated was I with my room, I elected to sleep with the light on, as the lamp emitted a curious scurrying sound whenever it was turned off. Your staff was most kind in tolerating my presence, cleverly omitting my wakeup call in a way that can almost be described as psychic…obviously they must have anticipated the sleep depravation caused by the cacophony of elevator machinery adjacent to my room, as well as the anti-chiropractic effects of the well used bed…their thinking must have been that it was better to permit me to miss my flight home than subject me to any further disturbance. I was going to stay longer, but it literally felt like something was gnawing at me to get going. Naturally, with your staff being the discreet service professionals that they are, any offer of assistance with my luggage was cleverly concealed behind a public veil of well practiced indifference. It is with much regret that my travels may take me far away from your hospitality, but the memories of my stay will always remain indelibly etched between C1 and C7.
We have made two long trips to Europe: one for 8 months and the other for a full year. The heaviest thing in our luggage were the 6 or 7 Rick Steves books we took with us. We could not have done what we did and met the people we did, and enjoyed the countries we saw without those books. Please don’t change what you do in writing them. We have made wonderful friends from your recommended B and B’s and hotels. Keep doing what you do Rick! Paula and Tony Oppermann
It never occurred to me to wonder if Rick accepts freebies. Abstractly, I would suppose that would matter to me a great deal. To my surprise I find it doesn’t. I guess I trust Rick.
Very interesting look into the world of guidebook production. Travel happy!
Rick, although initially I was surprised to learn you accept freebies, after a bit of thought I realized it makes sense. Having used your books for about nine years, I have seldom disagreed with your assessments. What we need, though, is for you to add Slovakia to your Eastern Europe and/or Czech guidebooks. Having recently used LP’s guidebook in visiting Slovakia, I was disappointed in how much more difficult the maps were to follow and dismayed that written directions didn’t exist. I love your easy-to-follow instructions, like: “Turn left out of the bus station, go three blocks downhill and turn right at the statue of the mermaid.” Carlienne (cafrisch@hickorytech.net)
I’m not so sure I buy into the ‘this is OK school of thought’. In reading your books and watching your shows I assumed you paid for all your lodging, meals and transportation, simply because I never read or heard otherwise. Especially so on your television shows and DVDs. In fact in your books you describe how, when traveling in Europe you call ahead late in the day to ask if rooms are available at the smaller hotels and b&bs. But I never read into this the rooms were free for you. The bottom line here is if you frequent places that offer you and your crew free lodging, then what, if anything, are you over-looking in lodging choices that everyone else must pay for. And when you describe the cost of staying at a place how accurate is that, for example if you are not charged, how do you know if the hotel charges you for all the little items, like every bottle of water or phone call?
People Rick prides himself on being cheap, finding the bargain and not paying for things. He is candid in his blog about the fact he pays his staff very little in salary and more bonus so in down years he won;t lose money they will, won’t pay for their vacations as that is no benefit to him so why would it matter that he doesn’t pay for his rooms it just goes along with his stingy persona. He doesn’t think less of his employees for not demanding more time or pay so why should he think more of the people who comp him a room. He’s a capitalist who is in business to make lots and lots of money. More than 100K a year is going to be going to Jackie and Andy for college so every free room helps.
Rick Greetings from Texas. I’ve used your books now for 28-years, and this is the first I’ve heard of you ,,taking freebies.” I’m not sure I think this is for the best, as I was always led to believe your opinions were unbiased. Receiving free rooms, food, etc, seems to land in that gray-area. Maybe writing a short disclosure statement at the front of your books might be the best way to go. Of course, that’s just my opinion. Keep writing the best travel books in print! Curtis
I find the use of free accomodations potentially problematic. Its hard to be totally objective under those circumstances. That being said, I have never been led astray by Rick’s guidebooks. It does seem that he has been able to maintain his objectivity, and he is being upfront in admitting his use of freebies. If anyone out there has a specific instance of being misled by one of Rick’s hotel or restaurant recommendations, please share your story with us. I am curious on another point. Is Carissa correct when she states that Rick does not give his employees paid vacations? This is rather hard to believe, especially following a posting in which Rick refers to Americans having the “shortest vacations in the rich world”.
Well as I said before, I do not write Travel Guides, but you think a freebie is bad, don’t believe it. Of the 605 nights we spent in our RV in Europe, dozens of times in a dozen countries we had a free campsite, for all kinds of reasons, often just because we were Americans. If you look at my 1500 page Travel Journal, you will find no difference in content in what we wrote about the night. We appreciated the gift, but that did not change the facilities. Just remember, some of those free nights saved us as much as $4, others as much as $10. Our first visit to Rome was 25¢ per person, per night, so a freebie would not mean much to any one, except for the happiness of the friendliness of the people in Europe. The score would be about a half dozen people who treated us badly, hundreds of nice people who loved to meet Americans. I know this is a repeat comment, but just remember, “It’s amazing how many ridiculous, stupid, ignorant, inefficient, obnoxious people you will meet, when you are in a bad mood.”
No harm, no foul.His credibility as an observer and reporter depends on maintaining balance and I’m sure Rick is very well aware of that fact. I think the man has integrity and credibility. ( I know because I have looked deep into his electrons in High Def…) Something tells me that traveling relentlessly makes it far less likely for him to be besot with a room that was free, or taken in by the tourist board pablum, or swayed ( much) by a free bottle of wine than you or I. In fact, I imagine a certain cynicsm develops with the kind of miles he has under his belt that makes it hard to not become overly critical. I know I would… From a pragmatic point of view, as long as he controls the possible side effects, accepting freebies is the ultimate thrift in travel.
We are longtime fans and users of your guidebooks exclusively for our annual trips to Europe. Our experience with the accurate information in your guidebooks is so good that we trust your integrity without question. Your attitude and action in researching and writing your books has to be consistent, in our judgment, with the integrity of your books. In the end, you and all of us have to answer for our actions to the ultimate Judge. Thanks for what you do and how you make our travels so wonderful! The Leepers
It seems to me that if you (Rick) stayed at places or ate at restaurants anonymously, the way the rest of us do, that you would be able to give a more impartial review of the place without the owners trying to impress you. Rick is well known all over Europe. In Florence the owner of the B&B where we stayed, found out that we were from Seattle, and kept saying that he wanted to be “#1 in Rick’s book”, and begged us to contact Rick and give him good feedback for their B&B. They know that it improves their business. We tried booking our accommodations in Europe from Rick’s guide books (and not at peak season) but found that the places that he recommended were already booked as they seem to be the first to fill up, so we usually had to stay elsewhere.
I thought the whole purpose of you being “our guinea pig” was to plug the holes. If you are assured of a free room how can you know if these people would be the ones to botch your reservations and if you use your real name of course they will treat you better. Personally I don’t like this one bit. I use your books but I always check on line as well once I see the recommendation just to get a feel for myself. But ethically I think it’s not the right thing to do if you advertise as seeing where things can go wrong before we do.
I guess I’m naive but I had no idea that Rick, or someone from his organization, was recommending sleeping accomodations without actually sleeping there. I was honestly disapointed when I learned that. Considering the size of his organization, it would seem “do-able”. I guess I’m also disappointed in his taking free rooms and food. Although I honestly have had few quarrels with recommended hotels, I have been disapointed in recommended restaurants from time to time. With all the money made in his organization, it seems unnecessary to take “freebies”.
I was surprised to hear that Rick takes freebies, but the truth of the matter is that just because you take them doesn’t mean you’re biased. It means the establishment giving the freebie has an opportunity to “shape up” for a writers assessment. Rick is too well known for covert ops so why not take freebies. Maybe there are writers out there who take freebies or bribes to write a good review, but that’s totally different from what Rick is doing. I think a first time user might be put off at the freebies, but when you’ve been with Rick for years you learn to trust his opinions. And any first timer that spends time on his website can feel that trust. Cheers Rick, thanks for all the help over the years!
Many good and thoughtful statements above. The only one I’ll comment on is the one by Angela – May 09, 2008 1:20 PM. She says…We tried booking our accommodations in Europe from Rick’s guide books (and not at peak season) but found that the places that he recommended were already booked as they seem to be the first to fill up, so we usually had to stay elsewhere. Obviously, the places mentioned in Rick’s books are mentioned in all (or most) of the other guide books too, because they’re the best places! Of course they fill up first! The lesson is to plan ahead and get them before others do.
If you have been happy with Rick’s recommendations for years then obviously he has been doing a great job. You opinion of his guide books should not be influenced in a negative way since you found out he accepts freebies. Think about it.
Well if all the places are in all the guidebooks then what makes this back door? I look to Rick to be a problem anticipator like he says on his shows. The whole freebie thing is gray area ethics…but again like the other lady said if they know you are coming and staying they spruce up and you don’t see the flaws. I like his books for the walks and places to see not the rooms and eateries. Rooms I can find on the internet and even the walks and places to see but I like the way he cuts to the chase.
I have agreed with most of the information you have printed. As a teacher, I can honestly say that you will never agree with everything you read, as it is being written about something seen through someone else’s eyes. I wish that you included Finland in your Scandanivia tours and in your books. I am having great difficulties organizing a trip there for 2009.
I think Rick’s Guide Books are great, even if he does take freebies. I’ve gotten a few European freebies myself -and I don’t write any tour books. Free appetizers and champagne in a Roman restuarant because they were busy and we had to wait and free gifts at Casa Bounorotti because I was a Michangelo fan and talked to the shop keeper about art. Maybe Europeans are less capitalistic and more generous than Americans.
With respect, I think some of you might be missing at least part of the point of Rick’s books (and videos). You don’t have to stick solely to his suggestions; he’s not saying “these are the only acceptable places to eat or stay.” If you’re paying attention, you’ll learn how to be your own travel guide. You learn how to find your own back doors, and from his books have an approximation of what to expect, what to look for, and how much you should pay. Even if you don’t stick slavishly to Rick’s suggestions, you can travel confidently with the tools he gives you–you’re not wandering around like a wide-eyed child (with tons of luggage yet) just begging to be ripped off. You aren’t as worried about the details and can relax and enjoy the experience. Though I will admit when you’re tired and just want a bite to eat, it’s nice to reach for the book and find a restaurant that’s serving what you want to eat in your price range!
I never actually stayed in a hotel or eaten in a restaurant recommended by Rick on my two recent trips to England. I read the Insight Guide to England, used it to figure out what my priorities were, and then made reservations on the Internet, using customer reviews from Trip Advisor to weed out the slummy accommodations. However, I must say that Rick’s sightseeing directions and evaluations of the basic tourist sites are top-notch. I especially appreciated the detailed instructions for getting around in London, including what number bus to take, and useful tidbits of information such as the fact that the last bus from Wells leaves before evensong is over. While I had traveled to Asia many times, I had never been to Europe as an adult, so I was surprisingly apprehensive about visiting a country where everyone actually speaks English. I’m already looking into touring Scandinavia next summer, and while I’ll be visiting relatives part of the time, I’m reading the beautifully photoraphed and written Insight Guides for those countries to get ideas about what to see, after which I’ll buy the Rick Steves guides for help with figuring out the logistics.