Rick Steves

I have done some traveling in my time. I do not claim to be the expert on world travel. Unlike some people. However, I will warn people about Rick Steves. I know he's local (Edmonds) and I think it's great that he tries to give people resources when they're traveling. At the same time, there are many other guidebooks out there, and people should know that sometimes he is just plain wrong.

For example, I have noticed several mistakes in his language books. Perhaps the most egregious being the incorrect translation of "I do not speak German" into German. (Although perhaps that would get the point across even better than saying it correctly. But still. It's the principle.) Even worse in my mind is the relationship between him and some of the people, places, and things that he writes about. Writing about the Eurail (train) pass, he directed readers of his Italian guidebook to a website that charged almost double the actual cost of the pass. No biggie? That's around $200--not exactly small change.

So feel free to use his books as resources, but don't blame me if he's wrong. Over the next few days I will fill in some of the gaps in his guidebook to Rome and correct some of the mistakes. In other areas, take his advice with a grain of salt.