Everyone who travels has their favourite travel writer and ours is undoubtedly Rick Steves. We find his philosophy and recommendations for travel in Europe most closely match our own. It was a great opportunity to listen to him speak at the Chicago Travel and Adventure show.
Rick started his company based on the “back door” notion that finding those places that do not have the promotional dollars to compete with the iconic sites and larger cities would provide the traveler with a more authentic cultural experience. In light of the increased demand for travel and the overcrowding in so many of the major cities his philosophy means even more so when considering travel trends for 2024.
His recommendations include finding the serious cultural experience over the gimmicky tourist attractions and spending the night in the centre of town to enjoy it with the locals after the mass of tourists have left. Avoid high priced luxury hotels in favour of smaller family run ones and eat and drink what is local to the area. Rick also advocates for doing your research before you travel to gain a better understanding of what you will see when you get there. He also stresses exploring the natural sites in any country along with the cities.
Rick’s tips for a avoiding the crowds is buying tickets in advance so you are not among the multitude who wait in lines. Also visit the busiest sites first thing in the morning or just before they close. The hours between 10 – 4 are the busiest tourist times in any city. He also suggested traveling in the off season, more specifically the winter. Despite it getting dark earlier and the need to dress appropriately, you can have the same experience without the crowds, and often for a better price.
We were also excited to attend a talk by Pauline Frommer of Frommer’s Travel Guides. Her books offer lots of interesting tips for travel all over the world. Her first tip was to be careful where you get your information! Much of today’s online travel tips are generated by AI instead of real journalists!
Pauline talked a lot about ways to save money in your travels using online search engines to find the best deals in travel insurance, multi-day tours, day tours and attractions as well as flights and places to stay. She also promoted consideration of volunteering while traveling or finding short term work placements to increase your access to destinations for far less. Lastly Pauline talked about finding Green Travel companies for those choosing to support environmentally friendly travel.
She also gave us a sneak peak into their recommendations of top destinations for 2024, which can be found in its entirety at Best Places To Go In 2024. Their recommendations contain the Scottish Isles, Seville Spain, Brisbane Australia and Dresden and Chemnitz in Germany for those wanting to travel overseas. If you prefer to stay closer to home consider Panama City, Kentucky, Santa Fe, New Mexico or Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. Other than Seville we have not been to any of these places so it enriches our travel destinations as we move forward into the new year.
Along with the other impressive travel writers, travel providers and cultural representatives in the trade show the Chicago Travel and Adventure Show was an amazing experience.
