Don’t underestimate the power of a map
Speaking of old-school resources, Rick Steves emphasizes the usefulness and practicality of relying on physical maps to help you figure out the most efficient ways to go from point A to point B. While you can always refer to digital maps to determine distances between your preferred destinations, their traditional counterparts provide a more macro vantage point. They show you the actual scale of the area in one fell swoop, as opposed to GPS-based tools that you’d have to keep zooming in and out. A bird’s eye view offers a clearer sense of how far apart places are from each other, along with how long it would take you to get to them.
Steves suggests marking your specific points of interest and then gauging if it makes sense to visit them all based on their proximity to one another to optimize your itinerary. This helps you evaluate whether visiting them aligns with other crucial considerations like travel time. If laying out an entire map overwhelms you, the travel guru says that a fail-safe travel itinerary involves a combination of big cities and small towns. For instance, if you’re exploring Europe, he says to look into pairing London and Cotswolds and Paris and Loire Valley.
Use a combination of both big sites and local sites
While Rick Steves is a big fan of traditional research tools, he recognizes how invaluable apps and online resources are, especially travel-focused sites. He has an entire page on his website dedicated to his go-to platforms, which include Time Out for checking out events in big cities, Oanda for currency conversion, and Urban Rail for public transportation options.
When it comes to the nitty-gritty, however, he recommends taking time to pore through content on local websites. Apart from the official tourism websites of cities, make it a point to visit blogs run by locals to gather insider info and hidden gems. These sites provide a unique native perspective, a sort of digital preview of what it’s like to live in a specific locale. For example, Paris By Mouth is his go-to for Parisian restaurants and retail stores, while Athens Survival Guide is his preferred resource for all things Greece.
When doing research online, Steves advises travelers to exercise caution. Use your judgment to discern whether a piece of content offers authentic insights, is purely ad-driven, or if a user review stems from a disgruntled customer with a vendetta. As with all things related to the internet, think before you click.
