Letters from Our Readers
Dear Rick,
I read that you like feedback when your readers use your books on trips. My husband and I toured Ireland last month and had some amazing experiences. Besides the normal ones of driving on the wrong side on those narrow winding two lane roads that they call highways, and having to share them with sheep and bicycles and pedestrians and trucks and buses, we had other adventures we thought may interest you.
One such adventure happened on the last day. Our car was broken into at Newgrange car park, and all our possessions (including our wallets) were stolen. After the initial shock had worn off, we decided we were lucky that we packed light, didn't take any valuables, were on our last day, and weren't hurt physically. We were insured for it all.
Everyone was very nice to us when they heard our news. The hotel upgraded us, the airlines let us go home a day early, and all was really OK. When we arrived home, my husband had an email that an old man had been walking his dog north of Dublin, and had found my husband's wallet in a field. He brought the wallet to his vet, and the vet wanted to mail it straight away. A few days later, the vet sent the man back to the field to see if there were any more of our belongings there. The old man found our clothes strewn all over, but he also found our bags, and he brought the bags back to the vet. The vet was trying to find the cheapest way to send the belongings back to us, when it occurred to her that she could wash our clothes. So she sent the man back to the field for the third time, to gather our clothes and bring them back.
Last week we received everything except my Rick Steves' suitcase, which was too big for the box and would have cost more to send than a new one. We got all our clothes and toiletries and wallets back from these wonderful strangers. We think this is beyond the call of duty and makes a terrific story to pass along.
I will be visiting your store to replace my suitcase but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy my experiences in Ireland. I will never forget this trip.
Very truly yours,
Suzy Stern,
Henderson, NV
Dear Rick,
I had the privilege of seeing and hearing you yesterday in Naperville, at North Central. I drove from the Indiana border because I wanted to see if the person I have been reading and watching all these years was equal, in person, to the image I envisioned through his books and TV programs. I am happy to report you were. I was struck by a sense of personal validation.
As you spoke, I heard so much of my own advice to my clients. Yes, I am a travel agent of 20 years, and a teacher of 15 prior to that. For years I have been telling my clients, who travel to Europe, that they need to relax and enjoy the moment. That European travel is safe, enlightening, and rewarding is simple enough, but it is also a continual learning experience for every American as they face the contrast of two continents they think they know.
Your conversation yesterday reminded many in the room that travel is not just broadening, it is a personal exchange of cultures. Amidst all the monument hunting, trinket shopping, and time-squeezing, there still exists a cultural exchange on a personal level. It is that travel experience that captures the reason why clients come back to my office and say, "where can I go next?"
Yesterday, I welcomed your words because most were words I used to advise my clients about travel. Travel agents buy and read your books, buy your products, and watch your shows because you define the essence of travel in its most basic forms. For many, they parrot your perceptions and recommend your wares to those who want more before they travel. We are as much of your audience as the do-it-yourselves people. We are the resource that supports the questions on the local level. Still, many travel novices are reluctant to call us, and travel snobs loathe to consider us. Many create elaborate stories to come into the office and pick our brain. Occasionally I see a Rick Steves book peering out of a purse or notebook. Many are surprised that I read and watch Rick Steves too. I have found that we work well together: me, the client, and you (in absentia). So now I think it would be great for Rick Steves to meet and greet some of his best supporters, the travel agents.
Dave Rowe