I went to the Denver Travel and Adventure Show at the Colorado Convention Center here in Denver yesterday. In addition to booths promoting cities, states, countries, cruise lines, and a large number of travel companies, there were also quite a few speakers, including my personal hero, Rick Steves, travel guide writer and host of the PBS series Rick Steves Europe, seen in the photograph on the left posing for the cameras before starting his talk. I arrived early in hopes of getting a good seat, and was surprised to find a spot in the front row. It was standing room only by the time Rick started to speak, and virtually everyone there was my age or older. I guess Doug, my friend and former University of Denver co-worker, was right when he said that Rick Steves was the "Lawrence Welk" of travel. No matter - I enjoyed his talk and thought his remarks were informative and spot on.
Another speaker was Pauline Frommer, Editorial Director for Frommer's Guides, and seen in the photograph on the right. She started her talk by telling how her father, Arthur Frommer (who at 90 years old still works every day), founded the company. He had just graduated from Yale Law School when he was drafted. This was during the Korean War, and he fully expected to be sent there, but because he spoke both German and Russian (his parents were immigrants), he was sent instead to Berlin, working for military intelligence. During his free time, he traveled throughout Europe, and his fellow soldiers peppered him with travel questions. He decided to write a pamphlet called A GI's Guide to Europe, which was quite a success, and not too long after he left the army, published Europe on 5 Dollars a Day, the most popular travel book in history. And the rest, as they say, is history. This is the last day of the travel show here in Denver, and both Rick Steves and Pauline Frommer will again be speaking. Be sure to catch them if you can.
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