Rick Steves' infectious enthusiasm has made him a pied piper of travel for his fans. Some have taken a dozen trips. But his guides who seem to range in age from 21 to 70 are the backbone of his entire organization. My wife and I took a tour through Portugal and Spain in 2008 with a personable, energetic Brit named Helen and she was almost as much of a highlight as Seveille.
Many of these comments are negative and depressing. Must we always worry about every little thing? With constant negativity in the news, why must a story about travel be so negative? I'm happy for Rick Steves. I've enjoyed watching his shows, tuning out politics for 30 minutes. Watching him feature fabulous art, food, different cultures. Reading the comments, I guess we can't fly anywhere now either. Now I should feel guilty about airplane emissions for the every 5 year Europe travel trip I take. Well, regardless. I'll take these flights and be thankful I'm not loading up on bottled water at Costco every weekend.
1
As someone who has segued in and out of Paris during many decades I don't know if I can ever really endorse anything like mass tourism. But we can't keep people from boarding monstrous kerosene-belching tin cans and flying improbable distances to the detriment of our planet's climate, can we? I suppose a gaggle of American geese toting Ric Steves gear and using his apps is preferable to the hordes of barbaric pushing Chinese tourists that have invaded every corner of Paris...
3
The TV shows are OK but I find his books laborious and boring.
Information overload.
I prefer to nail down my accommodations, then just GO and explore.
1
Umm, perhaps these negative comments were made by people who are feeling envious? Sad, as the spirit of his work is missed out on them. Please try and lighten up.
2
What a small world.
I am an interpid traveler. I just turned 70 and thanks to my job in the oil patch and a passion for travels - have now been to some 114 countries - and counting.
That includes Antarctica, Soyuz landing and launching, flying in a MiG29, all Olympics among others.
I have my own travel app - a forum really to share travel experiences (checkout NeilsTravels in Android and TravelsNotes in iTunes).
Four months back, I hired a San Diego app company to work on a newer version. I had my own ideas for this version, but they suggested I look up Rick Steves app.
I had never heard of this man before.
Thanks for this interesting article.
And I totally agree with him on "Keep on traveling."
My own experience is slightly different in that I don't travel backpacker - more the Marriott way.
While I am sure his tours are good - my advice to travelers is more DIY - do your own travel arrangements. And be flexible and spontaneous.
Getting to a destination is as much fun as the destination itself.
And with travel apps like mine and web based encyclopedia - a travel guide is like a sightdog when you can see all there is to see - all by yourself.
We certainly do need people to wake up to the fact that airplane emissions are bad for the planet and, ultimately, bad for us and all other living creatures. What is the environmental cost of keeping a million or so people aloft each day? What is the force of all those jet engines holding people up doing to the landscape underneath? People today travel for such trivial reasons. I spoke to somebody last week who's going all the way to the Far East for a wedding and coming back within a week. I know somebody else who recently flew from California to South Africa for the same thing. It's madness. Given the airport time, jet lag, worry, expense, and other hassle, you can barely enjoy it. If you're contemplating this kind of nonsense, please don't do it. Think of the cost to the environment, not just the jet lag or the impact on your wallet. If you have to travel to the other side of the planet, please make it a two week or 1 month or longer trip. Go like Columbus and don't come back for a few years. Too many people say, "Oh, the plane is leaving anyway.." That's faulty reasoning. If you deducted the frivolous trips, probably 1/2 of the planes wouldn't be flying.
Rick Steves, we have to remember, makes his living selling travel. He's not really our friend. I've always suspected that he doesn't really appreciate nature. He's most often seen traipsing around Europe's capitals, shopping and cultural meccas.
3
I tell people all the time, travel and you will open your world. Those who haven't listened are so blind.
1
The first time I traveled with a Rick Steves book I was disappointed to come across an offhand condescending remark about an immigrant neighborhood in a European city. I guess if you're a Europhile of his magnitude you don't want to see signs in other languages or people of a certain appearance. It turned me off immensely. Many of Europe's great cities are multicultural, and if you're not able to appreciate that diversity, then you're stuck in your own head, not the real place you are visiting.
1
I enjoy Rick Steves' boisterous travelogues via YouTube, gleaning much useful info. Maybe Americans could emulate their globe-trotting Aussie cousins and be more open to world cultures.
He does understand travel is incredibly bad in terms of CO2 impacts, right? He does understand he is in the process of destroying the very thing he ostensibly loves, right?
4
I took my first trip to Europe in the late 90's with one R.S.'s books (among others). What annoyed (and surprised) me was his advice to "stay away" from at least one geographic region that didn't have bus lines, and had annoying weather. Well, I went there, and it was unforgettably beautiful and not overrun with tourists. Thanks, Rick Steves!
1
On the other hand, it's fun to travel without a travel guide telling you everything. Getting lost is good. Discovering places on your own is good. Asking locals about their customs is more fun than reading about their customs. And it's always nice to occasionally have no idea what time your train leaves--just arrive at the station and hand out. Nowadays, there are too many zombies traveling around Europe with headsets on listening to Ole Rick.
1
I love his books and shows on PBS. His facebook site also shows many clips of his new shows. One thing that caught my attention reading this is that at the end of the story there is a link to a story about The David in Florence. It's a fascinating read. Anyone who has seen it will enjoy reading about it's history.
I love Rick Steves and enjoyed this profile, but I am not a fan of these illustrations.
I never knew much about Rick Steves, but after reading this story feel like we're old friends. His wise and magnanimous spirit casts an inspirational glow on deeply troubled times in the West. While the notion of more people traveling abroad in jets compounds the very real problem of climate change, maybe the enlightenment that comes from more Americans experiencing the world can hasten our inevitable transformation to renewable energy and new economies. We moved to Scandinavia from the Pacific Northwest nearly 30 years ago. Steves is welcome to stay with us anytime.
1
Good article! Unfortunately, Steves' tours don't account for anybody who can't lift their suitcases up multiple flights of stairs, so that leaves me out. Still, he's right that Americans need to get out of the country. We are not the center of the universe.
4
Please don't give up on travel! You CAN pack lightly and, if you're going to Europe, there is absolutely nothing you cannot buy once you're there. I'm a small, senior woman but I travel with a small, carry-on backpack and want for nothing. Wear a layered outfit on the plane (including sweater and raincoat), and bring three non-iron shirts, some scarves, a couple of pairs of pants to change up your outfit and you're all set. Buy any and all toiletries, extra undies, and anything else you need when you get there (it's Europe after all!) This takes a little planning, but Rick Steves has resources on his site to help.
1
I have used Rick's materials but I don't use them rigidly (which I suppose some do), rather I get a sense of an area from them and then are inspired by Rick's philosophy, which I interpret to mean exploring an area on your own and really getting to try to know the people beyond the usual tourist sites and activities.
You don't need to go on Rick's tours: use his materials and design your own. Remember his books' intents are for the INDEPENDENT and not TOUR traveler. The tours are a sideline to how most people use Rick's stuff. Or -- if you have the means -- get a travel agent to design you an itinerary that fits what his books suggest and which includes places that have elevators.
2
I was fortunate to have a thirty year career as a merchant marine officer, back in the days when ships actually spent time in port. I got to see a lot of this world, most of it away from the touristy areas most people visit. I met plenty of people, most of whom weren't all that different from us, in that they wanted a decent life for themselves and a better life for their children. I'm truly grateful for the opportunities that career afforded, especially the one-on-one conversations with other people, where political differences between our countries carried no weight. Travel truly makes one appreciative of what one has, and the exposure to other cultures is an education all of its own.
5
Though I don't always agree with his politics, Rick is a travel god. We rely on his books religiously. His style of travel is thoughtful, engaging, and eye-opening. I'll listen to anything he has to say.
6
As an avid traveler most of my life and for my career, I am a major proponent of study abroad and travel of all sorts. However, that travel opens minds and hearts, I'm not so sure about this anymore. For example, I know a person who has traveled abroad quite extensively, but is also an avid Trump supporter, racist in their attitudes, and listens to Fox News and Rush Limbaugh all day. I realize that not all travelers are like this, and while I do agree that traveling is mighty good for the body and soul and for fostering understanding of others, it can also backfire, too if the travelers are insensitive to their surroundings, demanding, and rude. Traveling is work and takes thought and planning, as well as common sense and appreciation for experiencing the new, and as well as appreciation for taking risks and spontaneity in a good way. I laud Mr. Steves in his efforts, however, especially in the current wave of intolerance and bigotry.
4
When traveling abroad I've been touched by people who expressed their thanks for what America has done for them. They don't see the United States as an intolerant and bigoted country. To them America is the country that secured their freedom. Indeed, when I visited Bratislava in 1999, a Slovak asked me whether there were actually people in the U.S. who thought Ronald Reagan was a stupid man. He was shocked when I told him it was true. He was disappointed with the disrespect shown to the person he credited with bringing down the Iron Curtain. By all means keep and open mind and heart when traveling. It might deepen your appreciation of America.
Several years ago, Rick Steves did a travelogue in Iran. in which he delicately but specifically explained the various undercurrents of Iranian society under religious rule. What I most remembered were his interviews with several Iranians, who told him about their dreams for a freer society and possessing the ability to lead a normal life without fear of repression.
When the U.S. and other nations signed the Iranian nuclear accord, I thought of this Steves episode and wondered what had happened to those people he had interviewed. I wonder what it is like there now, and from what little information that has leaked out, it. sounds as of those dreams have been denied. Such a waste, I thought then and still believe, that a nation with such a rich and deep heritage is trapped between a sullen, insecure, bellicose religious hierarchy and a population wanting to live lives of sweet fulfillment.
11
"The travel guru believes the tiniest exposure to other cultures will change Americans’ entire lives."
I'm Australian and have no idea who this Steves joker is, but I couldn't agree with him more. The comments from many Americans I read online are so Americo-centric it's like they live in a wardrobe and have never been beyond the county line, let alone out of the country.
The typical American thing is to think that other countries are like America. They're not. You're a one-off. All the Christianity, guns and chest-beating patriotism bordering on nationalism is an American thing.
22
Too many Americans do believe that life and culture in the entire US is the same as that in the 30 mile radius of their homes. I was 15 when we moved from Chicago to central Illinois, 160 miles away. I cried, feeling like I was on a different planet. But that move made me curious about the rest of the country, and the world. I did go to Ireland and the UK with a friend....I loved it, she hated it. She insisted on saying "dollars", and "Wicklow County" as we do in the US, instead of "County Wicklow". I have no idea why she couldn't try things differently for two weeks.
5
Do you realize you are making the same kind of gross generalizations you think Americans make? Quite a bit of projection, my friend! You are way off base. Come visit and learn. (Oh, and by the way, we could make generalizations about Aussie's which I don't care to even go there.) Peace and love and good vibes.
As an American who has been to about 80 countries, have you paid attention to some of the news and conversations in Australia recently?
My young adult children and I just returned from an European trip. We used RS's Paris and Italy guide books, and the Rick Steves app on our smartphones. Most of the time we used the app's walking tours to see the sights.
It is true jet travel is bad for the environment. But, may be if more of us are exposed to European public transportation, we may become more open to building and using public transportation here. In the long run that would be better fro the environment.
7
What about the impact on climate if every American did fly internationally?
4
Not every American will ever want to fly internationally, so please don't fret.
2
Well down in this exuberant and delightful piece is, "I began to realize how silly and narrow our (American) notion of exceptionalism is — this impulse to consider ourselves somehow immune to the forces that shape the rest of the world."
While I'm an enormous fan of Steves and an admirer of Mr. Anderson's gift for spinning a terrific travelo-biographical narrative, I was struck by his observation that Americans are somehow isolated in their aloof indifference to other folks on the planet. It's just not so.
As someone who's landed on or driven through only four continents and traveled in at least a dozen countries, engaging conversation all along the way, I've found loads of others who are easily also characterized by this inward sense of national uniqueness.
And I've had hundreds of chats with people who've begun exchanges of ideas with, "Americans are ..." or "You Americans are ..." and then we discuss and discover together how diverse the US citizenry is and how the tightly opinionated pigeon-holers of the world have hardly met more than a handful of Americans at all.
If you travel enough, you can both ignore and respect the differences in Earth's peoples, but you can very, very quickly find vast common ground, and you’re better off for it.
6
Huge fan of Rick Steves and am addicted to all of his PBS specials. Since I have a fear of flying I live vicariously through his shows. He makes travel fun, informative and always interesting. His exuberance is always present too. What a fabulous article.
1
You mean the Rick Steves that speaks only English? Although I appreciate the his sentiments and energies - it reminds me of early anthropologists who posed as knowledge brokers - without a clue about their role in empire building. Steves' approach is naive and one-sided- he expects others to accommodate him. His show is also without any political charge - and many of the places he visits are embroiled in rapid environmental, economic, and social changes. If he is the new face of cultural connection, I want no part of it.
5
The idea of exposing people to other cultures surely has its merits. There is one glitch with that plan though: travel and air-travel in particular is about as environmentally harmful as it gets for those of us who believe in the science of climate change. I only skimmed this 20,000 word article, but I didn’t find a single mention of that issue.
If every person on the planet decided to fly thousands or tens of thousands of miles a year (assuming others could afford it), the way Rick Steve and so many westerners already do, we would get to the dreaded 450 ppm of Co2 within four or five years -as opposed to the already frightening two decades it will take us to get there at the current rate of + 2 to 3 ppm per year.
It would be nice if the thoughtful NYT could explain that in its travel pages once in a while.
19
Maybe if you read the article rather than skimming, you'd find that sustainability in travel is addressed (quotes from the article below.) After all, how many thousands of miles have Americans traveled in their cars and on domestic flights every year? How many train and bus trips do they take? I hope you're not staking a claim that Americans should stay insulated and provincial in outlook on the basis of reducing our carbon footprint.
"To stay in a family-owned hotel in Bulgaria is to strengthen global democracy; to pack light is to break the iron logic of consumerism; to ride a train across Europe is to challenge the fossil-fuel industry...
"He is working on making his company’s tours completely carbon-neutral."
10
Freedom I read the article and what you quoted. And it is just not enough. We need to pull back on our over-consumption of resources and that includes air travel. We have 12 years to address the Climate Crisis and we are not going to be successful with half measures like "packing light" on our trips to Europe. We need to simplify our lifestyles and fast.
4
By 2021, airlines that fly internationally will have to offset any extra emissions under a UN agreement (called the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, agreed on in 2018 in Montreal, Canada).
2
I have always loved Rick and his PBS shows. I never travel in Europe without first reading and using Rick's books about that country. His restaurant choices are just great. Affordable and delicious. I remember this hole in the wall place in Venice which he recommended with a chef from Srilanka. The food was one of the best I've ever eaten. Yes a Srilankan cooking great Italian food. That is what you get from this global champion! Thank you for this wonderful write up of this wonderful man.
4
I could not agree more with Steves's philosophy. Argue with someone about socialism and you'll find out quickly that they've never left the country. Listen to someone go on about the danger of free healthcare and you can bet they've never set foot in Sweden or Denmark or even Mexico.
I would love if Steves set up a non-profit that would send American families abroad and I would donate to it because the more Americans leave and see how good others have it, the better off this country will be.
20
Rick Steves utopia is for rich travelers(although there are budget tips)
There are 2 elephants in the room-environmental implications of traipsing and mob scenes which drive out locals.
Barcelona had 34 million visitors last year.
Venice is sinking and unlivable for former locals.
The solution?Go traipse on less-travelled places.
Steves has now embraced the cruise ship industry.
Travel can be broadening when you're visiting a place to meet the people and experience new cultures.
It is not broadening when you're in mob scenes filled with other tourists or spending much time embarking and disembarking from cruise ships that are like floating shopping malls.
Steves has enough recognition and profit-too much of a good thing.Yes-by a mile!
9
Rick Steves has always struck me as the nerd hippie who grew up and actually practiced love and peace. It isn't just symbolism or an exclamation for him. He is the real deal, a wealthy guy who doesn't do wealthy. His contributions to the community of greater Seattle are both financial and personal. I had the pleasure of walking and talking with him a short distance in the march here in Seattle against the Iraq war. I hope he lives a long prosperous life and "Keeps on Traveling".
16
I love Rick Steves and always enjoy his travels on our local PBS station. US citizens that have not experienced travel or other cultures should look to expand their horizons and views vicariously through Rick's travels.
3
After watching Rick Steves for years my wife and I ventured outside the U.S. and went on vacation to Italy. It changed our lives. Mission accomplished. When someone takes you out of your box, you not only get to see what's outside your box, you get to see the box you've been living in. Italy showed me many things I didn't know about America. Things like where the exits might be.
19
In Rick Steve's guide book on Iceland included something that damaged my first impression of Iceland: he wrote about how smelly and unclean the original inhabitants of Iceland were, See page 187
"The meeting is about to begin, and you're immersed in a hairy most pit of hundreds -- maybe thousands of unwashed Norsemen (and Norsewomen). The collective body ordor is overwhelming..."
There is no documented proof of this. Worse, by reading it, the entire magic of the area is replaced with a false impression. Anyone who has visited Iceland knows how clean the people are. It's a law that you have to shower and shower naked before entering a hot springs. I wrote Steves and mentioned that including negative and undocumented information is unacceptable. No reply. Not a fan of his travel books. Iceland deserves better and I want my money back from Rick Steves.
2
Weren't the key words "original inhabitants"? That was over a thousand years ago. i'm not sure what kind of proof you need that most people did not bathe on a daily basis, back then.....but I'm pretty sure that a large room full of people who haven't fully bathed in the last week would not smell nice, no matter which century. I'm sure you haven't smelled a boys' locker room.
Truly, you are overreacting. I hesitate to tell you that even into the early 1900's many European and American women did not wear panties, and would just lift their skirts to tinkle in the parks....
2
My admittedly limited experience with his books is that he is hilariously conservative when it comes to safety. So much so that I had visions of this guy scampering from streetlight to streetlight, and imagined throngs of old ladies clutching his book and tut tutting about the dangers of perfectly normal neighborhoods.
Big-time Ricknik here. I co-developed a theme-song with my best travel buddy, Taryn:
It's a Rickommendation,
a Rickommendation,
a Rickommendation for your trip *clap clap*
With Rick as your guide, and Cameron by your side,
it's a Rickommendation for your trip.
3
Mr. Steves tips have led my family through two delightful trips to Italy. I just bought the latest editions of his Tuscany and Amalfi Coast guides in anticipation of a trip there next year. His advice has given us the confidence to travel on our own with great result.
It was many years before I heard of Mr Steves advocacy for the reform of our drug laws for which I like him even more.
I so hope Rick Steves is every bit as Mr. Rogers-like as he seems. Many more of us need to see the world through Rick's eyes and interact with it just as he does. Rick is such a breath of fresh air.
Safe travels always, Rick.
3
Rick Steves is a wonderful and needed Ambassador of international travel and the understanding and insight gained from these experiences. I love his shows. As a 20 year old college graduate in 1968 I joined the Peace Corps. Living and working in villages in the Ecuadorian Andes completely and forever changed my view of both life in other countries and cultures. In addition, my two years in the Peace Corps gave me a very healthy perspective of the advantages, limitations and biases of life in the U.S. Thank you Rick Steves for bringing the world to us.
5
Unfortunately, as Doug mentioned, Rick Steves' guides are so popular that they change the places they recommend. An Italian friend told me that his favorite place to visit in Italy was "discovered" by Rick Steves, and is now overrun by tourists. I was thrilled that a couple of the destinations I toured in Greece were not included in his guide book.
I love to travel, and I have mostly used the Lonely Planet guide books. I recently discovered Rick Steves, and have found them helpful, particularly for noting the sites that can be missed, and for their detailed descriptions of highlights, as well as for their walking tours (other than those in Istanbul, which just got me lost, although they sent me through interesting neighborhoods).
I totally agree with his premise that travel expands one horizons. However, I think one can travel the furthest while staying in place. For example, I learned a lot about Japan -- and the US -- by living and working in two small cities in Ibaraki for 1.5 years. Someone who just tours the country could not gain as much insight into this fascinating country.
4
I'm a Ricknik, and now my 21-year-old kid is too, traveling all around Europe this winter and spring. Following his approach to travel has changed my life, increasing my curiosity and appreciation of the remarkable and complex world beyond the U.S. and giving me the confidence to go anywhere independently. This well-written profile is overdue. I hope Rick keeps on travelin' and we do too.
1
Rick Steves is incredibly good at what he does, always a little sad when an episode ends.
5
We've watched Rick's travel shows for years, and he and our genealogy hobby took us to far away places. Many were not your typical, Paris, London, etc places. It was Huelgoat, Morlaix, La Rochelle, Chapelle Baton, Les Biard, in France. The Irish Loop in Newfoundland, what a place, you'd swear you were in Ireland, the accents are no different than in parts of Ireland.
Thank you Rick Steves.
4
He is totally right. Racists and hateful white Americans have never left the country. Guaranteed. Some have but most have not.
Also Rick Steves smokes pot. Pot makes you happy.
5
I don’t want to learn too much about him personaly. Not an ardent fan, nevertheless I am impressed how genuine, open and sincere he seems. After all these years he still conveys a sense of wonder; maybe it’s that boyish face, the glasses, and his tendancy to look wide-eyed and smiling. I am a bit envious. He is one of those unique individuals like Rogers and Nye, as stated. I hope he has inspired many Americans to travel his way and not just complain about the lack of ice and hamburgers (although American fast food has become a blight in the global landscape).
2
One thing that I’ve always shared with my kids is that knowledge of history and travel is extremely important. Years ago, I made a choice to travel to Europe with a backpack. I was supposed to go with a good friend but he had just met his future spouse and lost interest. I still went. I took a Rick Steve’s Europe in 21 days tour and then stayed with friends stationed in Germany. I had a blast. The choice that I made to continue riding a bike to work or taking public transit rather than buying a car was a good one. I have purchased several cars since then but it took me decades to return to Europe. I strongly believe that if more Americans were able to travel and interact with people from different countries they would be more empathetic and more outraged with our leaders.
5
First, super well-written article. Second, yay for travel opening up perspective. Third... I have come to realize many people who are always moving around (and I come to this from examining myself as well) are often like addicts getting hits of dopamine and other brain chemicals. It's interesting how society (and Facebook posts!) has made traveling into some great goal -- look where I am! How cool is this adventure! -- when in reality many (not all) of those people are chasing the next new thing, the next high, the literal next ping of dopamine -- and then THAT behavior gets lauded as one people are missing out on. Google travel and dopamine for more. There's a reason it's called the travel bug as someone pointed out. I have been practicing NOT moving when the urge comes up and it has been instructive. (And of course travel has benefits but when we look at how "busy" and inspiring people are it may be worth addressing this other side of that so as to not glorify all parts of it... as the circle will create more of the same.).
3
Goal now is to get those videos and pics on social media. People so busy pointing their cell phones they forget to really look and absorb where they are.
3
Would be great if Steves created a travel organization who sent low-income kids abroad. Unfortunately, even using his books, travel is a privilege few can afford. You can do it, Steves.
12
If those low-income kids or their families read or viewed Steves' materials (through the library or through the collections on Youtube or his own website), they would find many ways to save money. I have been using his materials for years and they offer many, many money-saving tips. It's just that most people don't plan or prioritize what is really important/ joyful to them. The only real barrier to savings are airline tickets: accommodations, food, souvenirs, and even what attractions one goes to are all flexible budget-wise. I recently went on a nearly month-long trip to Europe on about $150/ day/ person INCLUDING airline tickets and other transport costs. We saved by staying in hostels, airbnbs, eating breakfast and a few other meals in the shared/ rented kitchen, and using free days at museums along with free concerts/ events, park visits. My family felt it was one of the best trips we ever took, really very little sacrifice. We could have skimped even more but felt there were certain thing we did not want to miss, like a food tour in Paris or a concert in London.
I grew up poor yet my family still found a way for us to travel. Travel was a priority for my parents - they wanted us to explore the world -- so we saved up on groceries, clothes, movies, books, cable TV, etc. to afford it.
2
Growing up in Vancouver in the 90s, I watched a lot of KCTS, the PBS station down in Seattle. I was very familiar with Rick Steves as the station did a lot of these travel marathons. I went to college on the east coast and when we got closer to graduation, many people started planning their Europe backpacking trips (others went to Asia). It was hilarious to see people discover Rick Steves and even buy his books. This was only 10 years ago. Googling everything was already a thing. That's how good and honest his advice is. 22 year olds were buying travel books.
2
Travel is not benign. There is an environmental price to pay for it. How can you save the world while you're adding to climate change?
4
You are commenting on a device that has a significant environmental price. If you care about the environment, why do you own a computer or phone? Have you seen the Anthropocene film or art exhibit on mining? You know phones are made of silicon, copper and plastic that are mined or produced in mostly bad ways? Or better yet, human existence has a huge environmental impact. Have you decided to limit your own presence from this earth?
Of all the things humans do that adds to climate change, I think travel is the one that is balanced by genuinely improving who we are as human beings. Including being more thoughtful about climate change.
5
According to David Suzuki: " Although aviation is a relatively small industry, it has a disproportionately large impact on the climate system. It accounts for four to nine per cent of the total climate change impact of human activity.
But at a time when we urgently need to reduce our impact, greenhouse gas emissions from aviation continue to grow... since 1990, CO2 emissions from international aviation have increased 83 percent. The aviation industry is expanding rapidly in part due to regulatory and taxing policies that do not reflect the true environmental costs of flying. “Cheap” fares may turn out to be costly in terms of climate change."
5
If you had your way, would you ban travel? Just curious.
Somehow, in my mind, Rick Steves is on the same continuum as Mr. Rogers. He is open minded, open hearted and curious about the world, and he succeeds in igniting those positive qualities in the people that view his programs. I'm also so glad for public television which brought his travels into our homes for so many years. Public television allowed him to create "reality tv" that wasn't sensationalist or exploitive, but informative, civil and enlightening. Thanks Rick! Happy travels!
27
The other way to go about it is to get a job where you are paid to travel around the world, with an expense account to boot and with foreign locals as work colleagues. Such work -- in a global economy -- is available if you snoop around enough and are adaptable. Like everything else connected with money, you do have to be adaptable. You don't always get sent to the countries of your first choice. On the other hand, what you experience will be authentic, not a mirage devised for tourists.
2
While that is an option, it is one most people wouldn’t even have the slightest idea of how to pursue. The fact that you mentioned having an “expense account to boot” puts you in a very select group. It would be helpful if people in situations like yours spent time in public schools and mentored students about the steps they need to take to get the opportunity to have that option.
3
People just have to be more resourceful. There are all sorts of opportunities to travel on the cheap and get to know the locals as well. For example, as an MD, I've volunteered for programs where someone funded my work abroad or within the domestic US and did not have to pay for transport or accommodations.
As a middle school student, I went to the library and looked up programs to travel. Applied for and was approved for youth friendship exchange trip to Russia. Only fell through because it was the 1980s and I ran into visa issues.
1
I love Rick Steves' travel shows! They contain a wealth of information for holiday planning. Years ago, I planned a solo holiday and followed Rick's recommendations and booked into a B&B in Salema, Portugal only to be told by the owner that I could only stay for 2 nights instead of 4 because Rick was already booked in along with his tour group. At first I was mildly annoyed, then I reminded myself that the only reason that I discovered this travel adventure was because of Rick's TV show. Also on his recommendations, I caught a bus from the Algarve to Seville, took in all the sights and went to the Flamenco dance show that he recommended .... his advice was excellent!
1
He's not wrong. I traveled around the US as a child and around the world, courtesy of the service as an adult. His guidebooks are very helpful when you want to get off the beaten path.
1
I renewed my passport today. The State Department will soon be regarding my aging mug on their Form DS-82. Some travel wrinkles, deeper at 75 than 65, I owe partly to Rick. In 2016 he led my wife and me — and twenty-five others — for 21 memorable days in Europe. His real presence was a delight. You've delineated his gift well, and as for his more pointed politics, well, you've packed them mighty light — i.e., "Keep on Trippin'."
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I haven't watched his programs for a while. I have use his travel books a lot and they are chock full of great info. Since I travel a lot with a 92 year old mom with disabilities, I wish he would dedicate a series of traveling with disabilities. Many of the destinations are not very disability friendly. River travel in Europe, though very relaxing, can be intimidating when trying to push a wheelchair up a river ramp or trying to control same wheelchair when returning to same ramp. Cobblestones look nice on TV but are brutal for a wheelchair user. Curbside service at the airport that we take for granted here in the states is non existent in Europe. Yet my mom still travels despite the obstacles and her disabilities. The travel keeps her young at heart and full of life. Wouldn't have it any other way.
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Seems it keeps her young at heart because of you. How are you after these trips?
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Sunday afternoons on my mom's patio enjoying adult beverages usually results in looking into travel somewhere. Today was an exception, mom gave me my marching orders to find a mid summer cruise after we return from Alaska in May. We were enjoying adult beverages. I return from the trips relaxed.
If you go to his website, there are community forums where people talk about different travel interests/ challenges. I believe one group concerns itself with travelling while disabled.
I saw Rick give a travel lecture in his hometown of Edmonds. One thing he said stuck with me. He mentioned he would soon be releasing a special called Fascism in Europe, and followed with "You know, so Americans will know it when they see it." The audience laughed. For me, it was a moment of realization that Steve's brilliance is a blend of wide-eyed, boyish curiosity mixed with a strong and sober understanding of history. If you watch his shows it's clear that he values history is an important part of the traveling experience, not just for context but for wisdom as well. He'll proudly explain why "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité" is the national motto of France, knowing that for most of human history, societies lived under kings and tyrants and emperors. He is passionate about democracy because he is passionate about human rights, and he is passionate about human rights because he immerses himself in other cultures. Doing so will always help one understand the human condition. He passes along this passion in his shows, highlighting the beauty of a free society and the similarities between cultures. And for that, we should all raise a glass.
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I have watched Rick Steves' travel shows on PBS since they began broadcasting. The programs recycle and I can tell you what year it was produced before the credits roll. I have met him at his PBS fundraisers. I have bought his books and CDs and given them as gifts. I have visited a number of European cities as a solo traveler using his self-guided tour recommendations. I never tire hearing his rational, reasonable take on experiencing other cultures. Traveling is one of the greatest joys of my life in large part because of his inspiration. His corny is contagious. The world could do with more like him.
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I have a love/hate relationship with Rick Steves. His guidebooks are chock full of terrific, accurate, up to date information. Want to know the operating hours, admission fees and best entrance into a museum? Rick's books will tell you. Want to know how to use the bus system in Paris, which routes will showcase the city and even which side of the bus to sit on? Rick's books will tell you. This is all valuable information for travel and I love him for that.
His restaurant recommendations change places from local watering holes to where every one speaks English, and a copy of Rick's book is on every other table. I wonder if the owners are happy? I'm sure they have more business as a result. It is a conundrum. (We went to one on the recommendation of a friend who had been travelling there for years, observed the above, and found it later in the book.)
My other jab at Steves is his humor. We often use his audio tours; from riding a vaporetto down the Grand Canal of Venice, walking through the center of Florence, and while wandering through the ruins of Pompeii. They are really helpful guides.
All are peppered with occasional cheesy jokes. The one during the tour of Versailles still rubs me wrong. "Marie Antoinette, as she was being carted away by a revolutionary mob, turned to the King and said, "Louis Louis, oh-oh, we gotta go now." Maybe if I was 12 I would have laughed.
His books are great, his audio guides helpful, but Rick? Cut the bad jokes, please!
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I totally agree! I have used some of his free audio tours, which can be quite useful. But the jokes are so awful I cringe on Rick Steves' behalf.
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"'Marie Antoinette, as she was being carted away by a revolutionary mob, turned to the King and said, "Louis Louis, oh-oh, we gotta go now.'"
Actually, that's pretty good. And after all, the two bands that made "Louie Louie" popular, the Kingsmen and Paul Revere and the Raiders, are from the Pacific Northwest, like Rick himself. I think he was honoring them.
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I traveled a lot when I was a child and young adult. I went to Europe multiple times with my family growing up. I backpacked around the world when I was in my 20's. And all of this exposure to different cultures informed and shaped me. I value diversity.
But at the turn of the century, I became informed of the damage that air travel, in particular, is doing to our climate and I've all but eliminated my air travel since then.
I'm content in my memories of all the wonderful places I've seen and experienced.
Can those of us who have seen more than our fair share of the world limit our air travel from now on, and just read library books about other cultures instead? I understand why the young ones would want to explore and I acquiesce that they should see some of the world for their education and edification. Who am I to say they shouldn't? But for those of us, the middle-aged and elders, let's just consume less of tourism, ok? We've got about 12 years to address the Climate Crisis and running around the world polluting it isn't helping.
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Isn’t it a bit like becoming celibrate after marriage? You got your fill of travel by air, so others are not to experience what delighted you? Air plane pollution is difficult issue - I’m conflicted everytime I take an airplane even domestically (driving to Alaska is not an option). I do not adhere to the ‘once in a lifetime’ idea ‘cause when we die it won’t matter. I travel for personal enjoyment seeing other cultures and landscapes. I do think some places need to restrict tourists to reduce the pressures on sights, animals, ecology of too many tourists, i.e. Venice, Iceland, Alaska, cruise ships, for starters.
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Ellie K. This article about Rick Steves is glorfying travel, positing that travel the Rick Steves way will make you a better person. With my comment, I'm pushing back at that idea.
If you read my complete comment, you'd see that I suggested middle-aged and elders who've already traveled their fair share put a limit on their air travel, for the good of a livable planet. I wrote "who am I to say (the youth) shouldn't travel"?
Btw, one can drive to Alaska on the Al-Can Highway. One can also take the ferry. There are better options (not all the time like if you need to get to a funeral) and hopefully as more people demand better trains and bike lanes etc, flight by airplanes will diminish.
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I used to turn my nose to Rick Steves but I enjoy watching his show on PBS especially during the last few years. I like his positive attitude about trying different things. I especially like how he uses public transportation during his travels/shows. I find the scenery relaxing after a long day at work and I can unwind with some arm-chair travel to places around Europe.
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I had always wanted to travel to Europe, (when I was a child I was dragged into the bush to fish and camp and kept wondering why I wasn't a the Louvre in Paris) but as a single woman with limited funds, I wasn't sure how I was ever going to do it. In 2004 I received a large bonus at my job and a cousin living in Prague decided to get married and I really wanted to go to that wedding. My parents are huge fans of Mr. Steves and insisted I read his books and then talked me into going Prague, London and Paris. I did London with an uncle, then we met up with the rest of the family in Prague and Klatovy and then went on to Paris by myself. Old age may wear me down, and I may lose my memories, but I highly doubt I will ever forget the wonderful time I had on that trip. And it was mainly due to reading Mr. Steves' books and following his advice. I've been to Europe a few times since that epic trip, and I always follow the Rick Steves' way.
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Steves is a good salesman and this article is good sales pitch. My wife Holly and I took one of Rick's trips through Spain and Portugal a few years ago with an excellent guide named Helenita Inman who did a great job of herding a group of diverse personalities and ages walking, busing and training across the region. No doubt it's the guides themselves who keep clients coming back for repeat trips. Some have traveled on his tours more than a dozen times. Just make sure you can keep up - and that you like museums.
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While planning a post-grad trip to Europe, I started watching one of Rick Steves' travel shows, thinking "who's this goof?" Thirty minutes later, I was a convert. By the time I got to Bruges, I wasn't surprised to walk into a tiny chocolate shop on an out-of-the-way street and have the shopkeeper show off the Steves family Christmas card Rich had sent him the year before. This profile looks at Steves in the same thoughtful, loving, open-minded, curious, joyful way he encourages the rest of us to greet the world. It was a pleasure to read.
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