Rick Steves built a business around his love of travel. Especially for traveling to Europe.
It’s hard not to meet Steve’s work: He hosts TV shows on PBS, produces radio shows, writes travel columns and writes dozens of travel guides.
Just a few months ago, I realized that Rick was the same age as me. Also, we both have longer hair. Finally, we both started a travel adventure in the 1970s with backpacks with sleeping bags.
After the summer summer in Europe in the 1970s, Steves continued to go back. He began publishing travel guides in Europe and led his trips to his favorite places.
I caught up with him while resting on his trip.
“I just returned from Karachi and Istanbul,” he said. “I’m going to Barcelona, Prague and London next week.”
Steve said he is going to Europe three times this summer. It’s important to update his guide, but Steves travels to learn and observe other cultures.
“When traveling, we learn what’s going on outside the border,” he said. “And we also observe our own land from a distance.”
Before visiting with Steves, I picked up a copy of his book Travel as a Political Behavior. The book covers many basics: religion, drugs, revolution, taxation, freedom and oppression. The message brought home is to make people “choose on purpose”.
In this book, Steves talks about getting out of his comfort zone and opening up new cultures, new ideas, new food, a new way of life.
“I want to offer a transformative trip,” he said. “My favorite souvenir is a broader perspective.”
After more than 40 years of promoting travel, Steves first considered himself a travel teacher.
His guide is inspiring when to book, especially for popular museums, exhibitions or exhibitions. They detailed the hotels, restaurants, attractions, etc.
But now, his goal is to “equip and inspire Americans to take risks outside of Orlando.”
There is nothing wrong with going to Disney World for a holiday.
“But it’s on vacation,” Steve said. “This is not a trip.”
“There are three types of travelers,” Steve said. “Tourists, travelers and pilgrims. For them, the world is a playground, a school or a church. I’m trying to have a little bit on the tour.”
In reflecting on “travel as political act,” I asked Steves if he still recommends cross-cultural travel, which his brand and travelers should be wary of.
“Travelers should be concerned about the crowds and the weather,” he said.
Steves did not slow down his travel schedule, and European travel is still popular.
Steves preaches the virtues of European travel in his book, but also visits hot spots such as El Salvador, Iran, Israel and Palestine. He deliberately seeks ordinary people to understand their lives, their country, their culture, and sometimes their religious beliefs.
“I went into reality travel,” Steve said. “I wish people were a little cultural shock, but carefully planned.”
Steves mentioned that his next trip to Europe included one of my favorite cities, Barcelona. Locals in Barcelona protested with spray guns. The community also boycotts short-term vacation rentals.
“Barcelona is facing the impact of mass tourism as cruise ships unload 3,000 people there, they are not even overnight,” Steves said.
“Our group represents a good tourism industry,” he said. “We are curious about the culture and we spend the night.”
Regarding short-term rentals, Steves regards it as a moral issue when traveling.
“I’ve seen Airbnb change the culture of many fascinating areas. Landlords can rent their income to visitors three times. I love the economy and efficiency of Airbnb,” Steves admits. “But personally, I would rather stay in a simple hotel.”
I was surprised to find that Steves didn’t participate in any common flyer loyalty programs. “This is my personal choice.”
“For me, the Loyalty Program has no production. I have a travel agency booking the best flight for me,” he said. “I am very happy with the airline. I have never paid for the economy and I am happy to be able to fly safely to Europe at 600 miles per hour.”
If you take one of Steves’ trips, you will be responsible for booking your own ticket.
Although I have never visited with Steves before, I know I already have several books on the shelf, including one from Florence.
The tour I’ve seen is well designed, including some nice touches. In Sicily, if we didn’t make our own itinerary, his 11-day tour would be comprehensive: Agrigento (Gao of Temples), Ortegia and Syracuse, Palermo … all hot spots. The group number is 24-28. Prices start at $3,195 per person and take up for two people. Air tickets are not included.
I dug out Steves’ “The Best of Venice, Florence and Rome in 10 Days” itinerary and it will certainly hit some highlights. The tour was three nights in each destination, a cooking class, wine tasting and several hikes. The tour instructions list it as “one of the most active trips”, walking 2-8 miles a day with “many stairs”. Price: Starting from $3,795 per person, double living.
The last time I was in Italy, we had dinner with a classmate in Montepulciano, a small hill town not far from Florence. My friend Chris Ross met Steves twice in a few days – made these updates on his Italian guide. He is on the journey.
Steves’ trip to Italy is the best-selling, but that’s just the beginning of his offer: Poland, Portugal, France, Spain, Croatia – There are travels in every country.
Then there was the classic “Europe through the backdoor” tour, where Steves held a flagship tour. It is a 21-day adventure that starts in Amsterdam, then in the Rhine Valley, arrives in Salzburg and enters Italy. A two-day visit to the coast of Cinque Terre, Italy, was made before heading north to the Swiss Alps. The last stop is Paris, passing through Burgundy’s wine tasting and having two days to explore the legendary City of Light. Prices start at $6,195 per person and live for two people. Prepare to do a lot of walking!
Steves mentioned that the pilgrim is a kind of traveler who sees the world as a church. I asked him if he had ever made a pilgrimage.
“Not formal,” he replied. “But I raised my hand to God on the top of a mountain peak in a way that Lutherans did not recognize.”
Steves plans to return to Anchorage on October 10 to give a speech, hosted by Alaska Public Media at the local PBS station.
“I’m giving me a ‘travel is a political act’ conversation,” he said.