Rick Steves Goes to Washington, D.C.

Over the last 15 days, 1,319 of you have responded to my annual Christmas challenge: Help Bread for the World with $100 or more, and I’ll send you a free gift — and I’ll match your donation 2-to-1 (contributing $200 for each $100 given, up to $700K).

Together, we’ve already raised over $177,318 to empower Bread to speak up for hungry people in Congress — and if I can inspire just 1,727 more of you to join in, we’ll hit our million-dollar goal.

There are plenty of great opportunities to be generous and make a difference. This initiative leverages your hard-earned charitable dollar powerfully for these reasons:

  • It’s advocacy. (I love advocacy — as you’ll learn in this little clip I made with Bread a few years ago.) Every dollar given ends up generating $100 in helpful developmental aid and more compassionate trade policies via our government.
  • I’ll match it 2-to-1. It’s very simple: You give $100, and Bread for the World gets $300.
  • I’ll send you a cool thank-you gift, on my dime. Choose either my European Christmas gift pack or my 20-Year Anthology DVD Box Set. (You’ll receive it before Dec. 25.)
  • Together, we’ll give a voice to hungry people in our country and around the world.

We’ve all seen news footage of desperate people at our southern border, and I imagine caring Americans are wondering what they can do to help. Here’s an opportunity that, dollar for dollar, has a huge love-thy-neighbor impact. Learn more at www.ricksteves.com/bread — and please let your loved ones know about this challenge as well. Imagine: As an extended family of caring (and traveling) people, together we can empower Bread for the World’s work with a million dollars.

Introducing “Europe’s Top 100 Masterpieces: Art for the Traveler”

I’m really happy today because a tour guiding dream of mine has just come true. My newest book, Europe’s Top 100 Masterpieces: Art for the Traveler, has arrived — and it actually exceeds my very high expectations, taking our travelers on a vivid sweep through European art history.

From Venus to Versailles, Apollo to David, and Mona Lisa to The Kiss — with tight descriptions and big, gorgeous photos — Gene Openshaw and I take you on a chronological tour of Europe’s greatest paintings, sculptures, and historic buildings. Whether you’re traveling to Europe or just dreaming about it, this book—with historical context and details on seeing these masterpieces yourself — will both stoke your wanderlust and kindle a greater appreciation of art.

After this intimate encounter with so much European creative genius, your deepest cultural urges will feel strangely satisfied. It’s available for pre-order now through your favorite bookseller and hits the shelves on November 19.

Tapping Into That Vagabond Magic

When you look back on your life as a traveler, which trip do you remember the most? For a lot of us, our happiest travels were the ones we did on a shoestring, slumming around with a backpack. Why? Because these were real adventures: riding serendipity like the wind, taking risks, and enjoying how having no money forced us into the arms of strangers.

I’ve been thinking today about 1973, when my friend Gene and I first experienced “Europe Through the Gutter.” In so many ways, this trip — starting the day after my high school graduation — established the foundation of our entire Rick Steves’ Europe program. Now that we’re adults, we travel with more money, comforts, and reservations than the vagabonds we used to be…but we still tap into the magic that made those early backpacking adventures the best trips ever.

You can hear the story of our 1973 trip in this 26-minute audio clip:

As you listen, consider how you can splice some of that vagabond magic into your next trip. Then, share your thoughts in the comments here or on Facebook, so we can inspire each other to travel with a youthful vigor at any age.

A Symphonic Journey: Denver

I just wrapped up a wonderful visit to Denver, where I joined the Colorado Symphony for a live performance of my public television concert Rick Steves’ Europe: A Symphonic Journey. Together, we shared seven stirring anthems from the Romantic era that celebrate how different European countries mix a love of music with patriotism. I got to be the tour guide, setting up each piece with historical and cultural context — and then, as gorgeous images were projected on a huge screen, the orchestra took us there musically.

In this clip, you’ll join me on stage for the dress rehearsal and see a few of the happy faces I met after the show. If you enjoy this little taste, you can find the entire original show streaming online — or just grab the bit with your favorite composer using my free video database Classroom Europe. Just go to classroom.ricksteves.com and search for Beethoven, Grieg, Wagner, Strauss, Smetana, Verdi, Elgar, or Berlioz.

Happy — and musical — travels!