Destination: Uncategorized

We did it! We reached our goal of $500,000 to fight hunger. Congratulations and thanks!

Our goal was for 2,500 of our travelers to donate $100 each to Bread for the World, enabling it to more effectively speak up for hungry people in Washington DC. That would raise $250,000, which I would then match to make it a total of half a million dollars. This pays for advocacy: employing policy analysts and hunger experts to help our congresspeople and senators better understand the impact of their laws on struggling people. (Considering the importance of government policy on hungry people, each dollar invested in such advocacy has about a hundred times the impact on hunger as direct charity does.)

With the values and passions of our new president-elect — and issues like minimum wage, affordable housing, nutrition, food stamps, education, and health care for our poor all on the table — the work of our friends at Bread for the World has never been more important.

The President of Bread for the World, David Beckmann, just called me to express his thanks for our support. A couple of nights ago, he gave an address to a gathering of policymakers and concerned citizens in New York City about the mission of Bread and its recent accomplishments. Reading the transcript of David’s talk will help those of you who donated better understand how you’ve empowered an important and effective mission.

There’s still plenty of time for you to learn about our exciting Christmas fundraiser and help advance Bread’s work. Just go to ricksteves.com/bread to learn more.

Most important, I wanted to thank the 2,500-plus travelers who joined me in this important initiative. In a political season when many wonder how they can make a difference for struggling people in our world (both at home and abroad), together we have made a real difference. We have shared the love in a powerful way this holiday season.

Thanks again, and Merry Christmas!

Man-licking in the High Alps is very accessible and appropriate for all ages.

We have a vast selection of travel talks posted on YouTube and in the Travel Talks section of my website. YouTube likes everything to be captioned, so they use voice-recognition software to automate the laborious transcription process. While quite amazing, the automation is not always perfect. In fact, if we didn’t proofread our robotic transcriber, some embarrassing mistakes would slip through. Here are a few my assistant, Skyla Sorensen, caught:

-In Italy lies my favorite chunk of the Riviera, “Chicken Patty”… (Cinque Terre)

-For an unforgettable taste treat on the coast of Portugal, eat “burning coals.” (barnacles)

-Imagine: Michelangelo sculpted this exquisite pietà in his “girly” 20s. (early 20s)

-Don’t miss the historic capital of Poland, “crack house.” (Kraków)

– While Warsaw is Poland’s capital, “butt-crack houses” the university. (but Kraków has)

-If you don’t know what to order in Provence, just “do your best.” (get bouillabaisse)

-Spend half a day exploring beautiful “Chiquita banana Rachel.” (Civita di Bagnoreggio)

-The armory, where Venetians could crank out a warship a day, is where they’d take potential enemies to say, “Don’t mess with Dennis.” (don’t mess with Venice)

-A highlight at the Uffizi is “peanut butter and jelly.” (Venus by Botticelli)

-Visit the cultural melting pot of “ass ten ball.” (Istanbul)

-The most interesting coastal towns are those with an “antibiotic” heritage (Hanseatic)

-“Man-licking” in the High Alps is very accessible and appropriate for all ages (Mannlichen)

-High in the Swiss Alps is one of my favorite memories, “Claim this sideache.” (Kleine Scheidegg)

-Don’t miss the exciting city of “Blah.” (Bloise)

-Get “beat stupid” in Eastern Europe. It’s a local favorite. (beet stew)

-In Iran, one religious saying you’ll hear everywhere you go is “enchilada.” (Inch’Allah)

-The president of Iran, “I’m at dinner, Gene.” (Ahmadinejad)

-If you want to make a difference without leaving your house, donate to my favorite charity, “Bred for the Road.” (Bread for the World)

-For more information on my travel philosophy, check out my talk, “Travel as a Blood Clot.” (Travel as a Political Act)

-You’ll enjoy a friendlier welcome when you try out the local language. When you meet a German, say “Good dog.” (Guten Tag)