Rick Steves' Travel Blog

Here you can browse through my blog posts prior to February 2022. Currently I'm sharing my travel experiences, candid opinions, and what's on my mind solely on my Facebook page. — Rick

I’ve been thinking lately about how so many people play it safe with their lives. They follow the conventions, avoid making mistakes or taking risks…and end up with precious little to write home about. Meanwhile, free spirits (with or without much money) embrace life, play by their own rules, and chase their dreams — even when more sober loved ones say, “Get real.”

I love being inspired by people who take life by the horns and make it an adventure. There’s a perfect storm of that going on in my family right now. During this next week, I’m setting off on my 20 cities in 20 days Road Trip USA (giving lectures in smaller cities from Seattle to Tallahassee — stay tuned for my reports from the road starting March 3rd), my sister Jan is revving up her pups for the Iditarod dog race (she’ll be blogging from the icy tundra), and my niece Nicolina is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, inspiring poor kids with her own art-based project.

My work is all about Europe. But more fundamentally, it’s about living life with abandon through travel — whether vacationing in France, road-tripping across the USA, combing your love of snow and dogs into a 1,000-mile-long sled race in Alaska, or painting public spaces in South America. So throughout this next month, we’ll be featuring a trio of adventures: my road trip updates here on my blog, and my sister’s and niece’s blogs on my website.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to my niece, Nicolina. She’s the far-out, idealistic, nonconformist flower child of our family. A street artist who goes by just one name, she’s part of an artistic community in New York City. These days, she’s on an open-ended adventure in South America — creating travel experiences not with guidebooks or tour buses, but with a free spirit, almost no money, and paintbrushes.

Nicolina works with street kids (currently in Rio), providing them with the outlines of anatomically correct hearts and cheering them on as they fill these hearts with their hopes, aspirations, and dreams. It turns out her brainchild is inspiring and empowering for kids who need hope in otherwise very hard and often dreary lives.

Nicolina has agreed to report three times a week on her blog about her “Brazil Through the Back Door” adventure. Click over to ricksteves.com (look for the “Nicolina ART” link on the right side of the homepage) and join me in following the adventures of Nicolina.

February 22, 2012January 6, 2018

Inside the Very Buoyant Mind of a Cruise Line Marketer

Our Rick Steves’ Mediterranean Cruise Ports guidebook has been the surprise sales hit of our season. It’s currently our 5th-bestselling title, and in January, it was the USA’s 12th-bestselling guidebook by anyone, to anywhere. Popular as that guidebook may be, it sits lonely on my windowsill and needs a sister. So this fall we’re researching and producing a guide to Northern European Cruise Ports, for publication next summer.

I recently enjoyed a fascinating conversation over lunch with the CEO of a cruise line. A brilliant marketer who once sold children’s snacks, he explained how the impulse of a child to explore — as long as she has a safe home to return to — stays with us as adults. While travelers love to get out of their comfort zones, most have that strong, childlike need for a safe refuge or nest. His goal in marketing cruises is to provide a routine enabling people to get out and explore, but also to create a consistent welcome-home ritual when they are back on board. On my recent cruise, I noticed how ships do this expertly, with a welcome table with cold drinks at the gangplank and a friendly greeting as we boarded. And I even remember thinking, “Whew…we are safely back home now.”

I mentioned that cruise lines seemed less aggressive than I had anticipated in selling shore excursions, and that I was surprised how readily they let two-bit competitors organize and promote budget independent alternatives to their formal excursions. He explained that, for some cruise lines, shore excursions are not the main profit driver. People taking Caribbean cruises tend to lounge on the ship more. But people taking a Mediterranean cruise want to see and experience famous things on shore. The more they are able to do that on their own terms, the better. He acknowledged that, while excursions play a role in his profits, “for larger cruise lines, the real money is made between the steel” — that is, from purchases made by cruisers on board: eating, drinking, shopping, gambling, and so on. (I remembered how, even with my frugal approach to little extras on board, my tab was pretty substantial when that moment came to settle up at disembarkation.)

To make money, getting as many people as possible “between the steel” is top priority. He agreed with my hunch that the base cost of a cruise on large ship doesn’t have a lot of profit built in. Cruise lines manage prices so that all departures go full (offering deep discounts and creative incentives as necessary to fill the last staterooms). While discounting is big, marketers know that if you give cash back, customers pocket the cash. But if you give them a discount disguised as an “on-board credit,” they still bring and spend the same cash they would have without the credit: “No one takes a discount to the bank.”

Some cruise line sales departments are now morphing into “vacation-planning departments,” which sell not simply a cruise, but vacations that include a cruise. People generally extend a little before and after the cruise itself — especially in Europe.

I noted how, in my cruise experience, it was clear that marketing shaped the clientele, and the clientele shaped the experience on board. While some cruises specialize in an upper-crust ambience, others cast a wide net to attract a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. He said that this approach can be tricky, as wealthier passengers can be uncomfortable mingling with people from a different socioeconomic class.

When I told him we were proud that more than half of our tour customers were return clients, he said, “Any niche company needs a 50 percent return clientele. It’s just too expensive to win first-time customers over and over, from a marketing point of view.” This explains the vigor with which cruise ships work to sell another cruise to people already on board — even before they finish the one they’re on.

February 20, 2012January 4, 2018

Where’s the Best Place in the World to Get a Belgian Waffle?

Each year at our annual all-staff meeting, the crew in our Travel Center (our Edmonds, Washington, resource library for travelers) gives a report. Like good tour guides, they work with all kinds of people, field thousands of questions, and exercise lots of patience trying to maintain the attitude that “there’s no such thing as a stupid question.” Nevertheless, some questions are good for a polite chuckle. Here are some “interesting” emails that our heroic staff received and responded to in the last year:

We are in Lisbon, and found your Portugal guidebook (5th edition) on the shelf at Livraria Barateira between “How to Make Love All Night (And Drive a Woman Wild)” and “The Journals of Anais Nin (volume 6)”!! Hot stuff.
I recently saw one of your programs. In my estimation you are a slob. I would never take that little on a trip. I always take 5 day attires and 5 night attires. I always carry 35 lbs. You must look like a true American and not a European. I would hate to be seen with you in the USA. Do you own a tuxedo? Yes I do need formal clothing as I attend theatre, concerts and the symphony and most tickets state elegant dress. The company SAS states that you should not rewear your shoes within 48 hours so I always take 5 pairs of shoes – 3 walking and three high heels. I also take a fur coat in the winter. I only stay at 4 star hotels. I have been traveling in Europe since the late 60’s and know how they dress. I don’t wear jeans in the USA so why should I wear them elsewhere. They are for farm and garden work.
I use a good foam earplug and the noise cancelling ear plugs over them. But, one caution: on a ten-hour flight, somehow the plane’s system got stuck on Michael Jackson’s Greatest Hits and for the four hours I slept it was all Michael Jackson. For about two years (literally) I couldn’t get his songs out of my head!
What restaurant is the best place in the world to get a Belgian Waffle?
I used the Europe 2010 book for multiple trips to Europe. Unfortunately, my dog ate the top third of the book. Then, last week while I was in Costa Rica, my dog ate about half of the Europe Through the Back Door 2011 book too. My dog sitter thinks my dog doesn’t want me to travel anymore. I’m wondering what makes Rick’s books taste so good? These are the only two books she has eaten in nine years. Keep on writing!
In a recent email you said, “I was just hanging out with the officer whose responsibility is to monitor the supplies for the cruise ship. He told me the two most important items to keep in stock: TP for guests and rice for the predominantly Asian crew.” What is “TP”?
Rick, Were you a disk jockey in Memphis back in the 70’s and 80’s?
I am inquiring if Rick is interested in discussing a series that pairs him up with professional cannabis strain hunters that travel the world in search of the planet’s nearly extinct marijuana landrace strains.
I find your travel show painful to watch. You have to be the most boring TV personality on the planet. There is as much excitement as water evaporating. On the bright side, I have never missed a show and have watched many several times. I cannot explain my own behavior. Keep them coming. Have a great day. :)
What’s the empty water bottle you mention in your guidebook for?
I would like to know if you provide vaccinations for Hep A, Typhoid Fever, DPT and possibly rabies.
I was in Rome last year and bought some chap stick at the farmacia. It came it a white plastic tube that twisted at the bottom like lipstick. It had blue lettering and the brand name had 3 letters, something like “P.N.Y.” or “P.N.T.” All this information has since rubbed off on my chapstick. I have friends going to Rome next week and wanted them to bring some back. Do you know the brand I’m talking about? It was in a plastic bin on the counter of the farmacia near the Spanish Steps and cost about 5 euro for one tube. Please help!
My husband and I love your shows on Europe so much we named our cat after you! His name is Rickety Steves.
In Germany, is the Black Forest free or admission price? Can I buy an animal from another country to take back home on air-flight for a fee? Does Milan have fashion shows? Can I live in England if I wanted to and what would I have to go through?
Hi, I am trying to figure out if I could make a little extra money while traveling in Europe giving tarot card readings. Have you seen people doing this? Where would be the best places?

February 16, 2012November 19, 2013

Andy Steves Reporting from (and Thawing out in) Valencia

My son Andy is finishing his second year establishing his own business: organizing and guiding tours for American students on foreign study programs who want to turn their long weekends into excursions that bring today’s culture vividly to life. His three-day tours cost 200 euros each, and include hostels, picnics, tours, and so on.

Over the last two years, Andy has learned a lot about student travel and that market niche in Europe. As I did when I was his age (24), he finds that the best way to sell his tours is to give talks about traveling, which has the added bonus of introducing his audiences to his tour business. Andy gives talks for American foreign study programs on campuses all over Europe. His mission: to get students off on the right foot as they use their home city as a springboard to experience the cultural capitals of Europe. Administrators appreciate the practical, hip, and credible information Andy imparts in his lectures. Andy’s pay: He gets to pass out his Weekend Student Adventures tour brochures.

Andy basically lives in hostels all over Europe and runs his business from his laptop at cafés offering free Wi-Fi. Here’s a report directly from Andy on the train in Spain. It comes with a chance to view some thrilling new video clips that a student working with Andy has just made (I particularly enjoyed these for a chance to share the joy of a 20-year-olds view of Europe that Andy offers his travelers):

I’m writing this on the train from Barcelona to Valencia, almost finished with my marathon speaking tour. Just yesterday, I was in Prague, which is facing the brute force of Europe’s Siberian cold front. Sub-zero temperatures would freeze any uncovered fingers, noses, or ears within minutes. Memories of that bitter cold, combined with Barcelona’s relative warmth, are making my short visit to Spain particularly sweet.

With my crazy schedule of zipping from one campus to another on successive days all over Europe to give my talks, I’ve constantly benefitted from the infrastructure investments made by European governments lately. From Spain’s AVE bullet train (which I’m on right now), to the real-time bus-locator app I found so helpful in London, to the Dublin airport’s sleek and shiny new Terminal 2, my whirlwind tour simply wouldn’t have been possible without Europe’s streamlined transportation network. In the last month, my talks — which I’ve billed as “Cultural Integration Seminars” — have taken me through campuses in Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Galway, London, Paris, Prague, Florence, and Rome, to name a few. And the transportation connections really couldn’t have been smoother.

At the start of each semester, I tour throughout Europe giving these talks to help students kick off their semester right. I do my best to prepare and inspire them with a travel philosophy that helps break them out of their American shell. It’s such a sad lost opportunity when students, blessed with the chance to have a foreign study experience, fall into a routine of just hanging out with other American students. In the end, they return home unchanged. My talks — and my tours — are designed to encourage them to find a more fulfilling experience.

After my last talk later this week in southern Spain, I’ll fly from Málaga to Geneva to lead one of our Swiss Alps adventures in Gimmelwald. It starts next Friday, kicking off semester four for WSAEurope.

Andy Steves' Weekend Student Adventures

Things are going well! In the last three weeks, we’ve sold more spring 2012 tours than we did for all of the fall semester of 2011. These numbers give me confidence that we’re going in the right direction and we’re getting some good word-of-mouth among students abroad. Our hottest tours for this semester will be St. Patrick’s Dublin and Easter Rome (two specialty tours we had great success with last year). Rounding out our destination roster are Paris, Barcelona, Prague, London, Amsterdam, and our Swiss Alps ski trip. London has always been a challenge to sell, though — it seems students don’t value a tour so highly in a country that speaks English. While London is quite expensive, Prague is a much cheaper place to operate tours, yet delivers much more perceived value to the students — as the Czech culture, language, and currency tend to be far more intimidating to the average backpacker.

We’re testing a few new things to improve tour sales. Our new virtual student gift card for parents has been very popular. This lets parents live vicariously through their students’ adventures with WSA, as they can keep up with trip photo albums, blog entries, and Facebook and Twitter posts.

And we’re really excited about the newly finished highlight reels of our tours made by our video intern from last semester, Connor Reidy of Boston University. His acumen as a video producer really communicates the fun of our tours. So far, Paris and Amsterdam are now complete and posted. More clips are coming soon! Even if your student travel days are long gone, click over and enjoy the artistry of these short clips. And if you know any students studying in Europe, please encourage them to follow us on Facebook and check out all the free resources at http://www.wsaeurope.com/.

Happy travels! Andy Steves signing off…and just pulling into Valencia!

February 14, 2012February 15, 2012

Capturing the Magic of Travel Through Photography

We just enjoyed our annual all-staff meeting and our art department shared some of the best of the new photos in our arsenal. In our business, photos are a powerful way to share our enthusiasm for a destination (and to sell things). We hired Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli, our favorite travel photographer, and sent him on several of our tours last summer–turning him lose to capture the magic. Sit back, click through these shots, and enjoy a few images that bring home the joy and beauty of European travel.

Lauterbrunnen Valley, Swiss Alps	Venice, Italy
Rialto Bridge, Venice, Italy	Vatican Museum, Rome, Italy
Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy	Dublin, Ireland
Toledo, Spain	Arcos, Spain
Istanbul, Turkey	Cappadocia, Turkey
Civita di Bagnoregio, Italian hill town near Orvieto, Italy	Cinque Terre, Italy