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 used to do everything on the cheap. It’s only recently that I’ve started to splurge (occasionally) on meals and a few other indulgences while traveling. How important is it to you to travel on the cheap? Do you want more budget tips? If you’ve traveled, what are your top budget tips?
After traveling to Europe for 30 years, things that seem obvious to me may not be to newer travelers. If you’ve traveled to Europe, what do you wish you’d been warned about? If you haven’t traveled to Europe, what are your biggest concerns about going? What would you like advice on?
The first guidebook I ever wrote was Europe Through the Back Door. For 30 editions since 1980 it’s evolved, but I’ve realized that travel in the 21st century doesn’t always fit a 20th-century template. Now I’m considering reinventing entire parts of the book rather than just updating it, and who best to help me with this task than my travel-savvy Blog fans?
For the next week or so, I’d like to tap into your cumulative travel wisdom as my Blog “road scholars.” I love the notion that we’re all in the same “Travelers’ School of Hard Knocks,” so every day I’ll be seeking your travel advice. Let’s compare notes to make the best travel-skills handbook possible together.
Today, I’d love to poll you for general comments on the book (more specific questions will come later). For example: Has anyone read all of ETBD? What was most helpful? What did you want to see more of? What did you want to see less of? Are there new concerns for travelers that it doesn’t address? How can we improve ETBD for our travelers? Anything else?
Much to my delight, today on Ron Paul’s own blog he featured me and my Iran program. When the special was first released, I worked pretty hard to bring it to the attention of DC politicians, thinking investing an hour to get a primer on Iranian society would be time well spent—especially considering how little decision-makers in our country actually know about Iran. But until now, no one responded.
Though I don’t support all that he stands for, I guess it shouldn’t surprise me—given his take on militarism, trade policy, and our war on drugs—that our program would resonate with Ron Paul. On his blog today, he wrote, “There’s a quote attributed to Mark Twain that goes like this: ‘Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.’ In this lecture Rick Steves proves that he is more than a travel writer. He has had the courage to vindicate Twain’s statement. He has very much proven himself to be a true patriot and gentleman.”
Thanks Dr. Paul. I can see why you have such an enthusiastic following.
As we head home to enjoy our families and holiday traditions, I thought I’d share a few of our favorite images from Rick Steves’ European Christmas (watch it now on hulu.com). My goal a few years ago, when we produced our European Christmas special for PBS, was to bring America an intimate and non-commercial look at traditional and sacred Christmas celebrations in a TV show that would be enjoyed for years to come. Thanks to the hard work and creative talent of our staff and our friends in public television, and to travelers all over the country who tune into our show, our European Christmas special has become an regular part of the Christmas programming for stations across the USA. As you enjoy these images, which take you—as if on Santa’s sleigh—to seven different countries, it’s my hope that they might inspire us all to live our holiday traditions with both lots of loved ones and lots of love. Merry Christmas from all of us here at Rick Steves’ Europe.
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