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
If Hitler and Mussolini had won, our world might look like the E.U.R., a futuristic city Mussolini built at the edge of Rome.
https://www.facebook.com/ricksteves/videos/1028831323943134/
This clip is excerpted from my new one-hour special “Rick Steves’ The Story of Fascism in Europe.” Check your local listings for air times — and if you don’t see it, please ask your public television station to add it to their schedule.
Mussolini loved big rallies. From his balcony, he whipped his followers into a mass frenzy — igniting a new, amped-up kind of nationalism.
https://www.facebook.com/ricksteves/videos/749219152093142/
This clip is excerpted from my new one-hour special “Rick Steves’ The Story of Fascism in Europe.” Check your local listings for air times — and if you don’t see it, please ask your public television station to add it to their schedule.
In 1923, Hitler attempted to stage a coup…and failed. He was arrested and sent to prison, where he wrote a manifesto — filled with grammatical errors — about how he could unify Germany and restore it to its pre-WWI glory days.
https://www.facebook.com/ricksteves/videos/324436951638528/
This clip is excerpted from my new one-hour special “Rick Steves’ The Story of Fascism in Europe.” Check your local listings for air times — and if you don’t see it, please ask your public television station to add it to their schedule.
I’ve just wrapped up an amazing week in Iceland — and I really liked my itinerary. It was designed for me to use as I updated our Iceland guidebook, but it would be a great template for any week there. Take a look:
Day 1 Fly in, pick up car at airport, drive to farmhouse hotel or B&B in the middle of the South Coast, within a half-hour drive of ferry to Westman Islands
Day 2 Explore the South Coast
Day 3 Take first ferry to Westman Islands, spend all day there, drive after dinner to Reykjavík
Day 4 Reykjavík
Day 5 Golden Circle, as a 10- or 12-hour day trip from Reykjavík
Day 6 Reykjavík
Day 7 Blue Lagoon spa, on the way to the airport to fly out
BTW, a lot of you have asked about crowds in Iceland. It’s true that Iceland sometimes feels like the land of monetized waterfalls, with the most famous natural wonders attracting hordes of tourists — but I found that the crowds were a fun part of the experience. After struggling with crowds in Italy, France, and Spain, Iceland felt more like a big party that we were all just enjoying together.
It helps that many Iceland sights have made changes in the last few years to accommodate the growing number of visitors. Parking lots have been expanded (and now often come with a fee), and there are several new visitors centers.
And here’s one more way Iceland is addressing the huge influx of tourists: Several farms have transitioned their barns into ranks of simple hotel rooms. 
(What about you? Do you have a great Iceland itinerary to share — or do you have any thoughts about how the pint-sized island nation is handling its tourist crowds? Let me know here, on Twitter, or on Facebook.)
Iceland is notoriously expensive, but you can easily moderate the sticker shock by spending carefully.
While dinner at an average restaurant costs about $50, there are always lots of other good options. It seems people just eat simpler food in Iceland. Cafés, diners, and mini-markets have shelves of salads and sandwiches, and there’s always a hot dog stand nearby (hot dog and a coke: $10).
My go-to lunch spot was a soup bar. For about $20, I could have great soup (and refills), bread, butter, and water. That’s good enough for locals, and it was perfectly good enough for me.
(BTW, Iceland has no tipping culture and taxes are included — so you’ll pay exactly the price you see on the menu.)
I also noticed many people were skirting the high costs of eating and sleeping by going the RV way. I met several people who were driving RVs around the entire island on the 800-mile Ring Road — and they all reported it was a wonderful experience.
What about you? Do you have any tips for cutting costs in Iceland?