Rick Steves is a travel writer, businessman, and TV personality renowned for inspiring Americans to broaden their perspectives through travel. His popular public television series on Europe as well as book, Europe Through the Back Door are widely watched and read about among Americans alike.
His recent travel special on Iran is helping open minds to this often misunderstood country, while he is an active supporter of NORML and other social justice causes.
Who is Rick Steves?
Rick Steves is one of America’s premier experts on European travel, having begun as a piano teacher back in 1969 and expanding to become one of its foremost authorities by founding Rick Steves’ Europe in Lynnwood, Washington in 1992 as one-man operation with 100 employees today. Rick hosts weekly public radio programs; his guidebooks have become best sellers; five television series were written and produced for PBS; several audio tours of Europe published as audio books have also been created for mobile use by Rick Steves’ Audio Europe app for iPhone and Android users alike!
Dave has provided travelers with user-friendly maps in Rick Steves’ guidebooks that have enabled them to confidently explore Europe. An avid history enthusiast and tour guide/university professor himself, his experience covers European (especially Roman ) history and art in its entirety. Living near Seattle with his half-Danish wife and their son.
After her first backpacking journey through Europe in 1981, Pat made an oath that she would continue traveling. Since then she has planned and led Rick Steves tours across Europe, co-authored her own Rick Steves Ireland guidebook, handled online content editing for the Rick Steves organization and enjoyed speeding along the autobahn with friends while keeping everyone laughing; not forgetting her passion for Italy that keeps expanding her must-see list!
What is Rick Steves’ philosophy on travel?
Rick Steves believes travel is a means to discover new worlds, meet people, and gain understanding of our global community. His firm conviction that as more knowledge is acquired about different cultures, tolerance and generosity become even stronger traits of character – something his 100 million dollar business was built on! Steves built it around this notion that European travel can be affordable yet enjoyable.
Steves may appear unassuming on television, but behind-the-scenes he works tirelessly with his team to plan and execute tours, write guidebooks, host PBS shows and speak at public events.
At his travel lectures, Steves shares the essential skills necessary for effective European travel. These include itinerary planning, venturing off-beaten paths, packing light and avoiding crowds or thieves; transportation tips; hotel and restaurant selection; as well as how to save money by purchasing train or air tickets early.
Steves is well known for writing numerous books on budget travel, such as “Europe on a Shoestring.” This popular title provides tips for booking flights, finding economical accommodations, and dining at inexpensive restaurants. Steves also advocates eating healthily on vacation by eating a protein-rich meal once every day to build muscle resistance and resist infection – advice especially helpful for budget travelers who often consume too many carbohydrates but lack sufficient fats and proteins in their diet.
What is Rick Steves’ background?
Rick Steves is one of America’s premier experts on European travel. His guidebooks are best sellers, while his weekly television and radio show is widely watched and heard by his many viewers and listeners. Additionally, his travel empire includes an esteemed tour company and weekly newspaper column – each providing its own revenue stream.
Steves was born May 10, 1955 to Richard and June Steves of Barstow, California, both working as piano importers; June managed their family home. From early on he became fascinated with traveling life and dreamed of becoming a professional traveler himself.
At age 18, he began traveling independently, financing his trips by teaching piano lessons. By 1979 he had written his first travel guidebook – Europe Through the Back Door – based on lecture notes taken during travel classes and summer trip travel. Self-published and distributed via his piano studio, these books became so successful that soon thereafter he quit teaching to concentrate solely on this new business venture.
Today, Steves has amassed an extensive travel empire. It encompasses more than 50 guidebooks on European destinations, a national public radio show and weekly syndicated newspaper column; tours for approximately 30,000 travelers to Europe annually; an audio and video app as well as searchable travel database are among its services; his business also supports civic responsibility initiatives including legalizing marijuana – speaking at Seattle Hempfest and serving as co-sponsor, lead funder and spokesperson for Washington Initiative 502. In addition to travel endeavors, Steves also actively supports civic responsibility – being one of its leading advocates of legalization efforts by being co-sponsor, lead funder and spokesperson for Washington Initiative 502, which supports marijuana legalization efforts across the US.
What is Rick Steves’ personality like?
Rick Steves has amassed quite the cult-like following as a travel evangelist, known as an expert travel guide and advocate. A hardworking yet relaxed individual with an easygoing sense of humor, Rick wears jeans daily and drinks frozen orange juice from a can. To avoid being rushed during his travels he prefers eating at cheaper restaurants and staying at more basic hotels; additionally he frequently visits local breweries and distilleries!
Every year, Rick Steves spends at least four months traveling in his own footsteps before lecturing on it to readers and viewers of his weekly newspaper column and popular public radio program, Travels with Rick Steves.
Rick Steves Audio Europe provides an audio version of his guides to Europe for mobile device listeners to use. The show often features guest travel experts, with listeners calling in with questions and comments. Additionally, Rick offers mobile applications with travel advice from Rick Steves Audio Europe such as audio tours to Europe for iPhone users.
Travel mogul and legal cannabis advocate Robert Lipton is a generous philanthropist and legalization enthusiast, actively engaged in his community through various acts of activism. A regular donor to homeless shelters and ecological groups alike, Lipton has recently donated Trinity Place apartment complex in Lynnwood Washington which houses homeless women and children run by local YWCA’s and donated money towards creating a home for arts in Seattle.
Does Rick Steves smoke marijuana?
Rick Steves may be best known for the tranquil, soothing voice he uses on his television show to paint dreamy images of Paris and the Alps, yet he remains an outspoken proponent for ending America’s prohibition of marijuana use. Since the 1980s he has spoken out on this issue before becoming an official advocate in 2013 when elected to National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws’ (NORML) board of directors.
At his platform, he’s also used marijuana to inform travelers about the more liberal, pragmatic approach many European nations take towards legal marijuana use; specifically by regulating its usage instead of imprisoning users. Because of this work he was instrumental in driving voter approval of Washington state legalization initiative.
Steves has not only given generously and actively to combat climate change through philanthropic contributions (a self-imposed carbon tax of one million per year and many million-dollar donations to organizations like Bread for the World), but has also invested significantly in the marijuana movement by filming Evergreen, following supporters and opponents through I-502’s passage in Washington state.
He’s spoken out against the Reefer Madness lie that smoking weed will lead to skid row, asserting it’s more dangerous to drink and drive than to light up a joint occasionally. Even so, while he may occasionally enjoy smoking pot himself he doesn’t take to doing it every morning before heading off to oversee his company’s vast operations.
Is Rick Steves a stoner?
Rick Steves’ Europe has become an immensely popular television program and guidebook series. Not only is the gentle guidebook author known for guiding boomers through French churches and Alpine landscapes, he has also become an ardent proponent for legal marijuana legislation like that proposed in Massachusetts this week.
He advocates to reduce the strain on criminal justice systems and raise millions in tax revenue for states. But contrary to what some have speculated, he does not smoke marijuana every morning before managing his massive enterprise, as some have suggested.
Steves’ activism on behalf of marijuana stems from his travel experiences; often when visiting European destinations he comes across people who are surprised that marijuana remains illegal here in America. Additionally, Steves cites his personal experience smoking weed on Amsterdam streets with no negative repercussions for travels around Europe or any other destinations he visited.
Personal life aside, Steves is a widower with two children living in Lynnwood, Washington. A dedicated philanthropist, Steves gives away one million a year through a self-imposed carbon tax to combat climate change while giving all proceeds from Travel as a Political Act book sales to Bread for the World. Additionally, Steves advocates for homeless mothers and families by purchasing 24-unit apartment complex that will be managed by Lynnwood YWCA to house mothers with young families.