Rick Steves (b.1955) is an American travel writer, media personality, tourism entrepreneur, and activist. He is the host of several travel shows on public television and radio.
Born in Barstow, California, Steves grew up in Edmonds, Washington, north of Seattle. At age 14, he first accompanied his father, a piano businessperson, to piano factories in Europe. At 18, he started traveling to Europe on his own and opened his Rick Steves’ Europe tour company to organize escorted European trips. He wrote the first edition of Europe Through the Back Door (1979,) a wide-ranging guide on how to travel in Europe.
Steves’ well-liked radio and television programs, guidebooks, newsletters, media columns, blogs, and social media posts have opened up Europe to American travelers and have raised understanding of diverse cultures and people. Steves’ enthusiastic “back door” travel philosophy inspires travelers to experience zealously the places they visit on their voyages of discovery.
Steves’ is the host of the popular television shows Travels in Europe with Rick Steves (1991–1988) and Rick Steves’ Europe (2000–,) as well as the radio show Travel with Rick Steves (2006–.) His popular European travel guidebooks include Rick Steves’ Italy (updated yearly,) the top-selling travel guide in America, and many travel-related books including Rick Steves’ The Travel Skills Handbook (2017.)
Besides travel, Steves has made television specials on subjects such as European Easter, Martin Luther and the European Reformation. He is also an activist focused on economic and social justice, drug policy reform, and ending hunger.
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Globetrotting destroys ethnocentricity, helping us understand and appreciate other cultures. Rather than fear the diversity on this planet, celebrate it. Among your most prized souvenirs will be the strands of different cultures you choose to knit into your own character. The world is a cultural yarn shop, and “back door” travelers are weaving the ultimate tapestry.
—Rick Steves
Ideally, travel broadens our perspectives personally, culturally, and politically. Suddenly, the palette with which we paint the story of our lives has more colors.
—Rick Steves
Regardless of your journey, you can put a little pilgrim in your travels and find your own personal jubilation.
—Rick Steves