Rick Steves

And it was a big emotional deal for me to make the transition. I remember I had to decide in 1980, when I was 25 years old, am I going to be a piano teacher or a travel teacher? And I had a recital hall in my little town. My students were giving recitals and their parents were sitting on boxes of my first self-published edition of Europe Through the Back Door.

And it was a big emotional deal for me to make the transition. I remember I had to decide in 1980, when I was 25 years old, am I going to be a piano teacher or a travel teacher? And I had a recital hall in my little town. My students were giving recitals and their parents were sitting on boxes of my first self-published edition of Europe Through the Back Door.

And my heart was really in the travel more than in the piano teaching.

And my heart was really in the travel more than in the piano teaching.

and i so i gave up my students and i turned my recital hall into a travel lecture hall and you know we had a monthly world traveler slide club it met the first sunday of every month i had a eight hour all-day seminar on how to travel skills that would be a saturday talk and the next day i had a six or seven hour talk on art the art of europe

and i so i gave up my students and i turned my recital hall into a travel lecture hall and you know we had a monthly world traveler slide club it met the first sunday of every month i had a eight hour all-day seminar on how to travel skills that would be a saturday talk and the next day i had a six or seven hour talk on art the art of europe

And then on Sunday night, I had a three-hour talk called Travel Beyond Europe, TBE. And that would be Egypt, Morocco, and Turkey, just for the real eager beavers. And that was when I was a college kid. And, you know, that would be a way I would make a little money, sell a few of my self-published books.

And then on Sunday night, I had a three-hour talk called Travel Beyond Europe, TBE. And that would be Egypt, Morocco, and Turkey, just for the real eager beavers. And that was when I was a college kid. And, you know, that would be a way I would make a little money, sell a few of my self-published books.

But most important, hone my delivery and develop a sixth sense for what are the fears and apprehensions that are troubling people before their trip. I would have everybody fill out a little page that said, what are they really anxious about for their trip? What are they afraid of? And I learned a lot by that. And I learned a lot by 20 or 30 years of being a tour guide on a bus.

But most important, hone my delivery and develop a sixth sense for what are the fears and apprehensions that are troubling people before their trip. I would have everybody fill out a little page that said, what are they really anxious about for their trip? What are they afraid of? And I learned a lot by that. And I learned a lot by 20 or 30 years of being a tour guide on a bus.

That's where you learn how much of an attention span do people have? How many Madonnas and children can they see before they wouldn't walk across the street for a Raphael? When I think of the trip that I used to do when I was starting my company, I just did around and around Europe in 22 days, it was called. And it's the best 3,000 miles that you're paid to offer.

That's where you learn how much of an attention span do people have? How many Madonnas and children can they see before they wouldn't walk across the street for a Raphael? When I think of the trip that I used to do when I was starting my company, I just did around and around Europe in 22 days, it was called. And it's the best 3,000 miles that you're paid to offer.

And you start the trip and people are wide-eyed and don't know the drill. And then you teach them, you create a esprit de corps, you create an understanding that we're a family. And then you realize that We need to provide context so people know what they're looking at.

And you start the trip and people are wide-eyed and don't know the drill. And then you teach them, you create a esprit de corps, you create an understanding that we're a family. And then you realize that We need to provide context so people know what they're looking at.

It's just a fun, artful challenge for a tour manager, a tour organizer, a tour guide to recognize this is a big part in the lives of people who have scrimped and saved and dreamed for years to take this trip. And we do it over and over and over again. And I love it.

It's just a fun, artful challenge for a tour manager, a tour organizer, a tour guide to recognize this is a big part in the lives of people who have scrimped and saved and dreamed for years to take this trip. And we do it over and over and over again. And I love it.

I had this sense that people were threatened by other cultures that that did things well. And there's this pride in America. And I thought, I remember back then, let's say you're checking in at a hotel and you have to write down your birthday. And my birthday is May 10, 55. So it's 5, 10, 55. And they go, no, it's 10, 5, 55. They put the day before the month. It's a silly little thing.

I had this sense that people were threatened by other cultures that that did things well. And there's this pride in America. And I thought, I remember back then, let's say you're checking in at a hotel and you have to write down your birthday. And my birthday is May 10, 55. So it's 5, 10, 55. And they go, no, it's 10, 5, 55. They put the day before the month. It's a silly little thing.

But a lot of Americans would be bummed out at that. They'd draw back and they'd clench their fist and they'd think, we fought and died for your freedom and your way of life. And I'm not going to sit here and let you tell me that it's not month, day, year. Americans are threatened by this. And you got to tell them, no, they're not saying they're better than you. They just do it this way.

But a lot of Americans would be bummed out at that. They'd draw back and they'd clench their fist and they'd think, we fought and died for your freedom and your way of life. And I'm not going to sit here and let you tell me that it's not month, day, year. Americans are threatened by this. And you got to tell them, no, they're not saying they're better than you. They just do it this way.