Rick Steves

And, you know, we are not the norm. This is very important. We do kind of lead the world in self-evident and God-given truths, but we are not the norm. And I just love to expose people to examples of things they would never encounter at home. And then they've got the option to embrace it and enjoy it or say, I tried that. I don't like it. I'm so glad I'm an American. That's cool.

And, you know, we are not the norm. This is very important. We do kind of lead the world in self-evident and God-given truths, but we are not the norm. And I just love to expose people to examples of things they would never encounter at home. And then they've got the option to embrace it and enjoy it or say, I tried that. I don't like it. I'm so glad I'm an American. That's cool.

The happiest day of the year for me is the day I return home. And I'm glad I live here. I would never live anywhere else. But good travel is... Culture shock is a constructive thing. This is a new thing I've been talking about lately. Culture shock is constructive. It's the growing pains of a broadening perspective, and it just needs to be curated.

The happiest day of the year for me is the day I return home. And I'm glad I live here. I would never live anywhere else. But good travel is... Culture shock is a constructive thing. This is a new thing I've been talking about lately. Culture shock is constructive. It's the growing pains of a broadening perspective, and it just needs to be curated.

And so you set up experiences, and then you provide a forum for people to share experiences. and compare notes. And we call this reflections times. And on my ideal tour, I'm not the teacher, I'm just the facilitator. It's happy hour before dinner, and we were just at a concentration camp memorial. Or we were just experiencing how the Dutch are preparing for a rising sea level.

And so you set up experiences, and then you provide a forum for people to share experiences. and compare notes. And we call this reflections times. And on my ideal tour, I'm not the teacher, I'm just the facilitator. It's happy hour before dinner, and we were just at a concentration camp memorial. Or we were just experiencing how the Dutch are preparing for a rising sea level.

Or we were just sitting in the city hall in Oslo talking with Norwegians who happily pay more taxes because they see the government as a great way to tackle challenges that should be tackled collectively. And let people share their thoughts and their impressions and what they're finding stressful and what they're finding beautiful. For me, that's very, very rewarding as a teacher.

Or we were just sitting in the city hall in Oslo talking with Norwegians who happily pay more taxes because they see the government as a great way to tackle challenges that should be tackled collectively. And let people share their thoughts and their impressions and what they're finding stressful and what they're finding beautiful. For me, that's very, very rewarding as a teacher.

It becomes a transformational experience. And to me, there's two kinds of travel. There's escape travel and there's reality travel. I want to go home a little bit different, a little less afraid, a little more thankful, a little better citizen of the planet.

It becomes a transformational experience. And to me, there's two kinds of travel. There's escape travel and there's reality travel. I want to go home a little bit different, a little less afraid, a little more thankful, a little better citizen of the planet.

Yeah, and I would temper that by reminding people my beat is Europe. And I do Europe because it's the biggest market, it's where my roots are, and it's a beautiful springboard to the rest of the world. My favorite country is India, but I don't teach India. I teach Europe as the gateway to the world.

Yeah, and I would temper that by reminding people my beat is Europe. And I do Europe because it's the biggest market, it's where my roots are, and it's a beautiful springboard to the rest of the world. My favorite country is India, but I don't teach India. I teach Europe as the gateway to the world.

That's a way that pragmatically I can reach more people than to talk to the adventurers that are trekking in Nepal or something like that.

That's a way that pragmatically I can reach more people than to talk to the adventurers that are trekking in Nepal or something like that.

well you know it seems like it has but i don't get demoralized by that. People have a choice. You can have La La Land.

well you know it seems like it has but i don't get demoralized by that. People have a choice. You can have La La Land.

You can go to your grave with a big barbecue apron like a Budweiser beer commercial, you know, that life was good for you and not learn anything and really think you're the center of this planet, which is fine, you know, but I've just got this curiosity to get to know the rest of the world and to contribute in a way that makes the world a better place.

You can go to your grave with a big barbecue apron like a Budweiser beer commercial, you know, that life was good for you and not learn anything and really think you're the center of this planet, which is fine, you know, but I've just got this curiosity to get to know the rest of the world and to contribute in a way that makes the world a better place.

And I love these kind of quotes like Thomas Jefferson wrote, travel makes a person wiser if less happy. And I've always had this hunger to be more engaged, not necessarily more happy, but more engaged. I always use this anecdote. I was really involved in the Sandinistas and the Contras and all that. That's kind of where I got politicized.

And I love these kind of quotes like Thomas Jefferson wrote, travel makes a person wiser if less happy. And I've always had this hunger to be more engaged, not necessarily more happy, but more engaged. I always use this anecdote. I was really involved in the Sandinistas and the Contras and all that. That's kind of where I got politicized.