Tour Guiding and Travel Overload with Andy Steves of Weekend Student Adventures

Andy Steves grew up following his dad Rick Steves on his travel related work trips, spending two to four weeks a year in Europe while his dad updated guidebooks, created TV shows, and led tours. Initially pursuing a college degree in Industrial Design, Andy decided to shift his career focus towards travel based on his experiences during a trip he took to Europe after graduating high school, and realizing there was a niche for shorter term city tours for students studying abroad and on a budget. Since launching Weekend Student Adventures in 2010, Andy has expanded the company to fit a variety of travel styles and tour lengths, and ensures quality experiences by visiting the city first to build optimal itineraries, and only hiring local guides. After growing to offer tours in fifteen cities across Europe, Andy has also released a Europe guidebook and has recently launched the Andy Steves Travel Podcast. On this episode we talk to Andy about what it was like to grow up following his dad around the world and how he changed course to start his own travel career. We also chatted about how he launched Weekend Student Adventures, plans the tour itinerary in each city, and how he slows down occasionally to have a day for himself to keep from getting bored of similar sights while traveling. Andy also shares his experiences on what it takes to be a good guide, the changes he's seen with time in the way people travel, and some of his ongoing and upcoming projects. Enjoy! This episode of The World Wanderers is sponsored by AutoSlash. AutoSlash is the #1 site for getting a great deal on a car rental. They figure out the best coupons and discount codes to get you the lowest rate possible, and then track prices on your rental right until the day you pick up the car. If they find a lower rate, they email you so you can lock in the savings. It's like price protection on your rental. They can even track the price of rentals made on other websites. AutoSlash has saved customers millions of dollars on car rentals. It's completely free - give it a try on your next booking! You can also check out our travel community on Facebook where you can ask questions, get travel recommendations, and find community members in your area! If you would like to support the continued growth of the show and receive cool kickbacks like postcards from around the world and one on one calls with Ryan and Amanda, head on over to Patreon. Thank you so much for your continued support! Music Credits: www.bensound.com