What We Did on Our Summer Vacation, featuring Rick Steves

Why do Americans spend lots of money to visit walkable, bikeable, transit-friendly European cities, only to come back to the U.S. and oppose all those things where they live? Rick Steves has some thoughts. Countless people know and love the popular travel writer for his guidebooks and long-running television programs, which encourage people to explore Europe's "backdoor" destinations—those off-the-beaten-path locations that have just as much or more to offer than its more touristy cities and sights. Rick takes a thoughtful and philosophical approach to travel and believes it offers people important lessons for becoming better global citizens. He is also an activist and philanthropist who believes in the power of local advocacy; he has funded affordable housing in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington, and is pursuing a one-man effort to turn a downtown roundabout into an Italian-style piazza.  Please note: This episode was recorded before Rick announced his recent cancer diagnosis. We wish him all the best and many more years of inspiring people to explore the world. * * * * *  ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive ad-free versions of regular episodes and exclusive bonus content. Plus, we'll send you stickers.*** This episode was produced with support from Pinhead Locks and Cleverhood. Listen for the latest discount codes. * * * * *   LINKS Learn more about all things Rick Steves. Pick up a copy of Rick's book Travel as a Political Act and the 40th edition of his travel guide Europe Through the Back Door as well as books by other podcast guests at our official Bookshop.org page. "When he's not traveling around Europe, writing about Europe or running his multimillion-dollar European tour company, the prolific TV host and author likes to squeeze in some local activism." (Washington Post) Rick Steves Wants to Set You Free (New York Times) The Future in our Hands, the Norwegian movement Rick mentions in the episode. * * * * *   Buy official podcast merch in our store. Follow The War on Cars on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, Bluesky and Mastodon. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. It was recorded by Justin Fernandez at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Transcriptions are by Russell Gragg. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org