 A weekly one-hour conversation with guest experts and callers about travel, cultures, people, and the things we find around the world that give life its extra sparkle. Rick Steves is America's leading authority on travel to Europe and beyond. Host and writer of over a hundred public television travel shows and author of 30 best-selling guidebooks, Rick now brings his passion for exploring and understanding our world to public radio. Related travel information and message boards on www.ricksteves.com.Primary Format :
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The Pilgrimage of Annie Leibovitz; Open Phones: Extraordinary Travels
Photographer Annie Leibovitz talks about her pilgrimage to the homes of famous people from our history across the United States and describes what it meant to zoom in on the places and objects from the icons of our culture. Also, Rick checks in with listeners for ideas on planning extraordinary travels.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Richard Ellis: Polar Bears on Thin Ice; Open Phones: Travel Reports
Marine wildlife expert Richard Ellis explains how the loss of the ice cap in the Arctic is accelerating, why wildlife in the region cannot adapt to the effects of global warming, and why this should matter to everyone. Also, Rick takes listener calls for stories of lessons learned when immersed in another culture.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Offbeat Turkey: Historical Dives and Exploring the East; Richard Grant's Crazy Adventures In East Africa
Guides from Turkey dive into underwater archeology along with sights of Eastern Turkey and adventure traveler Richard Grant explores East Africa in search of the fabled source of the Nile River.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Two Sides of Mexico: From the Drug War in the North to the Mundo Maya in the South
Ed Vulliamy investigates the escalating bloodshed from drug gangs in Northern Mexico and shares what he found in a "post-political" war zone, where few outsiders dare to tread. But Mexico is a big country, so Rick also explores this year's special tourism emphasis around an ancient Mayan prophesy, which is is fostering a deeper interest in the indigenous culture in the south.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, progra ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Steve Inskeep''s Foreign Intelligence; Vienna a la Fred Plotkin; Open Phones: Travel Resolutions
Steve Inskeep assesses international news coverage in the U.S. media, Fred Plotkin describes why Vienna is one of his favorite cities, and listeners share resolutions for enjoying other cultures -- even from the comfort of their own kitchen.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Winter In Paris; International New Years Party
Rick uncovers holiday traditions from such places as Sicily and Croatia, Scotland and Brazil and gets suggestions for enjoying winter in Paris from a couple of local guides.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
International Christmas Party
Rick celebrates Christmas with friends from near and far, hearing about holiday traditions from Holland and Hungary, Sicily and Scotland, learning about the unique ways people light up the season in Santa Fe, and discovering how scientists at a research station in Antarctica make merry, plus listeners share some of their favorite Christmas memories from holiday travels.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related de ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
European Christmas Prep 2
Rick is introduced to Santa's European relatives including Baba Noël, Grandfather Frost, Saint Nicholas, Krampus, and even Sammi Claus and Schwartzley. Also friends from Madrid, Rome, London and Lisbon discuss their cities' traditions for the Christmas season, and Rick learns how the holidays are celebrated in Bulgaria, the Swiss Alps, Austria and the Low Countries.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program arch ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Listener Feedback; Agriturismos In Italy; Key West
It's a tropical party town that hosted some of America's best known writers. William McKeen explains the appeal of Key West during its artistic heyday of the 1970s, and as a resort town today. We'll also explore the advantages of staying at a farmhouse "agriturismo" in Italy, as a relaxing alternative to the busy city scene. And Rick shares listener comments from recent shows.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Race to the South Pole; Karachi for Travelers; Changing Dutch Society
Rick checks in with a Norwegian team skiing across Antarctica to commemorate the trek of countryman Roald Amundsen; plus, NPR's Steve Inskeep shares what he discovered in the urban muddle of Karachi, Pakistan, and a journalist from The Netherlands outlines political changes on the Dutch horizon.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Pilot's Advice to Reduce Travel Stress; Jane & Michael Stern's 'Road Food USA'
Jane and Michael Stern share their findings on the best Road Food and authentic regional food specialties they've found around the country and Rick gets a view from the cockpit on ways to help reduce the stress factors associated with flying.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Food Adventures; Going Casual; Travel Reports from Challenged Places
Rick explores the flavorful benefits of street food vendors and decidedly unfancy hang outs and checks in with listener travel reports from the tsunami zone in northeast Japan, as well as Mexico City and East Timor.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Sojourning Further; Being Human; Turkish Nomads
Rick checks in with Reverend Jim Wallis and with "The Darwinian Tourist" to discover what they've learned from their travels to far away lands; hears how life is changing for nomadic sheep herders in Turkey; and celebrates cyclist Willie Weir's birthday in Portugal.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Paris Art Scene; Irish Writers; Michelangelo's Florence
Rick discovers the high form of art in Ireland, language, where the works of poets and playwrights add color to parks and pubs. Plus, he gets tips for enjoying speciality museums in Paris, and explores how growing up in Renaissance-era Florence shaped Michelangelo into one of the greatest artists of all time.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Saving Paris Art; Malta; Open Phones: Haunted Europe
Rick learns about the extraordinary measures taken by the citizens of Paris in 1939 to protect thousands of priceless art treasures at the Louvre from the coming Nazi invaders and is introduced to the nation of Malta; listeners share stories about the haunted places they've visited in Europe.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Open Phones: Looking Up Ancestors in Europe; Irish Roots; Highlights of the Low Countries
Rick checks in with European tour guides on researching family history in Ireland; listeners discuss meeting relatives in Sweden and Lithuania; and Low Countries Belgium and the Netherlands, where cozy medieval cities or bike rides to the sea are just a short ride away, are examined.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
The Lunatic Express; Open Phones: Travel Discoveries
Carl Hoffman explains what it was like to travel the world on the most notorious, over-crowded trains, planes, busses and ferries — the way most of the planet gets from one city to another. And listeners share their own travel discoveries and suggestions for seeing the world.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Open Phones: Visiting France; Regions of Germany; Cappadocia
Guides from Turkey tell us about the surreal scenery of Cappadocia, where you can glide over an endless panorama of colorful "fairy chimneys," or duck your head in a labyrinth of underground cave cities, decorated with Byzantine murals.
We'll also get acquainted with the regional distinctions of modern Germany, and Rick takes listener calls about their favorite parts of France.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program arc ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Understanding the French
We continue our exploration of the differences between French and American culture, with the help of a local tour guide who contrasts the expectations of American and French tourists. Also, a journalist based in Paris returns to delve deeper into understanding the seductive nature of the French.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
From Tuscany to Tango; Finnish Sauna
Ferenc Máté shares lessons from 20 years in Tuscany, where he and his wife went to turn a 13th century building into their dream home; Camille Cusumano explains how a passion for the tango made her relocate to Buenos Aires; and Fred Plotkin describes the simple pleasure of a cleansing sauna in Finland.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Western Whitewater Adventures; A Readers Grand Tour; Tapas in Spain
A seasoned river guide explains how a camping trip down the Colorado River can be a life altering experience; Nancy Pearl recommends more of her favorite books for armchair adventures; and two guides from Madrid explain the protocol for enjoying local specialties.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Poetry After 9/11; Paul Theroux's Tao of Travel
Paul Theroux commemorates fifty years of adventures by comparing notes with Rick on how best to engage with the world and the editors of "Poetry After 9-11" discuss how New Yorkers are dealing with the shock of the September 11th attacks ten years later by composing poetry.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Medieval Castles-Old and New; American Nobleman in Prague
Rick learns how medieval castles are being built by hand in France and Arkansas, and gets a closer look at how castles functioned in ancient times. Also, William Lobkowicz, American heir to one of Europe's most famous royal families, shares stories of overseeing his family's palace, castles, and treasures in Prague.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Misadventures of Rolf Potts; Open Phones: Budget Eating Tricks
Rolf Potts shares his misadventures in Turkey and Libya, and describes how he looks for treasure in towns around the world, including one unassuming hamlet off I-70 in central Kansas. Also, listeners offer tips on good eating, within a travel budget, while vacationing overseas.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Potsdam; Athens; Open Phones: Favorite Cities
Rick explores the historical riches of Potsdam, Germany and dicusses how Athens has grown into a visitor-friendly destination, complete with a new Acropolis museum. Also, adventure cyclist Willie Weir joins Rick from his favorite square in Madrid, and listeners nominate favorite cities to explore.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Building the Berlin Wall; The Mongol Rally; The Darwinian Tourist
Rick looks back fifty years to when the Berlin Wall was built, and discusses with a Berliner what it meant to split the city in half. Also, two participants from a madcap road race from London to Mongolia explain what it's like to finish the Mongol Rally in one piece. Also, a biologist explains how travelers can examine the natural world through the eyes of a Darwinian Tourist.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program a ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
More Summer Road Food USA; Interstate-75 Road Trip; Richard Bangs' Adventures
Jane and Michael Stern inspire travelers with tales of finding classic American dishes with a regional twist; author Dave Hunter offers tips for navigating Interstate-75 between Michigan and Florida; and Richard Bangs dishes on how adventure travel can change the way you view the world.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Rome Beneath the Surface
Rick is joined by a tour guide raised in Rome who knows her city inside out. We'll check in on the city's now-trendy Jewish Ghetto, get practical tips for planning a visit, and hear what some of our listeners have discovered in Rome.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Flirtatious France; Walk Across Israel
Two American journalists explain what they've discovered by living in Paris, and by walking across Israel. Elaine Sciolino explains the many ways seduction operates as part of day to day life in France. Also, Martin Fletcher describes what a good long walk down the coast of Israel showed him after 30 years of reporting from the Middle East.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.c ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Going Beyond: Composer Sites in Europe; Portugal Beyond Lisbon; Food Adventures
Hear how attending a performance at one of Europe's great concert venues can add to your enjoyment of classical music. A guide from Portugal introduces us to some of the high points away from Lisbon. Also, travel writer Don George shares stories of life-changing food adventures around the world.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Off the Grid in Mexico; Baltic Cities; Paul Theroux's Dark Star Safari
Paul Theroux describes what a trip the length of Africa taught him, 40 years after serving with the Peace Corps in a village in Malawi. Frugal Traveler Seth Kugel tells us what it was like to spend a week in a small Mexican town he picked at random, off the tourist grid. And Neil Taylor explains how much the Baltic countries have brightened up in 20 years, since they shook off Soviet Communism.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program arc ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Running a Summer Crepe Stand in France; Washington DC Insider; National Parks in the USA
Ken Burns explains why he thinks the National Parks are some of the best things about the United States; a Washington D.C. guide offers tips for enjoying the Nation's Capital like the locals do; and Rick discovers what it's like to run a summer crepe stand on the coast of France.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Fred Plotkin's Finland; Greece & Turkey: Uneasy Cousins?
Rick discusses the tensions behind Greece and Turkey's tumultuous relationship with two women from Greece and Turkey, and travel writer Fred Plotkin shares why Finland is one of his favorite places, especially when the midnight sun produces some of the sweetest berries you'll find anywhere.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Europe On A Student's Budget
Rick chats with his son, Andy Steves, a recent college grad who's learned a few tricks of his own for low-cost travel options in Europe. We'll also check in with the owners of dorm-style lodgings in Northern Ireland and the Swiss Alps, to get a glimpse inside the world of hostelling.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
A Proper English Hour: Home, High Tea, and Jane Austen's England
Bill Bryson examines private life during the Victorian age; London guide Britt Lonsdale explains how to enjoy a proper afternoon tea service; and screenwriter Andrew Davies shares his appreciation for the works of Jane Austen, whose books about the gentle folk of rural England were first published 200 years ago.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
America's Best Zoos; Dutch Society From the Inside Out
We'll look at what makes one expert's list for the best zoos in America. And to better understand how one European country stands apart from the rest, we've invited two guides from the Netherlands to explain how the Dutch get along in their densely-packed and efficient country, where millions live below sea level.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Mexico City
In terms of culture, history, street life and great food Mexico City is the western hemisphere's equal to many of Europe's great cities — and one of the largest cities in the world. Two former New Yorkers tell us why they were charmed by Mexico City, why they moved there, and wrote guides to help visitors enjoy it, too.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.co ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Hungarian Countryside; Scottish Highlands and Islands
We're heading past the major cities to explore the countryside of both Hungary and Scotland. We'll find out why Lake Balaton has been a favorite getaway for Hungarian families for years. Also, we'll recognize where in Scotland's Highlands and western islands you can taste a spiritual energy — along with a good whisky — far from the tourist crowds.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related de ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Contemporary EU Issues; Lesser-Known Paris Museums
Learn how Europeans are dealing with current economic challenges, and why their approach differs from their American cousins. Also, a Paris-based guide joins Rick to suggest venues where you can get a real taste of Medieval and Impressionist art.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Cross-Cultural Family in Italy; Sicilian Vacation
What would your life be like if you fell in love overseas, got married, and started to raise a family in another culture? Find out how it works for American Lisa Anderson, who's raising two boys in her husband's hometown in northern Italy. Also, two guides who specialize in Sicily explain why the Mediterranean's largest island is growing in popularity as a vacation destination.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Footsteps of Martin Luther; Orthodox Easter
Retracing Luther's trek from Germany to Rome, a Lutheran pastor and her husband explain how they traveled as a way to encourage harmony among religious groups in the 21st century. We'll also hear how Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria and Greece get ready for Easter and why it's their biggest holiday of the year.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Simon Winchester's Atlantic; Jim Wallis' Travels
Simon Winchester describes what he's learned about the world's busiest ocean, the Atlantic, and the many stories it still has to tell. And Reverend Jim Wallis describes how venturing to war zones and even to the "other side of the tracks" can change your perspective on the world.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Ken Burns and the American Civil War; Nancy Pearl's Armchair Travels
Filmmaker Ken Burns joins Rick to discuss the American Civil War and what the research for his documentary series taught him. Also, Nancy Pearl recommends favorite armchair travel books and authors who have a gift for conveying the real atmosphere of a foreign place.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Changing Face of London; Royal Wedding; Turkish Wedding Traditions
Neil Taylor discusses how the streets of London are gaining an international flavor with a growing immigrant population and Rick gets a local perspective on the upcoming Royal Wedding at Westminster Abbey, including tips on experiencing royal traditions while sightseeing. Also, two tour guides from Turkey describe the customs they're observing as they get ready for their own wedding day, and how they aim to keep everyone happy.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steve ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Drying the Blue Nile; Naples and Nearby
Adventure traveler Richard Bangs discusses the water rights dispute he found surrounding the source of the Blue Nile in Ethiopia when he thought he was going whitewater rafting, and guides from southern Italy describe the energetic attractions Naples, and its nearby coastal and island resorts.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Polar Witness: The Last Polar Bear; Penguins on the Brink
Wilderness photographer Steven Kazlowski joins Rick to describe how climate change is impacting Polar Bears as well as the wildlife and Native people of the Arctic. Also, author Fen Montaigne explains what he witnessed at a penguin research station about the rapid warming on the Antarctic Peninsula.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Ireland's County Cork; Rolf Potts: Around the World Luggage-Free
Irish tour guide Barry Moloney talks of his home turf in Cork, long considered the "rebel south" of Ireland, now gaining a reputation for gastronomy, and travel writer Rolf Potts describes how he was able to journey around the world for six weeks without any luggage and still have fun.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- including episode descriptions, program archives and related details -- visit www.ricksteves.com.Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Paul Theroux and the Peace Corps; The Frugal Traveler's Latin America
We commemorate the early days of the Peace Corps with travel writer Paul Theroux, who served as a teacher in Africa in 1963. He'll also share his perspective on when foreign aid does and does not work. Also, Seth Kugel shares highlights from his inaugural trip as the Frugal Traveler for the New York Times when he spent 13 weeks on a budget to see the sights from Brazil to New York by way of Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves -- ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Jeff Greenwald's Nepal; Open Phones: Spirit-Lifting Travels
Travel writer Jeff Greenwald returns to Nepal every year, where ancient Hindu and Buddhist customs are challenged by modern pressures and recent political turmoil. Jeff joins us to describe how much the scene is changing in Nepal, as well as what's timeless about the Himalayan culture, and keeps him going back year after year. We'll also check in with listeners for travel reports about destinations that lift the spirit.
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