Rick Steves delivers the wisdom behind travel, especially in our fraught modern era. A response to ‘The Interview: Rick Steves Refuses to Get Cynical About the World’ in the New York Times.
Steves is a sneaky subversive in the best possible way. I love seeing people suddenly realize this after being fooled by his externally benign persona for years, or even decades. Steves is on a clear and deliberate mission to encourage Americans who might have never considered travelling outside the US or a Caribbean cruise to actually make that leap and go somewhere a bit outside their comfort zone; and once there, to immerse themselves to some degree and consider the benefits of other ways of living that might differ from that of a typical American suburb.
His tone is deliberately non-radical and comforting, and he builds trust with those who might be repelled by, say, Bourdain, or some other more gung-ho travel host. But in his shows, Steves quietly slips in references to to big ideas like learning a bit of a foreign language, admiring other country's urban infrastructures, using public transit to get around instead of driving, being open to other religions, and so on, always in ways that pique curiosity rather than trigger defense mechanisms.
In 2018 Steves published a book called "Travel as a Political Act". I highly recommend it. In the book, he discusses his philosophies in detail. He also has chapters about traveling to the former Yugoslavia, El Salvador, Iran, Turkey, Morocco, Israel, and Palestine. That same year, he also released a PBS special titled "The Story of Fascism in Europe" which recounts the pre-WW2 rise of Fascism in a way that not-so-subtly parallels the rise of Trump and "Maga" in the US.
Two other interesting facts: Steves is on on the board of directors for NORML, an organization that has worked for decades to promote the legalization of marijuana. And circa 2003, Steves was verbally attacked by the right wing for being opposed to his home town being blanketed with American flags as the Iraq war started, and instead flying the EU flag outside his business offices. While proclaiming himself a patriot, Steves objected to what he saw as the adoption of the US flag by those in support of W. Bush, rightly pointing out that the flag and its symbolism belongs to all Americans.
This is a great addendum Gary and I think captures his character well. I was vaguely aware of his marijuana advocacy but a lot more behind the man than I realized. Those books sound really interesting too. Thanks for sharing this!
That last quote from Steve really hit the nail, timely share as I'm finishing up an essay about my recent trip to Saudi Arabia and met the friendliest people there, this quote will come in handy :)
I have always told my fellow Americans, many of whom, as you say, don't explore for an assortment of reasons, that everyone should go to a third world country to experience what amazing people and places they possess.
While I didn't have a negative view of Steves, I didn't give him much thought either. His style of travel is not ours. Yet, like you, this interview made me appreciate him a great deal more than I expected.
I definitely count myself among the closet admirers of Rick Steves. I choose optimism at every turn. “The republic will endure,” I say. I quote Colin Wilson, “Boredom is the inability to pick up on subtle vibrations.” “It’s the other side of the road, not the wrong side of the road”. I think attitude is linked with the language we use as we travel.
I think Type A Americans are often prone to thinking in absolutes when it comes to change. I call it CFB Syndrome—anything anyone else does, even if I don’t know the details about it, could be done CHEAPER, FASTER, BETTER. CFB Syndrome keeps people from sliding into different cultures and food-ways and yes, date of birth protocols. It’s a sense of personal and, sometimes, nationalistic, exceptionalism at its worst.
When I catch myself falling prey, I take a deep breath and laugh at myself and then let my 11/4/53 self eat the guinea pig!
That’s fascinating. I like that, CFB syndrome…I’ve written a couple posts about our efficiency addiction and the downsides to always wanting things done quickly and should declare a right to slow down. A lot of great thoughts. Thanks for reading and engaging!
Another somewhat dorky person worth mentioning is Phil Rosenthal, who’s joyful enthusiasm for food and culture is quite infectious with his foody travel shows “Somebody Feed Phil”
I’ve never come across Rick Steves. I guess, as a Brit, he doesn’t appear on our radar here in the same way. But your post has given me a good introduction to him and his ‘mission’. Thanks. This is a great read.
Wow, this is a powerful article. I loved it. I differ in that I have always been a Rick Steves fan. I loved your comparison between Steves and Bourdain, whom I also liked.
When I travel I love to meet people and try to see their perspective on life, culture, and other countries. The old adage, "There are two sides to every story", is so true about life. When we travel we see the other side of the story. We learn to appreciate that we are one global people.
These philosophies pertain to domestic travel as well. The USA is a huge country with very diverse regions. When people stay locked into their own space, dislike for "the Others" can prevail.
Thank you and well put Deborah! Thrilled to hear you enjoyed it and that’s an important point to underscore about the U.S. I recently saw someone from the UK making the case that each state is somewhat comparable to visiting another country which might be a little exaggerated but perhaps with some truth in as well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I absolutely love this post, Justin. It expresses so many points that I agree with about the power of travel to break down walls of fear between people, to see ourselves in new ways, to be transformed through the beauty all around us.
Because of you, I read the NYT interview with Rick Steves--whom I've also viewed as a milk-toasty dork of a traveler--and came to appreciate him in a new way.
I wanted to share your post to Notes and kept coming across points that you made that I thought I would highlight--but there were so many, I just decided to post this without them! All I can say to others is: please read this post. It is important.
Thanks for this! I resonated with the whole cynicism cycle-I see it happening all around me and have been trying to be a candle of light. I’ve also learned that being unselfconscious and being yourself is the best way to travel. Trying to fit into the visited culture usually doesn’t work. I’m reminded of a segment from the movie “Paris, Je t’aime” where a very American middle-aged woman tells us how the city took her in.
To judge by personal observation, I think it's true that the person most likely to tell you that a place is dangerous to visit is someone who's never been there.
Steves is a sneaky subversive in the best possible way. I love seeing people suddenly realize this after being fooled by his externally benign persona for years, or even decades. Steves is on a clear and deliberate mission to encourage Americans who might have never considered travelling outside the US or a Caribbean cruise to actually make that leap and go somewhere a bit outside their comfort zone; and once there, to immerse themselves to some degree and consider the benefits of other ways of living that might differ from that of a typical American suburb.
His tone is deliberately non-radical and comforting, and he builds trust with those who might be repelled by, say, Bourdain, or some other more gung-ho travel host. But in his shows, Steves quietly slips in references to to big ideas like learning a bit of a foreign language, admiring other country's urban infrastructures, using public transit to get around instead of driving, being open to other religions, and so on, always in ways that pique curiosity rather than trigger defense mechanisms.
In 2018 Steves published a book called "Travel as a Political Act". I highly recommend it. In the book, he discusses his philosophies in detail. He also has chapters about traveling to the former Yugoslavia, El Salvador, Iran, Turkey, Morocco, Israel, and Palestine. That same year, he also released a PBS special titled "The Story of Fascism in Europe" which recounts the pre-WW2 rise of Fascism in a way that not-so-subtly parallels the rise of Trump and "Maga" in the US.
Two other interesting facts: Steves is on on the board of directors for NORML, an organization that has worked for decades to promote the legalization of marijuana. And circa 2003, Steves was verbally attacked by the right wing for being opposed to his home town being blanketed with American flags as the Iraq war started, and instead flying the EU flag outside his business offices. While proclaiming himself a patriot, Steves objected to what he saw as the adoption of the US flag by those in support of W. Bush, rightly pointing out that the flag and its symbolism belongs to all Americans.
This is a great addendum Gary and I think captures his character well. I was vaguely aware of his marijuana advocacy but a lot more behind the man than I realized. Those books sound really interesting too. Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks for sharing this, Justin. Like you, I’d sort of glossed over Rick Steves, so this is delightful to read!
Thanks Michael! Glad to hear you enjoyed it. 😊
That last quote from Steve really hit the nail, timely share as I'm finishing up an essay about my recent trip to Saudi Arabia and met the friendliest people there, this quote will come in handy :)
Glad to hear it Brian and looking forward to reading your essay.
I have always told my fellow Americans, many of whom, as you say, don't explore for an assortment of reasons, that everyone should go to a third world country to experience what amazing people and places they possess.
Great read. I shared!!
J
Absolutely! Thank you Janice. Much appreciated. 😊
While I didn't have a negative view of Steves, I didn't give him much thought either. His style of travel is not ours. Yet, like you, this interview made me appreciate him a great deal more than I expected.
I definitely count myself among the closet admirers of Rick Steves. I choose optimism at every turn. “The republic will endure,” I say. I quote Colin Wilson, “Boredom is the inability to pick up on subtle vibrations.” “It’s the other side of the road, not the wrong side of the road”. I think attitude is linked with the language we use as we travel.
I think Type A Americans are often prone to thinking in absolutes when it comes to change. I call it CFB Syndrome—anything anyone else does, even if I don’t know the details about it, could be done CHEAPER, FASTER, BETTER. CFB Syndrome keeps people from sliding into different cultures and food-ways and yes, date of birth protocols. It’s a sense of personal and, sometimes, nationalistic, exceptionalism at its worst.
When I catch myself falling prey, I take a deep breath and laugh at myself and then let my 11/4/53 self eat the guinea pig!
That’s fascinating. I like that, CFB syndrome…I’ve written a couple posts about our efficiency addiction and the downsides to always wanting things done quickly and should declare a right to slow down. A lot of great thoughts. Thanks for reading and engaging!
Another somewhat dorky person worth mentioning is Phil Rosenthal, who’s joyful enthusiasm for food and culture is quite infectious with his foody travel shows “Somebody Feed Phil”
I love these programs- Phil is such a great presenter. Full of enthusiasm.
I’ve never come across Rick Steves. I guess, as a Brit, he doesn’t appear on our radar here in the same way. But your post has given me a good introduction to him and his ‘mission’. Thanks. This is a great read.
Wow, this is a powerful article. I loved it. I differ in that I have always been a Rick Steves fan. I loved your comparison between Steves and Bourdain, whom I also liked.
When I travel I love to meet people and try to see their perspective on life, culture, and other countries. The old adage, "There are two sides to every story", is so true about life. When we travel we see the other side of the story. We learn to appreciate that we are one global people.
These philosophies pertain to domestic travel as well. The USA is a huge country with very diverse regions. When people stay locked into their own space, dislike for "the Others" can prevail.
Thank you and well put Deborah! Thrilled to hear you enjoyed it and that’s an important point to underscore about the U.S. I recently saw someone from the UK making the case that each state is somewhat comparable to visiting another country which might be a little exaggerated but perhaps with some truth in as well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I absolutely love this post, Justin. It expresses so many points that I agree with about the power of travel to break down walls of fear between people, to see ourselves in new ways, to be transformed through the beauty all around us.
Because of you, I read the NYT interview with Rick Steves--whom I've also viewed as a milk-toasty dork of a traveler--and came to appreciate him in a new way.
I wanted to share your post to Notes and kept coming across points that you made that I thought I would highlight--but there were so many, I just decided to post this without them! All I can say to others is: please read this post. It is important.
Thanks for this! I resonated with the whole cynicism cycle-I see it happening all around me and have been trying to be a candle of light. I’ve also learned that being unselfconscious and being yourself is the best way to travel. Trying to fit into the visited culture usually doesn’t work. I’m reminded of a segment from the movie “Paris, Je t’aime” where a very American middle-aged woman tells us how the city took her in.
Travel truly opens us.
To judge by personal observation, I think it's true that the person most likely to tell you that a place is dangerous to visit is someone who's never been there.
Good post. I like the escape travel and reality travel comparison.