Rick Steves - Rotten Tomatoes Celebrity Profile

Biography

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Rick Steves (born in Edmonds, Washington in 1955) is an American authority on European travel. He is the host of a PBS television series (see[1]) and an NPR travel show ([2]) and the author of many travel guidebooks ([3]).

Rick's dorky appearance has led him to obtain the nickname, "Rick the Tomato", popular in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Both his books and television shows deal with travel mainly, though not exclusively, in Europe, and are directed at an American audience. He is a contributing writer for ABCNews.com. Steves lives in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington with his wife Anne and two children, Andy and Jackie.

Rick Steves advocates smart independent travel. As host, writer and producer of the popular television series Rick Steves' Europe, 70 half-hour episodes of which have been made so far, and through his travel books, he encourages Americans to delve deep into Europe and become "temporary locals". His readers and viewers not only discover major cities, but also cozy villages away from tourist-trampled routes. He helps American travelers connect much more intimately and authentically with Europe — and Europeans — for a fraction of what mainstream tourists pay.

Steves' television series, guidebooks, and his company's European escorted bus tours continue to attract loyal "Rickniks" and a growing stream of new devotees. Many of these "Rickniks" treat their hero more like a rock star than a travel guide. They say Rick's philosophy of travel has opened their eyes to the world in a way traditional packaged travel has not.

Over the past 15 years, Steves has hosted nearly 100 travel shows for public television (most still airing in rebroadcasts) and numerous pledge specials. Steves' relationship with public television began with his first series, Travels in Europe with Rick Steves. Since then, he has become one of public television's top pledge drive hosts, raising millions of dollars annually for stations across the U.S. His current series has grown to nearly 50 half-hour shows carried by 312 public television stations annually, reaching 95 percent of U.S. markets. Steves writes and co-produces his television programs through his company, Back Door Productions. Steves has also published Mona Winks, a book containing personalized tours of Europe's top museums.

Steves recently launched a weekly public radio program, Travel with Rick Steves. Focusing on world travel, each program has a guest travel expert for interviews, followed by call-ins with questions and comments.

Steves self-published the first edition of his travel skills book, Europe Through the Back Door, in 1980. He has also written twelve country guidebooks, nine city and regional guides, six phrase books, and co-authored Europe 101: History and Art for Travelers. His guidebook to Italy is the bestselling international guidebook in the U.S. In 1999, he tackled a new genre of travel writing with his anecdotal Postcards from Europe, recounting his favorite moments from 25 years of travel. Steves' books are published by Avalon Travel Publishing.

In addition to his guidebooks, Steves also pens columns for newspapers and magazines and is a contributing writer for ABCNews.com. He appears frequently on television, radio, and the Internet as the leading authority on independent European travel.

Trivia

Steves took his first trip to Europe in 1969, visiting piano factories in Germany with his father, a piano importer. By the time he reached 18, he jokes, "I realized I didn't need my parents to travel!" He began traveling on his own, funding his trips by teaching piano lessons. ETBD offers free travel information through its travel center, website, European Railpass Guide, and free travel newsletters. ETBD also runs a successful European tour program with 300 departures, attracting over 6,000 travelers, annually.

A March 14, 2006, article in the Seattle Times revealed that Steves is a member of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. He serves on NORML's Advisory Board and has given the keynote speech at NORML's 2005 conference. NORML's website includes a 'biography of Rick' and an explanation as to 'why he believes marijuana laws need to be changed'. Steves admitted to occasionally smoking marijuana, but his busy schedule keeps such occasions to a minimum.

In 2005 Rick purchased a 24-unit apartment complex in Lynnwood, Washington and fixed it up to serve as transitional housing for homeless mothers and their children. The Steveses invested much of their retirement nest egg and are allowing free use of the complex for 15 years--leaving management responsibilities to the local YWCA and Pathways for Women shelter, while Rotarians in the Edmonds club maintain the buildings, do grounds upkeep, and provide everything from the furniture to the flowers. In addition, the club raised USD $30,000 in donations to build a play area for the children of Trinity Place. About 100 mothers are expected to ultimately live there.

Steves is an active Lutheran, and has written and hosted educational videos on subjects such as Martin Luther and the European Reformation of the Church. He also raises funds for Bread for the World. Notwithstanding this, Steves is the brother-in-law of current Notre Dame President, the Rev. John I. Jenkins, CSC, a Roman Catholic cleric. Jenkins's sister Ann is Steves's wife.

Steves is also an alumnus of the University of Washington and played the sousaphone as a member of the UW Marching Band.

Personal Quotes

"I would like travelers, especially American travelers, to travel in a way that broadens their perspective, because I think Americans tend to be some of the most ethnocentric people on the planet. It's not just Americans, it's the big countries. It's the biggest countries that tend to be ethnocentric or ugly. There are ugly Russians, ugly Germans, ugly Japanese and ugly Americans. You don't find ugly Belgians or ugly Bulgarians, they're just too small to think the world is their norm."

"We can travel in a way that exacerbates the problems between us and the rest of the world, or in a way that connects us with the rest of the world. I do not want to encourage and enable Americans to travel in a way that makes the problem worse, and a lot of people do travel in a way that makes the problem worse. My travelers, I think — I'd like to think — travel in a way that connects them with the rest of the world and when they come home they are changed Americans. They are more likely to understand what the family of nations is all about."

"Travel, like the world, is a series of hills and valleys. If something's not to your liking, change your liking. Travel is addicting. It can make you a happier American, as well as a citizen of the world. Our Earth is home to nearly six billion equally important people. It's humbling to travel and find that people don't envy Americans. They like us, but with all due respect, they wouldn't trade passports."

"It's never too late to have a happy childhood, and age only matters if you're a cheese."

External links

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