Business is great. Happy travels, raterpillar!

Who's Steve?

The greatest souvenir of all is a broader perspective.

Thanks for the suggestion to put all my shows on YouTube, Vincent, completely free and ad-free. Done! youtube.com/ricksteves (Also, none of my public television content contains ads — or anything commercial at all. That's the beauty of public television. The only time you'll see me promote my products on public television is when I offer them as pledge premiums...to support public television.)

In the spring of 2008, I feared America was on the verge of war with Iran — and, believing that it’s good style to get to know people before you bomb them, I took my TV crew to Tehran to make “Rick Steves’ Iran,” a one-hour special that could (and would) only debut on PBS. Sadly, this special has become pertinent again today — and I hope you will invest an hour streaming it on the PBS app (or online at http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-iran), so you have a little honest context on the current situation and the 90 million Iranians involved. The news that Trump is flirting with the idea of bombing Iran breaks my heart. Why? Because, along with the humanity of the Israeli people — which I shared in my 2014 Holy Land special — I recognize the humanity of the Iranian people, who have lived under a brutal theocratic dictatorship since 1979. I remember the moment it dawned on me, in the nasty wake of 9/11 — watching American bombs light up the sky over Baghdad on the evening news — that I could do my country a service by producing a one-hour TV special on Iran, which I feared Bush might target next. I was painfully aware that what the average American knew about Iran, they learned from Ted Koppel during the hostage crisis (1979-1981) — in other words, almost nothing. The documentary was the most exciting, demanding, and gratifying script I had written. Rather than getting mired in politics, we simply humanized the Iranians by telling their story — the story of a society America knows almost nothing about, even though it’s constantly in our news... the story of a proud nation with a rich and complex heritage shaped by not living in Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood. If you want to be a savvier consumer of the news as Israel and Iran duke it out in 2025 and as the USA considers joining in, please educate yourself by watching this special. Shalom and Salam.

Season 13 of "Rick Steves' Europe" debuts this fall. Keep on travelin'!

“I’m a hardworking, taxpaying, churchgoing, grandkid-raising American citizen. And if I work all day long and want to go home, smoke a joint, and just stare at the fireplace for three hours… that’s my civil liberty!” That’s a line I use whenever I give a talk explaining my principled stance that all adults should have the freedom to enjoy marijuana recreationally and responsibly. In a new article in @CannabisNow, @SaraMPayan — the best reporter covering cannabis I’ve met — reports on how and why, for more than two decades now, I’ve been on a mission to end America's prohibition on marijuana. Her excellent story covers how travel has shaped my views on drug policy, why I believe in regulation over prohibition, what I’ve learned about Europe’s focus on “pragmatic harm reduction,” how the prohibition against marijuana in our country is both racist and counter-productive, and how you can get involved in drug policy reform. (Spoiler alert: Don’t just complain about the status quo… join me by becoming a supporting member of @NORML.) I’m a travel writer. For me, high is a place. And sometimes I just want to go there. Can I get in my car and drive while I’m under the influence of a drug? No. Throw the book at me. But as a matter of principle, it’s time we recognized the responsible adult use of marijuana as a civil liberty — not just in blue states…but in all states. cannabisnow.com/rick-steves-ta...

Those of us who’ve had the privilege of traveling to Europe have learned that there are pivotal moments in history when good and caring people must stand up against a rising tide of anger and fear before it can lead to fascism. In today’s America, this is one of those moments. For years, I've supported @Sojourners, a Christian social justice organization, because they take my values into the political arena in a way that's true to my faith — emphasizing not power and nationalism, but God's call to justice. That’s why I’m excited to challenge our traveling community to join me in supporting Sojourners. Starting today, I'll match every donation at http://www.sojo.net/ricksteves, dollar for dollar, up to $50,000 total. Imagine: Together, we can empower Sojourners with $100,000 to fuel their urgent work defending democracy. I see Sojourners not as a charity, but as a service that puts love to work for justice. Your support will help them: • Continue their truth-telling journalism that cuts through lies and misinformation • Fight harmful policies through advocacy in Washington, D.C. • Lead community organizing efforts that create lasting change • Equip clergy and congregations to build what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described as the “Beloved Community,” where all are welcomed and valued • Protect voting rights and ensure every American has equal access to the polls Please join me at sojo.net/ricksteves — and remember, I’ll match every dollar up to $50,000, doubling your impact when our country needs it most. Keep on travelin' — and keep on fighting for justice!

Yes...it's my opinion. I wrote it. (And not everything's an ad, Vincent. That's why I support public television, and encourage you to, as well — because it's driven not by a need to keep advertisers happy, but by a passion for inspiring viewers to embrace our world.)

Nearly ten percent of humanity (roughly 800 million people in 2025) struggles to live on less than $3 a day. It’s important for Americans to appreciate that reality — as well as the growing gap between the extremely poor and the extremely privileged — because, as illustrated by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s track record in recent years, our nation has the power to change it. If, like me, you are an American who embraces the universal moral tenet referred to by Christians as “love thy neighbor,” I hope that each time you vote, you remember that the outcome of an election can, especially for privileged Americans, have a far greater impact on those struggling with poverty both at home and south of the border than it will ever have on you. ___ This is the first entry of a 16-part series sharing what I learned about smart development aid while filming my 2020 public television special “Hunger & Hope: Lessons from Ethiopia and Guatemala,” which is streaming free and ad-free on the @PBS app and at ricksteves.com/hunger. I’m sharing these posts in response to President Trump’s argument — which he has used to justify dismantling USAID — that leading the fight against extreme poverty on our planet doesn’t advance an “America First” agenda. Earlier this year, the Trump State Department announced that nearly 5,800 USAID contracts worth $54 billion were being eliminated (representing a 92% reduction of what had already been awarded to the agency) because “they were not aligned with the administration's priorities.” The DOGE initiative then eliminated about $8 billion more in foreign aid, and now, the White House is fighting to withhold about $5 billion more in foreign aid funding — all in the name of making our country stronger and safer. However, after traveling to Ethiopia and Guatemala and hearing from many experts in the field, it’s clear to me that an extremely practical way to make our world a more stable and peaceful place is to invest in modern development aid, in concert with the family of nations. Even if you don’t believe in the ethic of “love thy neighbor,” it’s important to remember that the core goal of USAID is to use soft power (foreign aid) to complement our nation’s hard power (the U.S. military) in a shared effort to make America safer. classroom.ricksteves.com/video...