719a Rocky Mountaineer; Gulf Islands BC; Global Perspective; Piecing Together America

19:55Rick Steves:How are you going to get up there? And, well, of course, Vancouver, B.C. has beautiful state-of-the-art ferries. I mean, British Columbia really has cool ferries. It's really fantastic. And they cut right through the Gulf Islands, and you can take a car. You can also, the cruise ships leave Seattle, and they leave Vancouver. And there's an inland ferry that leaves Bellingham, right? Yes. Are you talking about the Alaska Marine Highway? Yes. So you go right through the inland passage that way. And that's not a fancy cruise ship. That's a working boat. It is. You can pitch a tent on the deck. Yes.

20:29Rick Steves:And people love that. Talk about a great classic way to vagabond your way up the inland passage all the way to Alaska. Talk to me a little bit about the Gulf Islands proper. We've been talking about Vancouver Island and Victoria, which is the big tourist attraction, Desolation Sound, where Yodders go. But, you know, that whole body of, well, collection of islands between Victoria and Vancouver, just north of the border, the Gulf Islands. What are your highlights? What should we know about those islands? So what most people think of as the Gulf Islands or the southern Gulf Islands is this cluster, this archipelago.

21:04It's the Canadian half of a larger archipelago that includes the San Juan Islands in Washington state. And the Southern Gulf Islands are a major tourist destination for Canadians and for international tourists also. Salt Spring Island is probably the most famous. It's also the most populous. About 30 ,000 people living there, I believe. And it's kind of – there's a lot of backpackers there. There's a lot of kind of hippie types and wellness types because, of course, there are hot springs on the island. but it's a great place for artsy types. There's a studio tour. Also farm. There's a lot of artisanal farmland there.

21:39There are heritage orchards there. They have an apple festival every October. That's just fantastic.

21:44Rick Steves:Salt Spring Island. Salt Spring Island. Okay. So that's the one that everybody seems to know about. But there's a whole bunch of others that you can get to on a ferry. You don't need your own boat. There's an inter-island ferry that goes from Vancouver Island to Salt Spring to Maine Island, to Galliano Island, to Saterna Island, and to Pender Island. Okay. And in there you'll find historic ports and charming farmsteads. Yes. You can kind of choose what fits your personality. If you want to get away from humans, go to Saterna Island. There's hardly anybody there, and it's windswept and beautiful.

22:17If you want to have a spa day, go to Galliano Island. If you want to have the local history and the little quirks, go to Maine Island. There's a little tiny museum there, a little farm stand. And I love the kind of the cozy, romantic, old-world charm. You know, if you're biking around one of those islands, you'll find farm stands where they're selling, you know, homemade jams and chutneys and vinegar on the honor system. On the honor system. I love it. Or bouquets of flowers or eggs. You need eggs on your bike? I don't know, but they've got them. And eccentric people. My memories are, you know, getting up in the morning, get in the dinghy and go across the bay, and there's an eccentric old guy who innovated this kind of breakfast, like sort of a breakfast jack or something where you got a piece of bread, a piece of cheese, an egg, a piece of ham, and then he cooks it in a coffee tin.

23:05And he had a thriving business going on. That's great. Yeah. And he was famous in the Bay. And he was the eccentric old guy down there that was earning a living, selling all the boaters their breakfast. That's fantastic. You know, the other thing that's a tradition on some of these islands is hitchhiking. And you think about, oh, is this safe to hitchhike? But it absolutely is there. And in fact, on Pender Island and a few of the others, they have car stops that are kind of like bus stops. You can wait there, stick your thumb out, and hitch a ride.

23:31Rick Steves:Tender, if you could just share with me your most memorable or enjoyable experience in the Gulf Islands. Oh, it's so hard to pick one. I know. But I think for me it's finding all the little homemade quirks that people have. So they have funny mailboxes or they'll hang a Sasquatch upside down from a tree so you can find their driveway when you're looking for their house. or a hockey stick with a flag coming off of it, little homemade bus stops so their kids can wait for the bus without getting wet in the rain. It's those little things that really feel like the islands to me. It feels like you're in your own little world, but it's completely unique, and everybody's put their own mark on it.

24:08Yeah. I've got the same charm for going to these islands. I don't get a lot of souvenirs when I'm traveling, but I've got two things in my house that came from these islands that we're talking about, a beautiful example of pottery made on the island and also a beautiful embroidery made on the island. And every island seems to have its marketplace. If it has a community, they've got their summer market every Saturday or whatever. And that's when they all come together and they celebrate what they've been making and what they want to share. That's right. I love that. And they have things like free stores where people donate things and you can pick it up.

24:41And they have festivals to celebrate whatever they're growing there in that season. I just love that. Thank you so much. If you like, I'll give you home When I go back to Canada Hey, I'm right, hey, I'm right

24:59Rick Steves:As a daughter of immigrants from India, Anu Taranath grew up in America feeling like she was caught between two cultures. Now she consults international travelers and coaches students at the University of Washington on how to deal with the discomfort and challenges they might experience in their travels and in their studies in other cultures. Dr. Taranath's book, Beyond Guilt Trips, Mindful Travel in an Unequal World, has won a number of awards. It was even named one of the best travel books of all time by Oprah Magazine. She joins us now on Travel with Rick Steves to look at how American travelers can be ready to build connections across cultures and foster a global perspective.

25:36Rick Steves:Dr. Taranath, thanks for joining us. Hi there. I'll call you Anu. Is that okay? Yes, please. Now, we live in a country that is the dominant culture on this planet in a lot of ways, and I think it's natural for a country that lives in a massive culture to tend to be ethnocentric, as opposed to people who live in a small country. Smaller countries, harder to think you're the norm. What's the value of Americans traveling and getting to know our world? Many Americans don't know too much about what happens outside of their borders. They haven't had to. And traveling is one way of making that kind of knowledge palatable and in front of you.

26:13It's right there. You can't change the channel. It's happening right in front of you. It's live. What it means to be outside of your own borders and boundaries is you see the ways that people are doing incredible work, fighting for the rights of their community. They're working to create space for people to live vibrant and joyful lives. That is humbling for Americans to see. Americans perhaps have a sense that we are the center of all that is good. and know, actually, there's so much goodness around the world. You know, it's reasonable for a very good, thoughtful, you know, high-minded American to really believe that we are the pinnacle of goodness and that we have a unique angle on that.

27:02And it is quite humbling to travel. I always say India, which is your heritage, is my favorite country because it just really wallops my ethnocentrism. Yes. It makes me less self-assured. He's self-assured. It makes you have to question everything that you thought you knew about identity, power, what it means to have privilege in the world. You know, we have a sense these days that we're part of a global community, right? We all want to be global citizens. That's a buzzword, buzz phrase at universities these days. And I think instead of simply going for Ethiopian on a Monday and having Vietnamese on a Thursday and kind of thinking that's what global citizenship looks like, I think it's actually more of an opportunity to think about the links between us and them, any us and them that you want to think of.

27:50Did you mean going to a restaurant for Ethiopian one day? Yes, yes. Okay, that's one way to be global. Right. You could be an expert in that kind of globalism and still be very insular. Absolutely, right? And so really rethinking what we mean about being a global citizen. Okay, well, that's your mission. I suppose that's part of your reason for getting a paycheck at the University of Washington is help these students get the most out of their travel experience, and that's very important for a well-rounded education, a higher education now in our country. Absolutely, yes. So what might a student or family sending a student abroad be more mindful about so that that student can have the right mindset?

28:27You've got to pack a certain mindset to have a good trip. What mindset should we pack? I would probably shift that question a little bit and say it's less the mindset that we pack and more the mindset that we unpack. We've got a lot of unpacking to do as Americans. Americans are enthusiastic and kind-hearted in so many ways. Americans often haven't had to struggle. Many Americans, I won't say all, but many Americans, especially those that I see on my programs, they haven't had to struggle as much as perhaps other kinds of Americans or many people around the world. And so how do you figure out who somebody else is in the world unless you think about what it's like to be them?

29:10How do you figure out what it's like to be someone in your community? So what is your challenge these days with American students and how they relate to the other 96 % of humanity? I am so fortunate. My students are good-intentioned. They're thoughtful. They're kind. Many of my students come back from foreign study, from study abroad, rethinking travel itself. They're really glad that they went and had the opportunity to see and experience, but they're unhappy with the way that travel often unfolds with folks from the privileged global north going into perhaps less privileged global south environments, maybe on a, one can say, poverty tour, slum tour, to go and see things.

29:57And this is an awkward thing for me because I'm a very fortunate person and I can travel anywhere I like and I like to go to the developing world and I like to walk through the barrio and talk to people and see people grinding their corn into little cakes and hear about their struggles

30:13Rick Steves:and look at their adorable children and see the ladies down at the well with the jugs on their head. Those are the typical images that come up, right? Those are the typical images, yeah. But in a certain way it's voyeurism. I have a round-trip ticket and I can come home and contribute to a charity or whatever, but it's a matter of stewardship to me. If you're going to spend that kind of money and you really care about those people, you need to come home and, to me, be a global citizen, the way you live your life and the way you vote. I think of it as in terms of going from a me to a we mindset, right?

30:42We are often thinking about ourselves and only ourselves. What happens if we widen the scope? I think the most incredible comment I've received from a student is somebody who came back from India with me and said, you know, I think the most important thing that I've learned here is that it's kind of just like my home. It's sort of different, of course, in so many ways, but it's also just filled with regular people doing regular things. And I did not know that before. It seems so small, but it's actually a very important, profound comment. We're all just trying to make it on this planet. It's so exciting to think that travel can actually be a good investment of time and energy if we can all learn more to have empathy with each other.

31:28Dr. Anu Taranath, best wishes with your work as a teacher with an ever more important topic.

31:33Rick Steves:Thanks very much. You'll find a link to Anu Taranath's website with this week's show at ricksteves.com slash radio. Daniel Siddiqui found that graduating with an economics degree during a recession and no job offers required a few creative steps outside his comfort zone. He left home in California to meet the people of every major city in America and learn what they do for a living. He explains, next on Travel with Rick Steves. Daniel Siddiqui has made a career out of visiting every major city in the United States again and again, landing him the title of the most traveled person in America. He figures he's been to each of the 50 states at least 20 times so far, and he's not slowing down.

32:16Rick Steves:Daniel recently traveled to 50 major American cities and found time to work in each city. What started out as a post-college experiment to find a job has turned into a passion for uncovering the history and the culture that define what makes each place unique. He documents the most original aspects of each city in his book, Piecing Together America, serving the best features and craftsmanship of every major city. Daniel joins us now to explore the threads that connect us as a nation. Daniel, thanks for being here. Thank you very much, Rick, for having me. So you've been to all 50 states at least 20 times each.

32:54Yeah. Like you said, I could probably keep on going because there's so much to discover. Now, I got to say, simple numbers don't really mean how much you've experienced in those places. So you could be in a city a hundred times and not really have had a great travel experience. What do you do to make sure that, you know, the visit is real? Yeah, these are all authentic as they possibly can be because I focus on a particular assignment. For instance, this recent book, Piecing Together America, was about craftsmanship. and I wanted to learn hands-on from the locals and those who really carry on a legacy, whether it's making a surfboard in San Diego to graffiti art in New York City to making a crab mallet in Baltimore, Maryland.

33:35So I really focus on the iconic industries and pastimes. You know, my dad was a piano technician and he was old school and he had all this, the crocus cloth and the mix of spit and glue and all sorts of stuff to make it just right on the piano. And I get the sense that that old-fashioned craftsmanship, that love of quality is sort of getting priced out by mass production and cheap imports and so on. You've made a study of craftsmanship around the United States. Do you feel like it's an endangered thing, or is it young and vital and healthy? Oh, no. It's kind of almost a lost art as a whole. But, of course, there's individuals still practicing it and trying to carry the legacies.

34:17Does a craftsperson have to decide to make a financial sacrifice in order to be ideological about his craft? I would say, yeah, when I think about it, I would say a lot of them are still considered starving artists, but some of them make it a very lucrative career. Like the gentleman who has been doing it for 30 years, making surfboards in San Diego, he's in high demand, and surfboards are not cheap. So, yeah, he does pretty well. So I suppose that goes to the consumer, really. That's where the buck stops. Are people willing to pay for that? I just went to a woman who's an artist in an art town of making frames for paintings.

34:54And, you know, you pay as much for the frame sometimes as the painting. But she is an artisan, and I just had such a great experience being with her as she figured out what's the best frame for this piece of art. And then, you know, it's expensive, but it's a craft, and it's a beautiful thing. I mean, since we were here in Washington, I was in Spokane recently and stayed at the Davenport Hotel. Oh, yeah. And you look at their lobby, it is the most ornate craftsmanship. You can't replace it. You know, there's two dimensions of that. You can pay to make it, but you can also take time to enjoy it.

35:28That's just as important. And you did exactly that because I've been in that hotel lobby there. Everybody in Spokane is so proud of the Davenport Hotel. And you look around and your jaw literally drops. The photos did not do justice for that. It was just so that remarkable. It made you real prideful of being an American, and that's kind of why I did this book.

35:49Rick Steves:You wrote that America is the home of innovators, pioneers, and game changers. So this is among the craftsmen and the craftswomen that you met. What are a couple examples of your favorites? Well, they're all in my home now, and they're all in my offices decorated with all these. That's basically what was the vision. I said my office looks really empty. I'm very obsessed with America, if you can't tell. And I wanted a piece of every city. You've got a piece of every city? Every city is in there. As done by handmade craftspeople. All handmade craftspeople. Oh, my goodness. Even signs from Indianapolis because, you know, it's a crossroads America.

36:25So I made a road sign. Paint a picture. Take me into your office. What would strike me? What would I see if I walked into your office right now? Well, you see a graffiti art saying Brooklyn. And I learned all this by just doing and being with the experts. But I went into it not a knowing thing. thing, like latte art here in Seattle. It was one of the hardest things to do. I couldn't just wing it. But if that latte's in your office, it's flat now and there's nothing in the phone. Yeah, no, it's just a cup. I have the cup in there. But yeah, I have a vinyl record from Cleveland because that was considered the rock and roll birth capital.

36:59Yeah. I have a music note made out of metal from Memphis. The one that really hits home for me is I made Indian pottery in New Mexico, and it was a Native who taught me something that she's learned from her grandmother. Oh, you wrote that. It was a Native American woman who was tearful about connecting. She was literally tearful to share her art with you. Absolutely. That her work could make that leap from one culture to another. Yeah, that's kind of why I do what I do, because you see people smile on their faces.

37:30Rick Steves:Daniel Siddiqui is the son of an Afghan immigrant, and he's learned a wide variety of skills as he got to know people and their crafts in all 50 states. His books include Piecing Together America and 50 Jobs in 50 States. And lately, Daniel's written guides to explore the music of the South, the nautical scene in New England, and the beverage belt of the Pacific Northwest. So when you talk about craftsmanship and you talk about artists, are artists, is that a different category or is it the artists that are doing the crafts? Yeah, artists doing the crafts. Okay, so you met with 70 artists and you reported on them in your book.

38:09What's the takeaway there, Daniel?

38:11Rick Steves:What did the artists have in common? What motivated them? They're motivated by their work. They do it because it's their passion of creating and they realize that they could be a symbol of their community and that's what carries on cultures and traditions. Were they aware of that, that they're carrying on a tradition. Yeah, I mean, some of them, some maybe not. Because I think craftspeople are keenly aware that the kids don't want to do it anymore. The arts and crafts movement in England, it's just down to a couple of people. Yeah, yeah. I would say the same is pretty much here as well. Like that vinyl record company in Cleveland, that was the only one left.

38:51Or the cigars in Tampa. I rolled cigars and the last factory left, and that's what founded Tampa. You probably know this, but you got you rolled a cigar in Tampa yeah with real Cubans I mean they're I rolled a cigar in Cuba and I could not get over how beautiful it was it was so gorgeous to see those calloused hands yeah and that beautiful the leaves that had veins on them just like the like the back of my hand exactly yeah and then to roll that and then to to lick it and yeah to stick it and then to put it with 20 others and put a little organic tie around them oh my goodness you did that I did that and And I didn't know that's kind of what founded Tampa.

39:31It was just a very small fishing community originally. I had no idea. And they're down to one last cigar roller. One last one. One last cigar roller. No, not one last cigar. There was three over there at the time. But it's funny to see them smoking like maybe three foot long cigars while they're rolling. You know, I'm sure you've seen something like that. That's why there's only three of them left. Yeah. This is Travel with Rick Steves. We're talking with author Daniel Siddiqui, and Daniel is touted as the most traveled person in America, and I'm beginning to believe that. His book is called Piecing Together America.

40:06You can find more about his work and the tours he offers at his website. It's called livingthemap.com, livingthemap.com. So, Daniel, we're talking about these artists and these crafts. Tell me a case that you met an artist that just inspired you, that you could imagine actually if you were going to live your life again doing that craft? I'm not a crafty person. I wouldn't say it's something that I would... I wish I could probably become one, but I think my craft is writing. I like writing a lot. I like doing research just like you do. As a little kid when I was just six years old, I used to just stare at maps.

40:48And now as an adult, that map is a reality. and I'm connecting with people. I'm probably the most alert and awake when I travel just because I want to observe as much as I can, absorb as much as I can, and connecting with all walks of life is what makes it so enlightening. And I learn something new from every single person. And you learn a lot about yourself when you hear from others too. Amen. You've got it. I can see why you're so inspired to write this and share this. And a lot of it is an ability to meet people and talk with them and celebrate what they do. I love this quote that somebody said, it's better to be, instead of trying to be interesting, be interested.

41:31Yeah. And that's sort of your forte is being interested. Yeah. And that started from the very, very get-go. So you've also done jobs in 50 states. Did you actually make money on these jobs? Yeah. 45 out of the 50 jobs paid me. And I started in the midst of the recession with not a dime to my name. Right. I was just planning to just sleep in this Jeep that I just bought off of Craigslist and was never asking for a paycheck. But every employer saw how committed I was to working and being the best I could. Yeah. And they said, yeah, we can't leave you without a check. You put an honest work here, whether it's making medical equipment in Minnesota or making cheese in Wisconsin or working at a winery in Napa Valley.

42:14So this is another way to travel to really learn and gain empathy for a different slice of society is to roll up your sleeves and work there. Personally, I think it's the best way to connect with people and really understand their livelihoods. You wrote about being a cowboy, a coal miner. You picked green peppers with migrant laborers. That is so industrious of you. So you can come into, how do you do that? You come into Oklahoma, and how do you look for a job? What do you do? Well, my theme was always to focus on an iconic industry. You know, what really shapes the economy of the state. So Oklahoma, oil.

42:54So I got a chance to be aroused about. I didn't know what aroused about was, but I Google searched it. And I said, let's apply to be aroused about. And I called up some of these local companies. And they said, yeah, we need an extra set of hands, sure. And it was dangerous working on an oil rig. It was dangerous, very obviously dirty job. But it was just like putting myself in their shoes. It gave me the appreciation of their work. Plus, it's a different world. In some cases, it could be some real artsy, fartsy people in a big city, sophisticates. In another place, it could be people with calluses on their hands.

43:27Yeah, absolutely. It could be people that are hard to employ elsewhere. Yeah. And you get to work side by side with them. Yeah. Like I said, all walks of life. 50 states, 50 jobs. Tell me about a couple of the ones that were most impactful. So I did the Border Patrol in Arizona, the busiest sector in the country. So I got to see all the ins and outs of that and the sacrifices people make to come across the border. I've seen... Whoa, now wait a minute. So you're there trying to keep them out, and you gained respect for how hard, how dedicated they are to getting in. Well, I appreciate the Border Patrol because 10 % of those that come out are not very good people.

44:05Right. So, of course, the 90 that really actually come out for a better life and make an earning for their family. I get it. Yeah. The other ones were like I had fun jobs, like working as a weatherman on NBC morning show. They put me at the 4 a.m. slot because they knew nobody watches that time. But at least I had the opportunity to do it. So you stood in front of one of those green screens and you pointed at the green screen as if there's a map there and you go clouds are moving in. And Ohio is unpredictable. That's why I chose to do that state because I was in Cleveland, so the lake effect. So every day was a different day there.

44:40Yeah. But I got to see the personalities. You know, you got to figure out where your personality fits in terms of a profession. Right. And I don't know if you probably didn't negotiate for a better wage. You probably just did whatever they paid you. I was taking whatever I could, yeah. But you probably, a great part of your earnings was what you learned. I mean, if you think about it. No, I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world. You were well-paid in life experience. Yep. Like I said, I mean, Living the Map is my website, and that was my dream, to really live out this map that I used to stare at as such a young kid.

45:17Not just the country, the whole world, but of course my capacity is just America. I can't do it all. This is Travel with Rick Steves. We're talking with author Daniel Siddiqui, and his website is livingthemap.com, and that's his middle name. His book is called Piecing Together America. And I'm just so intrigued by this. I mean, I always think I'm really a very lucky, privileged, blessed person to find my niche and do what I love. But the downside is I've only done one thing, basically, since I was a kid. I love it. But what a cool thing to be able to circulate all through society and in 50 states in this country get to know what's going on.

45:57Well, I've seen the good and the bad. Bad actually is more intriguing to me just because it's that much more different. And I'm somebody who cares about people deeply. So, for instance, I was on the 50 jobs trip working with a dietician in Mississippi, which is classified as the most obese state in the country. And that experience inspired me to go back two years later and train the most obese town for a 5K road race. So I went to a very small community, Pickens, Mississippi, town of 1 ,500 people. Right. And I held a town hall meeting. And I said, I'm going to train your community for a 5K turkey trot.

46:35And what did they say? And only seven people participated the first day. And it grew to 150 a month later. And now eight years later, they have it every year. And there's probably people alive today because of that change in lifestyle. Four people passed away that month I was there alone. And 98 % of that town was diabetic. Holy cow. And that kind of makes your heart feel like I got to do something. And I did this as a volunteer, but I was passionate. I'm a collegiate athlete, long-distance runner, and I thought I'd apply what I've known and have taken for granted my whole life. Daniel, what is your takeaway from all of this, from all of your travels?

47:16We're out of time now, but I would just love to finish with, essentially, how is it? I love the thought of transformational travel. I think this has been transformational for you. How? Yeah, so I felt very stuck graduating from college. I went through 120 rounds of job interviews and got zero offers. Then I decided to write 18 ,000 coaches, collegiate coaches, asking for a job opportunity. and I only got a volunteer position. And that changed my life because I moved from California to Chicago, work at Northwestern, and it made me realize how big this world is, this country specifically. And I haven't felt stuck ever since.

47:59So it's just knowing that I should never limit myself, and a lot of people do feel that they are putting themselves in a bubble. Because it's pretty bold. You could go to Montana, you could go to Tennessee, You could go to New Hampshire and you could meet people. You could learn. You could broaden. You could contribute. You could get a job. You can have any type of life you want in America. I mean, it's so diverse in terms of the landscapes, the job opportunities, the people that you would be. I mean, I built furniture with Amish people in Pennsylvania, did coal mining in West Virginia, worked as a football coach in Alabama.

48:33I've seen it all. And you can really do anything you want in this country. and that's why it is the land of opportunity. Well, thanks for traveling all the way up here to just north of Seattle, and it's been a delight talking to you. Best wishes, Daniel. Thank you so much.

48:47Rick Steves:Daniel Siddiqui shares his photos and writes about learning the crafts and sampling the local foods of every major U.S. city in his book, Piecing Together America. His website is livingthemap.com. Your own travels might inspire you to write a haiku or two about what you experience. Here's some haiku that our Travel with Rick Steves listeners have sent us that we thought you'd like to hear. Terry Toland from Vancouver, Washington, sent us a few haiku after visiting an old friend in Sweden for the first time in 36 years. It was also the first time their wives got to meet each other. Tired train.

49:24Greeting time. Anxious wives hug new old friends. Home to sandwich cake. First stop, the sweet shop. On to 300-year home. as if yesterday. Friends looking seasoned, brothers for 36 years, talk flows like water. Barbara Schrafer of Clearwater, Florida got inspired to write an evocative haiku while enjoying the coastal scene on Inoshima Island in Japan's Sagami Bay. Crows call in the wind. Brown earth smudges the gray cloud sea. Fine mist sprays the sky. And Natalia Warren of Orlando, Florida, describes what it was like to visit Ukraine back in 2006. It's where her World War II refugee parents came from.

50:16She says she'll never forget looking out over the wheat fields of Ukraine to see the inspiration for the colors of their national flag. Blue sky, golden fields, flag unfurling at sunrise. Free. Invincible. Travel with Rick Steves is produced at Rick Steves Europe in Edmonds, Washington by Tim Tatton, Kazmira Hall, and Donna Bardsley. Our theme music is by Jerry Frank. Gretchen Stroudt read our listener travel haiku. Send us your own original haiku about your travel impressions. Details are at ricksteves.com slash radio.

50:55Rick Steves:We'll look for you again next week with more Travel with Rick Steves. Hey, I'm Rick Steves. It's clear to me that if you equip yourself with good information and expect yourself to travel smart, you will. That's why we offer a world of free content at ricksteves.com. All the TV shows we've ever produced, that's over 100 shows taking you from Turkey to Poland to Portugal. 50 hours of practical lectures, with talks ranging from packing smart and tech on the road to cruising and language lessons. There's articles covering every corner of Europe, a thriving family of travelers comparing notes in our forum, and much more.

51:34Rick Steves:And it's all entirely free at ricksteves.com.