Travel With Rick Steves

A Dutch biologist explains how urban evolution is happening faster than we used to think all over the world. Plus, travel writer Mark Adams describes his 3,000-mile voyage along the coasts of Alaska to follow what the Harriman Expedition saw in 1899. And we'll hear how the Greek island of Crete offers a natural experience unlike any other. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

While this year's Mardi Gras parties were called off because of the pandemic, we'll bring you a virtual celebration of Carnival — a social safety valve for letting off steam since the Middle Ages in Venice and Cologne. We'll also explore more of China's booming megacities with the head of the Young China Group and enjoy the local artisan cheeses you can find all over France. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Find out what taking high-definition photos of Earth through the windows of the International Space Station revealed to astronaut Chris Hadfield. Hear why writer Eric Weiner prefers spending four days on Amtrak over a cross-country flight. And get inspired to view the Renaissance treasures of Florence. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

With a global pandemic playing havoc with travel plans, we can take refuge in our fondest travel memories and look at places to go next. We'll explore what the picturesque cities of central Mexico have to offer. And the author of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die recommends some of her favorite destinations. Plus, listeners share where they hope to visit once it's safe to travel overseas again. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

A Canadian observer of America's malaise offers what he calls an "intervention" to his friends in the USA. Plus, we'll explore Spain's civil war with a pair of Spanish tour guides whose families still feel the after-effects of the Franco era decades later. And we make time to find beauty in the Gothic stained-glass marvel of Saint-Chappelle in Paris and the photogenic landscapes of Scotland. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

American ex-pats tell us why they chose to make a new home for themselves in Italy — and how they make it work. And Irish comedian Maeve Higgins explains what it's been like moving to New York from a small town in County Cork and getting accustomed to American ways. She also tells us about the stories of fellow immigrants that she has gotten to know. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

British travel writer Dan Richards explores the historic outposts and refuges you can visit that are scattered among some of the most dramatic scenery on earth. Plus, local guides tell us about the outdoor possibilities in their home turf, from Wales' highest views at Snowdonia National Park to the surprises you'll find in the elaborate underground caves of Slovenia.  For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Guides from Greece tell us about the significant places you can visit to better understand the world of the ancient Greeks. Journalist Conor Knighton describes how he made an epic New Year's resolution happen by visiting all of America's National Parks in 12 months. And listeners share their standout travel memories, as we await the chance to explore the world again. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

MIT Professor Alan Lightman tells us how a little time alone with the night sky in Maine illuminated his awareness of the universe, and his place in it. Also, listeners share travel experiences that really "stoked their spirit." And we get ready to welcome in the new year with a toast to Champagne, and the region in France where the bubbly comes from. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Brighten your socially distanced holidays by looking at the extra observances our friends in Europe normally celebrate this time of year. Listen in as Rick's friends from Germany, Spain, Sicily, Ireland, and Scotland tell us how they have traditionally enjoyed the holidays where they live. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Take a virtual vacation to spice up this year's stay-at-home holidays: We'll hear about the festive customs people in Holland, Venice, Santa Fe, and England have for celebrating the Christmas season, and listeners tell us where they'd like to travel again in December. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

"Have you got a piano?" Sophy Roberts tells us how that simple question warmed her up to the people of Siberia on a search for historic pianos in the Russian Far East. Plus, find out how you can get close to the sites and treasures of the British royal family. And author Frances Mayes explains how piazzas play a vital role in the life of Italian towns and cities — and shares her personal favorites.  For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Jessica Bruder, author of the book that the new movie "Nomadland" is based on, tells us how she learned firsthand how thousands of older Americans survive on seasonal temp work while living in RVs. We'll also hear about the wines Italians prefer and the songs that get requested the most in Italy. Plus, Rick describes the "bella chaos" he's enjoyed when strolling the streets of Naples. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Find out how living in the crosshairs of cultural battlelines in the Balkans has made Bulgaria one of Europe's most interesting places to eat. Food writer David McAninch reveals what makes the food traditions of Gascony different from the rest of France. And tour guides from southern Italy tell us what Italians expect in a good olive oil. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

We look beyond the dazzling skyscrapers of Frankfurt to find the city's street-level charms, with the help of a friendly pair of German tour guides. Author Robert Macfarlane tells us about two of England's most mysterious landscapes, in Dorset and Suffolk, which he finds himself drawn to. And Rick checks with more listeners on how they're coping with this year's canceled travel plans. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Tour guides from Hungary set us straight on their country's love of paprika and what a good goulash is supposed to be. Author Marie Arana looks at how a thousand years of history can help explain the differences between the countries of Latin America and the US. And we'll explore why Galicia — a lesser-known corner of Spain — is where Spaniards like to escape from the heat and the crowds. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Just in time for Halloween and All Souls Day, we'll explore the legacy of the real-life pirates who operated off the Carolina coast of colonial America. A pair of Irishmen clue us in to their country's traditions about the different orders of faery people that some believe inhabit Ireland. And we'll learn about ghost sightings in San Francisco and the stories that come with them. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Rick compares notes with travel writer Dave Seminara on Medellín, Colombia, as the "City of Eternal Spring" tries to shake off its former reputation for cartel violence and promote itself as a safe and family-friendly destination. Plus, we relive two of our favorite interviews, hearing how important travel has been to the work of writer and activist Gloria Steinem and historian David McCullough. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Find out what the art of the Dutch Masters can reveal about the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century, and why Holland and Belgium were so different from the rest of Europe. Learn about the intelligence and personalities of different bird species around the world, and what they might teach us about what it means to be human. Plus listeners share where they want to go next, after their travel plans have been postponed by this year's global shutdowns. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Author Jim Hinckley recommends Old West ghost towns you can still visit, before they fade away. Irish singer Cathie Ryan shares how Ireland remembers its heroes in the lyrics of traditional songs. And journalist Carl Hoffman tells us what he learned about the disappearance of Michael Rockefeller, who vanished in 1961 while on an art-buying expedition in the jungles of New Guinea. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.