San Joaquin Valley Townhall invites Travel enthusiast Rick Steves back for second time.

Rick Steves is a familiar name to those who travel to Europe, or plan to. Over the course of his career, Steves published 45 books, hosts multiple well-received TV shows, and runs his own travel business.

“Find your focus, then become and expert on that one thing. Specialize in it, then with passion…pursue it. ” – Steves

His most popular books are Europe 101 and Travel as a Political Act. Steves also has an upcoming art series releasing this Fall, a six hour mini documentary on European Art. 

Bella Johns, the photo editor for The Feather, anxiously awaited to meet Steves and have her travel guide signed. Johns used Steves’ travel guide, Best of Europe, for her three week European tour with her family during the summer of 2021.

“Last year my family went on our 2021 European Vacation and it was a trip of a life time! My dad bought a bunch of Rick Steves travel books, which he would read all about the customs and experiences in the seven different countries we visited.” Johns said. “I can confidently say that we made it through Europe solely because of Rick Steves. I was glad to see the real Rick Steves in Fresno! ”

Steves spoke at San Joaquin Valley Town Hall March 16, 2022. A considerably vast audience filled the auditorium hearing the call to travel amidst the pandemic fears. He showed true passion in what his life revolves around: traveling and the opportunity to connect Americans to foreign societies.

He encouraged awareness among Americans by acknowledging the current conflict occurring in Ukraine, leaving an impression among the audience. He drew attention to Ireland’s efforts, who have housed over 100,000 Ukrainians.

“If we start building walls by not letting people in, and not bridges,” Steves said, “it would be harmful to others, including us.”

Steves shares a word of advice, hinting at what influenced his dedication for travel and tourism.

“Find your focus, then become an expert on that one thing. Specialize in it, then with passion and love… pursue it,” Steves said.

Tourism in Europe

Tourism is the number one employment factor in Europe, as the industry provides opportunities for both small business and large corporations. This doubled the fear of the volatile effects of the 2019 lockdown in Europe, especially for Steves.

Luckily, small hotels, businesses, and restaurants received open support from government and local patrons. They recovered because of all of the support, and are now prepared to welcome tourists.

Steves motivates the crowd to go to European tourist attractions, considering tourism forces one out of their comfort zone and brings empathy for humanity, while also avoiding culture shock. 

If one decides to travel, they are going to need three specific elements: the Covid vaccine, a passenger locator card, and a negative Covid test.

A negative test is not required to travel to Europe, but it is required for the return trip. There are pharmacies by every hotel, all tourists need to do is pay the twenty dollar fee and wait for results.

A passenger locator card holds all the information a tourist needs to show in order to eat at a restaurant. Hotels hand out sanitary passes, a simpler health pass that can be used instead of the locator card.

Fundamental value of traveling

Real tourists explore the history, art, cuisine, and culture of the country. Touring little towns and connect with locals are what matters. Traveling is to break out of one’s comfort zone, and reject the normality of tourist attractions.

There are three types of behaviors a foreign visitor presents themselves as: a tourist, a traveler, or a pilgrim. A person can be all three simultaneously, but keep in mind to be aware of the culture around you.

Learn to respect the passed down traditions and values of the families, exemplified by the goods they create. Have absolutely no judgment, as one must have the right mindset before viewing other lifestyles.

A good traveler is shown through the amount of people they have met throughout the course of the trip, because the locals are the ones that hold the knowledge of their town.

“I am a cultural chameleon; I morph from culture to culture,” Steve said. “I drink tea in Great Britain, and whiskey in Scotland”

Impact of tourism 

The United States is a sister society to Europe, but each engage in different forms of governance. Europe believes advancement will occur by protecting the people from the corporations. The United States depends on the protection of corporations.

Although there are differences, Europeans commend the United States government, conceiving America as the protector of Democracy. Every country based themselves on their own work ethic, they strive towards their Dreams, the families within are completely devoted to one another.

“This world is filled with equally prejudice children where the parents love them,” Steves said.

Despite a country’s rich culture, each country suffers and perseveres past their challenges.

During a trip in Turkey, Steves discovered a group of teenagers protesting in a church. They took issue with their government not separating the church and the state, the teens love God but they understand the significance of a secular government. 

Steves developed great sympathy for the widows of Iran, the women go to their church every Sunday and mourn the loss of their husbands, sons, and father’s.

Tourism opens one’s eyes to the ability to comprehend the different people’s mentality and situations. The experience creates a sense of empathy, which would create an effect of people voluntarily seeking to help those in need.

To read more from The Feather, go to Cours de français – Sampling high school French class or Movie Review: Uncharted.