| Title | : | Travel as a Political Act |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1568584350 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781568584355 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 209 |
| Publication | : | First published March 20, 2009 |
Travel as a Political Act Reviews
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I used to think Rick Steves was just a doofy happy guy tootling around Europe hosting his PBS show. And I loved him. But he's actually much more than that. Don't let the doofy happy picture of him on the back cover fool you.
Rick Steves writes this book as an appeal to people to travel with a good heart, as representatives of America. The first few chapters compare Europe and America and what policies work in Europe and he thinks could work here. I easily imagined my conservative friends being really ticked off by all his liberal talk, but I thought he made good points. The guy sure loves Europe.
There was a chapter on Iran, where he did a show just as an informational thing to get to know the people of the country. And it turns out they are kind and welcoming and his experience was a good one. He is careful to point out that Iran has its sinister side, but much of what America knows of the place has nothing to do with the real people who live there, all 70 million of them.
I just thought he made several good points in this book. And I love that he's this committed citizen - he is involved in several causes and really believes in them. I like that about him. I like knowing that there is more to Rick Steves than just his 30 minutes on PBS. -
Since Rick Steves has taken over my life lately—don’t ask—I decided to see how all his travelling has affected his politics. I was sort of afraid, given his background, that this book would be little more than a collection banalities and platitudes (“make friends with people from other cultures,” “don’t think your way is the only way,” and that sort of thing); but this book surprised me by being genuinely, well, political. Steves has definite opinions and a real message—with a few platitudes thrown in, too, of course.
It should be noted that, like almost everything Steves writes, this book is primarily for Americans. Many of his “lessons” will be obvious to people who live elsewhere. For example, he begins with a good chapter on the wars in former Yugoslavia. He paints a vivid picture of the how the Balkan countries are still scarred by the conflict—including a woman who still has a piece of shrapnel in her back. His point is simple: most Americans don’t know what it is like to be in a war, and seeing its effects up close might make us reconsider our proclivity to bomb and invade other countries.
Some of the content is to be expected by any thoughtful American who has travelled in Europe. It is hard not to think at least some aspects of life overseas are superior: public transport, social healthcare, bike-friendly cities, long vacations, family leave… the list goes on. I would add the lack of guns. After you spend some time in a country where you can be sure the vast majority of people—criminals included—do not have guns, the entire “debate” in the United States is immediately seen to be silly. When Americans argue that guns increase personal safety and ensure political freedom, the rest of the world simply laughs.
Steves is strongest on drug policy. He notes the many European countries which have substituted a public safety for a law enforcement model with drugs, and makes a strong case that it is both more humane and more effective than just locking people up. The travel writer is not just all talk, either, since he helped to promote and sponsor the bill to legalize marijuana in his home state of Washington. This is another excellent example of how travel can affect one’s politics, since the first time you travel to a country where marijuana is legal to consume, and notice that the sky isn’t falling, you wonder if it’s really worth imprisoning people for doing so.
The chapters on Iran and on the Holy Land were classic Rick Steves. They were both attempts to understand a conflict (between the US and Iran, and between Israel and Palestine) from a less partisan perspective. It is perhaps extremely naïve to think that by simply getting to know ordinary people “on the other side,” so to speak, we can reduce antagonism. As Steves himself makes clear, there are historical and structural forces at work, which push peoples into conflict. Nevertheless, I find it heartwarming that he so earnestly tries to focus on the ordinary humanity of these peoples, rather than on the political narratives. It is something we see all too little in conventional news.
The chapter on El Salvador was perhaps the most impressive. The United States’ many interventions—often violent and undemocratic—in Latin American politics are something that most Americans are hardly aware of. It is an uncomfortable history to say the least, and only figures such as Noam Chomsky routinely talk about it. But Steves travelled to El Salvador during the Salvadoran Civil War, and several times after that, to see our foreign policy with his own eyes. He even had his travel diary printed and sent to members of Congress, in a bid (albeit an idealistic one) to stop American interference.
By the end, for someone who could easily have spent his life eating gelato for the camera, Steves is shown to be a man of strong convictions. Of course, the book is not perfect. Steves is prone to falling into stereotypes when he compares Europeans and Americans; and, not being an expert on anything he writes about, his analysis can be fairly superficial. And of course there is the trademark cheesy Rick Steves style—that is inevitable. But I think this book is valuable for voicing some opinions that are likely to be quite unpopular among many Americans, and for doing so in a way that is accessible and friendly. Maybe travel really is enlightening? Now, if we could only figure out how to fly without creating greenhouse gases… -
People-to-people -- yes! So much better than people-to-yahoo-news... A history major in addition to being ridiculously well-traveled, Steves shares the insights he's gathered. He does a great job at performing the audiobook, which includes photos via CD. Now it's time for us to get traveling too...
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I love this book and I want everyone to read it.
I love so much about his perspective - it is the balance I look for between "right" and "left." He calls himself a progressive Christian, and he is the kind of Christian I love to love - his work, his words, and his friendly compassion speak volumes of someone who practices the tenants of his religion that are meant to be practiced: love, acceptance, and understanding. He is anti-fear culture and pro-accountability. He manages to convey patriotism and a deep love for his country without arrogance (one review accusing him of being an "Arrogant American" mystifies me... if that's arrogant, we'd all be doing pretty well to be the same), and his love of country is not colored by infatuation or blindness to its shortcomings.
This is an overall quick read, lots of pics and a lot of information crammed in there. I loved that he's chosen to combat Fear Culture by showing before telling. He goes to "scary" places himself, to show us they're not scary. He sets an example of level-headedness. He gives us an open minded perspective of other cultures and beliefs to help us better relate to people in other countries as human beings, rather than nameless, faceless "others."
I loved the chapter on Israel and Palestine. I've read about the area and a bit of the history and it always seemed hopelessly tangled. It is indeed hopelessly tangled, but he gives a good, simple-without-being-simplistic (or patronizing) summary.
I thought he was a pretty decent guy beforehand, but having read this, I am now a huge fan of this man and his work. -
I first starting watching Steves's show when I was in college, and though we often made fun of his extreme dorkiness, I've always appreciated his enthusiasm for travel and for other cultures.
In this book, he writes about how his travels have given him new perspectives on the political and social challenges of our time. In particular, his way of traveling, which is to get away from the tours and tourist traps, and out into the everyday world.
Each chapter focuses on a different topic, explored through his experiences in a particular region. Mostly Europe, but there is a chapter on El Salvador and another on Iran. What I find is that he has a very optimistic but nuanced view of the world. It also becomes clear that there's a religious influence to his views, but IMHO it's the best kind of Christian: infused with love and charity.
I found it fascinating and engaging; it made me think about my own views and to daydream about travel, which I suppose was the point.
Bonus points for gorgeous full-color photography. It's rare to find a thoughtful (not natural science) non-fiction book that also has such great imagery! -
Between when I started reading this book and now as I write this review, it feels as though the world has been turned upside down. The results of the 2016 US presidential election have caused many of us to question what what we thought we knew about our own country. Rick Steves’ message of better global citizenship through meaningful travel is perhaps now more vital than ever.
I confess that I read this line in his final chapter with a pang of guilt: “Most people have the resources to travel, but live within a social circle where 'travel' means Las Vegas and Walt Disney World." I’m sorry to say that for much of my life, the closest I came to traveling abroad was walking through World Showcase in EPCOT. And while I have fond memories of time spent with family on those trips, in hindsight I also see them as missed opportunities.
Steves believes that “we travel to have enlightening experiences, to meet inspirational people, to be stimulated, to learn, to grow." When we don’t take the opportunity to see our world with our own eyes, we run the risk of seeing it through lenses that others create for us. "No society should fear another society simply because their leaders and media say they should." During his trip to Iran during the Ahmadinejad regime, he was struck by the disparity between the rhetoric he was being fed about Iranians and the actual people he met. ”Ask anyone who has lived in a country where they disagree with the leaders,” he says, “and attention-grabbing bombast does not necessarily reflect the feelings of the man or woman on the street." If this is a conceit we once had to grant a country in the “axis of evil”, there is a sad irony that we as Americans may now have to hope for the same when we travel abroad.
This book is an opportunity to get to know the real Rick Steves behind the ever-present smile and squeaky-clean image he presents on TV. His character is so impossibly good-natured and disarming that most will give him the time of day on issues that are lightning rods for the likes of Michael Moore or Woody Harrelson. I honestly had no idea Steves was an outspoken member of NORML before reading this book, although I remember thinking he seemed surprisingly well informed when visiting a hash bar in Amsterdam.
Travel as a Political Act is a beautifully produced book with full color photography throughout. Steves is a talented, engaging writer, and I’m grateful to know him a little better now as an actual person, not just a TV personality. Say what you will about his politics, but there are lessons he shares like this one I’d like to hope everyone can agree on: ”I’m convinced that people-to-people travel experiences can be a powerful force for peace." -
Rick Steves is no Samantha Brown… thank your chosen God! I’ve been a fan of his PBS series for 10+ years, appreciating his practical and useful information, as well as his intelligence and obvious enthusiasm for travel. His show and books helped me plan my own Travels in Europe and he never steered me wrong.
Anyone who’s lucky enough to travel – particularly to a foreign country – will tell you that travel changes you. The chance to see different cultures functioning the same way we do, but entirely differently, is invaluable in so many ways. In this book, Rick highlights some of the major issues/situations we can learn from out there.
While reading, I was often reminded of a wine tasting. When you take a sip of his words, some may make you pucker but, more often, you’ll raise your eyebrows in surprise and then slowly nod your head. You’ll swish a concept around in your mouth and think about how it affects you… then you’ll probably go back and re-visit the same thought with another sip.
The world is just a plane ride away, but if you don’t have a ticket, this book will certainly give you food (or drink) for thought until you can get one! -
I love Rick Steves. Yes, he's nerdy, but his travel books are the model of what I think travel books should be. They're unabashedly excited about the locations that they cover, but not in a commercial way that overlooks the difficulties travelers can face. The advice is practical, maps are easy to use, and the opinions about the relative quality of various sightseeing experiences is almost always right on.
This book, however, seems a little unnecessary to me. I'm in total agreement with Rick's views about how travel is a growth experience, not a shopping trip. I believe, as he does, that travel promotes understanding. But I was completely aware that Steves felt this way about travel without reading a book that was explicitly about that belief. If this was fiction, I would say that the author was guilty of telling us, not showing us what he believed through the actions of characters. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I would have learned just as much about the political positions Steves takes by reading a straight travel account.
There is some educational stuff here. I found the chapters about European attitudes toward taxation and drug laws especially interesting and could have read more about those topics. -
Travel as a political act (TAP I’ll call it), as proposed by Rick Steves, is not unlike the kind of travel that I pursue. He advocates people-to-people experiences, meeting locals. Travel to learn, broaden your perspectives and challenge your assumptions. The world as a classroom. “You can travel with your window rolled up or with your window rolled down” he says. In a sense this is the kind of travel I have enjoyed since I began my roaming as a High School exchange student in Panamá in 1984. Travel to me has been about real experiences, learning, challenging my perspectives and assumptions. This book reinforced ideas and behaviors that I already had, but I also learned a lot from it.
TAP doesn’t end when you step off the return flight. It continues in conversations you have with people after your return, further reading, and even local activism based on interests that you now have. I have been wondering how I could become more involved in educating Americans about Arabic culture after my return from Syria last spring. Reading about Steves’ experiences I see that connecting with locals is easier than you think, even if you share no common language. I often shy away from interacting with locals if I have no language to communicate with. But I also have had experiences in places like Tibet showed me that I can do it too. And finally, TPA should challenge your pre-conceptions and stereotypes even in terms of where you choose to travel. I have always been averse to traveling in the American South or to China. I think this is based on stereotypes that I have that I need to get over.
This book is probably the best of all of Rick Steves’ guidebooks. Even though it is not a guidebook in a strict sense—it is a book of reflections and essays on how Croatia & Bosnia are recovering from 10 years of civil war, how El Salvador is still haunted by 20 years of U.S.-sponsored terrorism and is now struggling economically with globalization, how travel to secular Islamic countries can change your mind about Islam, and how understanding Iran, the arch-enemy of the U.S., could possibly help us from going to war with them. It’s a book that all travellers should read. -
Rick Steves is a well known travel writer, has his own TV show and writes an amazing selection of tour books of cities and countries in Europe. If you've watched his show, he comes across as very informed, funny, and to be honest, slightly goofy. This book shows a much more serious and thoughtful side to Rick Steves. If you travel internationally, you are well aware that travel changes you and your view of yourself, your society, and your overall worldview. And as you travel, you leave the world an impression of yourself and your country - making travel more than just another vacation, but an action that changes you and the world - or a political act. In this thought provoking book, Steves describes some of the countries he has explored and discusses a wide variety of issues and policies pertaining to those countries. Travel in Amsterdam - perfect for a discussion about US policy regarding marijuana. Croatia and Bosnia - the terrible impact of a civil war. If you are looking for a travel book that gives you tips on how to maximize your buffet experience on a Mediterranean cruise, then this is not for you. But if you want a book that will push you to travel differently and open your eyes up to a different world, then give this a shot - it's a great read.
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As a professional travel writer with a specialty in ethical travel and as a left-wing progressive, this book was a pretty unfulfilling read. I don't want to crap on it too hard because I wasn't the target audience, but there were a few too many things to dislike for me to give it any higher than a two-star rating. I'll provide some detail:
Steves is at his best when he's taken lessons he's learned in foreign countries and bringing them back to the United States. The place he's most effective is regarding drug legalization (which is clearly his wheelhouse), and, to a lesser extent, regarding Denmark's approach to democratic socialism. He mentions at the conclusion of the book that he's also politically active in the affordable housing cause and in the fight to relieve third-world debt. Why these issues received no attention in the body of the book is beyond me, especially considering how easily the debt issue could've been integrated into an otherwise tepid section on El Salvador. The affordable housing lessons he says he learned in Cairo would've been fascinating to translate to an American context.
The rest of the book reads like a history lesson written in the form of a travel brochure by someone who is probably not entirely qualified to write it. His bit on El Salvador (which I'm personally familiar with) was a let-down. He discusses going into the rich parts of town, and smugly proclaims he's seen more of their city than they have. It's fair to condemn El Salvador's rich for walling themselves off from their crumbling country, but any sense of superiority is ill-founded: our country played a pretty huge role into making their country what it is.
His chapter on Israel and Palestine is equally frustrating: he does an excellent job at articulating why Israelis think the way they do about the conflict, but he barely scratches the surface of the Palestinian viewpoint. At the end, he proclaims his solution -- nonviolence. I mean, thanks, Rick. We appreciate you getting us there. Instead of offering diagnostics (which he probably recognizes he's underqualified for), he could have used the opportunity to question America's unwavering support of Israel, he could have pointed out how we may have undermined the peace at times by applying double standards to Palestinians and Israelis, and possibly have provided some lessons for Americans to bring back home.
A large part of the problem has to do with his writing style. Steves is a television writer, and also an unapologetic dad. His writing is corny, and this translates well to public TV and guidebooks, but not to serious political books. He has a Paris Hilton and Britney Spears joke in there, for Christ's sake. This was first published in 2014. It also reads like a travelogue, with frequent discursions into food, sights, and sounds, written in a travel brochure language that I personally don't allow the writers I edit to use. He completely overuses ...'s. They seem to serve as an alternative punctuation. I understand writing with ...'s for TV. I can hear it. But it's not how print should be written.
It's a shame, because it's a missed opportunity. The idea was a worthwhile one. Go to new countries, discuss politics with the locals, use those interactions to inform your political views back home and to open up your mind a bit. It's hampered because his eyes are bigger than his stomach and he tackles things he shouldn't.
He's not totally unsuccessful, though. His target audience is clearly less-traveled, middle-aged, conservative-to-moderate Americans. It's written for people with a provincial American mindset. This would explain why he so frequently qualifies his points with, "Now, I'm not saying violence is ever justified..." and other things along those lines that make him come across as a bit wishy-washy when it might be more courageous to take an actual stand (though it's worth noting that, on the things he's well-informed about, like drug legalization, he DOES take a strong stand, even though it's in the daddest way possible).
Overall, the book probably serves its audiences, but for more experienced travelers, and for those who already actively travel with a political intent, it's probably going to be too shallow to be satisfying.
Also, can we get a moratorium on putting that fucking Mark Twain "travel is fatal to bigotry..." blah blah blah quote into print? -
I thought this book would get more into the nitty gritty as to how to travel as a political act, but instead it turned out to be a series of field reports from several different countries and areas discussing Rick Stevens' politics on several issues. I wanted to learn more about how I, as the average traveler, could get a chance to talk more to the locals, how to do it safely without getting either ripped off or mugged or worse, how to find locals with interesting stories, etc. but it wasn't like that at all. Stevens shares how he talked to a few locals, but as a travel guide with a tv show, radio show, website, and several books under his belt, he doesn't have to worry about who to talk to, he can find interesting people or already knows about them. Plus, who doesn't want to talk to someone in the hopes that they could end up on tv, radio, or featured in a book in order to promote tourism or aid in their country?
I also disliked how his idea of travel was pretty touchy feely. He says, "Rather than accentuate the difference between 'us' and 'them,' I believe travel should bring us together." Well that's all nice and good (yay for warm fuzzies!) but can travel truly bring us together? Can a short jaunt to another country really and truly help us to understand another culture? True cultural exchange and understanding of another culture is hard work and takes a lot of time and effort. More time and effort than buying a plane ticket, flying somewhere "exotic," talking to a few locals, seeing the famous sites, walking around the neighborhoods, etc. I've been to Thailand, talked to locals, eaten the food, seen more temples than I can count, but I don't consider myself to really know or understand their culture at all. Do I understand how a Thai person thinks? How they conceive of the world? Of course not, and it would be ridiculous, incredibly naive, and, dare I say, vain of me to assume that just because I traveled there that I can truly understand. Yes, travel broadens our horizons, forces us into situations where we wouldn't normally take ourselves, and, yes, travel can be more than just a hedonistic pleasure cruise (not that I, like Stevens, have anything against hedonism and pleasure). Yes, travel can teach us new things about the world and possibly even challenge our own personal worldviews, but to believe that we can truly understand another culture or that we'll even get much of a inkling of what it's like for the people there just by walking through the slums of that country, well, that's a bit of a big pill to swallow.
All that said, I gave this book two stars because I did enjoy reading many sections on the different countries and learning more about certain countries. Still, I felt misled by the title of the book and what was actually in the book. -
I love Rick Steves and I thought his TV special on Iran was AWSOME, but I wasn't really blown away by this book. I felt like he was preaching to the converted. I'm already way sold on these open-minded, progressive ideas and am well aware of the ways and means of other countries. I think I was just the wrong audience. I thought I'd be learning a lot of stuff I didn't already know, but I think a lot of peopel will find that it's just a brush-up course on international politics and religious issues, ect. But for those who would like to start learning about other countries politically in comparison to ours, it's a good book. Good pictures, but I wanted more of them. For example, Rick spent quite a few pages on the large, free, non-comformist community of Christiania in Denmark, but we got practically no pictures of the town. I wanted to see the main drag, the coffee shops, the homes, etc. I think I would have liked this book more if it was laid out slightly differently, with more pictures and captions. But I liked it, 3 stars.
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This book is amazing, and I would recommend it to every single person. A Must read is a bit of an understatement!
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A short review for this one: basically, I agreed with everything and I love Rick Steves. This is a must-read for anyone, especially Americans in the current political/cultural climate of the U.S.
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This book is my new favorite book on travel. It does a great job of highlighting how much richer our lives can be if we make an effort to learn from other cultures and immerse ourselves into local practices when visiting areas of the world that are different than where we live our everyday lives.
I thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of examples drawn from in this book, and the way he synthesized key takeaways from different trips into meaningful lessons that have contributed to changes in his lifestyle and his activism. I learned so much about different corners of the world that I have not spent much time thinking about in the past, as well as new things and perspectives on politics in my own country (and state).
I hugely recommend this book to any open-minded person who is interested in making their travels more well-rounded, or who is looking for inspiration on where to travel next to learn from the richness of a different culture, or who is interested in how to take lessons learned from other governments to influence local politics using evidence-based arguments. -
"...travel can be a powerful force for peace. Travel promotes understanding at the expense of fear."
The first chapter ("How to Travel as a Political Act") affirmed many ideas I already had about traveling. When done intentionally and thoughtfully, travel expands one's understanding, encourages global citizenship, and fosters empathy for people abroad and back home. It would be a great essay to assign students who are preparing for a semester abroad, as it explains how to enter such a situation with a humble, open mind. The final essay ("Homecoming") details how travel changes us upon our return home, because "the ultimate souvenir is a broader outlook." These are ideas I wrestled with both times I moved abroad and later attempted to readjust to life back home.
The aforementioned values are re-affirmed throughout Travel as a Political Act, but they are also expanded with layers and layers of examples--historical, anecdotal, and experiential. I learned a lot from this book about the specific cultures and places Rick discusses. The whole book reads like a series of carefully-researched magazine features. He took topics I thought I understood pretty well already (e.g. drug use in the Netherlands) and explicated them further, drawing helpful parallels to our shared home country in a way that expanded my understanding. Better yet, he took topics upon which I was completely ignorant (e.g. the political and economic state of El Salvador) and enlightened me from a local's point of view. Each place he discussed in this book, he met with local people and sought to understand their perspective, even (and perhaps especially) when they held America in an unfavorable light. Throughout these essays, he acknowledges and checks his own biases as a prosperous white Protestant American. I learned so much. I wish I had encountered this book sooner. I know what I'm getting all of my traveling friends on our next gift-giving occasion... -
This book is brilliant. Everyone who travels should read it. Anyone who doesn't travel should read it. It really breaks down what you can learn from travel and how it impacts us, not only as individuals, but as a culture and a society. I'm a fan of Rick Steves and have heard him speak in person about these issues. I'm really glad that he expanded them into a book, where they make an even more forceful and effective argument, and included some wonderful travel adventures of his own to go along with them.
With me, he's preaching to the choir. I'm the kind of traveler that would never, ever go to a destination and then not leave my resort. Or take a cruise and simply go shopping in port, not taking the time to learn anything about the culture and history of the place I'm visiting. I feel that these things are vitally important to my growth as a human being and my understanding of the world around me. So, this kind of discussion is right up my alley.
I've heard many people say that they think the most compelling chapters are the ones on Iran and drugs. However, I was really intrigued by the parts about Central America and Denmark.
I wrote about this book in a travel community here on GoodReads and someone actually said that she thinks Steves has no business talking about politics. That really made me shake my head in wonder. Don't all American citizens have the responsibility to talk about politics? Shouldn't we all be encouraging each other to be the best citizens that we can be? I think so. Rick Steves thinks so. And he thinks something as simple as taking a vacation can help us be better citizens. -
I really loved this book. Rick Steves has such a great way of writing - it's very conversational, yet matter-of-fact, and he weaves his own real life experiences in with facts to make the reader really think and have some of those "ahhhh, I see" or "Wow, that's true" moments. Another thing I loved about this book is that I learned many new and interesting things about some foreign countries that I didn't know before (and in my book, that's one of the best things about both reading and traveling!).
Some of my favorite quotes from this book:
"We travelers are both America's ambassadors to the world ... and the world's ambassadors to America."
"Ideally, travel broadens our perspectives personally, culturally, and politically. Suddenly, the palette with which we paint the story of our lives has more colors."
"As you travel, opportunities to enjoy history are everywhere. Work on cultivating a general grasp of the sweep of history, and you'll be able to infuse your sightseeing with more meaning."
"...flying home from each trip reminds me how thankful I am to live in America, why I believe the rich blessings we enjoy as Americans come with certain stewardship responsibilities, and how we can enrich our lives by employing our new perspectives more constructively
back at home." -
Whether you know of Rick Steves by way of your parents who watch his PBS show, or on your own accord through his guidebooks, the point is that you know him to be a guy who knows travel. I personally watch episodes of his show on Hulu, own a couple of his guidebooks, and follow along with his travels on Instagram (his throwback photos from the 70s are my favorite).
Recently, I watched one of his lectures in which he discussed how his extensive travel experience has led him to be more open-minded politically. He feels that if only more people/Americans would travel outside of their comfort zone of luxury cruises and English-speaking beach resorts, they would come home with a much broader worldview. Perhaps they may even care more about the politics of how our country is run.
That same day, I ordered this book. I devoured every story, every anecdote, and every idea he had written. It’s opened my eyes to the ways other countries attempt to solve the same problems that we have, and taught me that many of them do it better. Honestly, I believe that every American should travel in order to experience life outside of our bubble, and if traveling is not a possibility for them, they should at least read this book.
Who should read it: Every American, especially those who’ve never left their home state; people who love the hell out of this scene from episode one of The Newsroom. -
Travel as a Political Act was recommended to me by Susan Kaesler, my former French teacher, and one of the great influences in my life. She instilled in me a love of learning, all things travel, and Broadway musicals. What more could you ask for from a teacher? Over 20 years later, I count her as a friend and mentor. So, when she suggested a book by Rick Steves, I was interested.
I could not have been more enthralled. On numerous occasions, I found myself sitting in my car after arriving at my destination because I needed to hear what came next. Steves takes us on a journey from Iran to Denmark to Turkey. And in each location, he teaches about what it means to travel to learn about other cultures. And what we can learn from each other. I learned so much about Iran and Israel and Palestine and the Netherlands. How other countries treat each other. How the social contract in each country changes the culture.
Listening to the book as read by the author made it even more special. He took me to places I have never been and added many places to my bucket list of places to visit. He taught me to look at my place on earth from a different point of view. And I am a better person as a result. -
A great book to travel through Europe, Central America, and the Middle East without leaving your couch. Steves takes you through some less than "safe" touristy places to reveal how travel can change a person's political and social beliefs - mainly by meeting people and talking about some perceptions one has about the place/people. Steves doesn't point fingers; he takes on the idea of travel as a political act by using himself as a guinea pig, in travels outside of those he does for his travel and tours business. Some of what is written here has shown up in two of Rick Steves' travel specials for PBS, but there is more behind the scenes of taping those shows in the book. The one thing about this book I didn't like was that he never wrote about East or South Asia or Latin America. He is an admitted Europhile, so a lot of time reading the book was set in Europe (I wonder what he thinks of the UK formally triggering Article 50 today).
All in all, I really loved his voice and his writing about the personal travel experience being a political act. I want to read more from him in the future. -
This is a hugely informational book filled with great anecdotes and observations. I really admire Rick Steve's philosophy on travel as a way to build understanding between nations. "The ultimate souvenir is a broader outlook. But travel becomes a political act only if you do something with your broadened perspective once you return home."
This book was a great history lesson for me (primarily on Europe), as well as a fascinating discourse on contentious issues like drug policy on hard and soft drugs in Europe vs. the US. I found myself either wowed by a historical fact I had just learned for the first time (did they really not teach these things in history class or was I just a terrible student??) or nodding in agreement with Rick's outlook on travel and subsequent call to action to share stories, break prejudices, and promote global peace and understanding.
This book is packed to the brim with insight and is a must-read for the thoughtful global traveler. If you desire to to come away from your trips with more than just a few Instagram pics, then this book is for you. -
I had the opportunity to hear Rick Steves give an address about travel as a political act at our state library conference. I loved the talk and immediately grabbed both the eBook and the audiobook to learn more. (Rick reads the audiobook.) I learned that Rick is so much more than Europe Through the Back Door. He's an activist and philanthropist and truly sees travel as a way to help bridge the divide between cultures. While I am not interested in traveling to some of the countries Rick discusses, I truly enjoyed the opportunity to glean some insights from his trips to El Salvador and Iran and Iraq. I love his thoughts about coming home and putting into practice some of the best of what we learn from how other countries tackle problems. This delightful travelogue will bring you information and inspiration from around the globe.
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Wanted to read this book after hearing Rick Steves talk about it at a library conference. He's writing about expanding your horizons & understanding with trips, with getting outside one's comfort zone. His tour company generally handles Europe tours but the book includes chapters on his travels in El Salvador, Iran and Israel/Palestine. Iran chapter perhaps the most interesting. The chapter on Turkey, covering a country he has been visiting for decades, was perhaps the most disheartening in terms of the world being less open and accessible, at least for Americans.
He's good about seeing both sides of issues; admires many things about Europe but see faults there, too, and feels that travel can show Americans what we do well and where we can learn from other cultures.
Well written; a quick read.
