Rick Steves

Richard John Steves Jr. (born May 10, 1955) is an American travel writer, author, activist, and television personality.

His travel philosophy encourages people to explore less-touristy areas of destinations and to become immersed in the local people's way of life.

The family moved to Edmonds, Washington in 1967.

When Steves was 14, he and his parents took a trip to Europe to see the factories that manufactured pianos.

The family owned a piano store named "Steves Sound of Music" where they imported and sold pianos, and also tuned pianos.

He documented what he saw and experienced on the backs of postcards which he numbered sequentially.

He still has all of those cards stored in a wooden box.

The family also visited relatives in Norway during the Apollo 11 Moon landing, and in a park in Oslo, Steves came to a realization that would influence him throughout his life: "This planet must be home to billions of equally lovable children of God."

When he turned 18, he again visited Europe, but without his parents.

He kept journals of all of those experiences, as well.

Steves attended the University of Washington, majoring in European history and business administration, graduating in 1978.

In his 20s, Steves started teaching travel classes through The Experimental College, a student-run program of non-credit classes at his alma mater, the University of Washington, and working as a tour guide in the summer.

At the time, he also worked as a piano teacher.

In 1979, based on his travel classes, he wrote the first edition of Europe Through the Back Door (ETBD), a general guide on how to travel in Europe.

Steves self-published the first edition of his travel skills book ETBD in 1980.

The book contained a page that said "Anyone caught reprinting any material herein for any purpose whatsoever will be thanked profusely."

Unlike most guidebook entrepreneurs, he opened a storefront business.

Initially, this was both a travel center and a piano teaching studio.

He held travel classes and slide show presentations, did travel consulting, organized a few group tours per year, and updated his books.

He did not provide ticket booking or other standard travel agency services.

He incorporated his business as "Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door".

The store was in Steves's hometown of Edmonds, north of Seattle.

The company's headquarters is still in Edmonds.

Since self-publishing his first book in 1980, Steves has written country guidebooks, city and regional guides, phrasebooks, and co-authored Europe 101: History and Art for Travelers.

Steves's first television show, Travels in Europe with Rick Steves, debuted on public television in April 1991 and ended production in 1998.

Steves's relationship with public television began in 1991 with his first series, Travels in Europe With Rick Steves.

Since then he has become one of public television's top pledge drive hosts, raising millions of dollars annually for stations across the U.S. He writes and co-produces his television programs through his own production company, Back Door Productions.

His guidebook to Italy is the bestselling international guidebook in the U.S. In 1999, he started writing in a new genre of travel writing with his anecdotal Postcards from Europe, recounting his favorite moments from his many years of travel.

From 2000 to 2020, he hosted Rick Steves' Europe, a travel series on public television.

His second show, Rick Steves' Europe, debuted in September 2000, and has aired episodes through 2020, though because he does not produce a season every year, this accounts for 11 seasons.

Steves advocates independent travel.

His books and media deal with travel mainly in Europe and are directed at a North American audience.

As host, writer, and producer of the popular and long-running American Public Television series Rick Steves' Europe, and through his travel books, he encourages Americans to become what he calls "temporary locals."

He encourages his readers and viewers to visit not just major cities but also cozy villages away from popular tourist routes.

Steves's television series, guidebooks, radio shows, mobile applications, and his company's European escorted bus tours attract fans known as "Rickniks".

Steves also has a public radio travel show called Travel with Rick Steves (2005−present) and has authored numerous travel guides, the first of which was the popular Europe Through the Back Door.

In 2006, he became a syndicated newspaper columnist, and in 2010, his company released a mobile phone application called "Rick Steves’ Audio Europe" containing self-guided walking tours and geographic information.

Richard John Steves Jr. was born in Barstow, California, to parents Richard John Steves, a high school band director and piano technician, June Erna Steves, née Fremmerlid.

His mother, June Erna, was born to Norwegian immigrants Harold and Erna Fremmerlid.

He has two sisters, Jan and Linda.