Travel as a Political Act (Rick Steves)

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Change the world one trip at a time. In this illuminating collection of stories and lessons from the road, acclaimed travel writer Rick Steves shares a powerful message that resonates now more than ever.

With the world facing divisive and often frightening events, from Trump, Brexit, and Erdogan, to climate change, nativism, and populism, there’s never been a more important time to travel.

Rick believes the risks of travel are widely exaggerated, and that fear is for people who don’t get out much. After years of living out of a suitcase, he still marvels at how different cultures find different truths to be self-evident. By sharing his experiences from Europe, Central America, Asia, and the Middle East, Rick shows how we can learn more about own country by viewing it from afar.

With gripping stories from Rick’s decades of exploration, this fully revised edition of Travel as a Political Act is an antidote to the current climate of xenophobia. When we travel thoughtfully, we bring back the most beautiful souvenir of all: a broader perspective on the world that we all call home.

All royalties from the sale of Travel as a Political Act are donated to support the work of Bread for the World, a non-partisan organization working to end hunger at home and abroad.

Our Top Reviews

Reviewer: Frank The Tank
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Rick Steves’ Travel As a Political Act: Enlightening Perspectives on Global Citizenship
Review: “Rick Steves’ Travel As a Political Act” is a profound exploration of the transformative power of travel beyond mere sightseeing. Steves delves into the idea that travel can serve as a catalyst for personal growth, cultural understanding, and global citizenship. Through insightful anecdotes and thought-provoking observations, he challenges readers to go beyond their comfort zones and engage with the world in a meaningful way. From fostering empathy and breaking down stereotypes to promoting sustainability and social justice, Steves demonstrates how travel can be a force for positive change. His passion for exploring different cultures and perspectives is palpable on every page, inspiring readers to become more informed, empathetic, and responsible citizens of the world. With its compelling narrative and timely message, “Travel As a Political Act” is a must-read for anyone seeking to expand their horizons and make a difference in the world. A well-deserved 5 out of 5 stars.

Reviewer: clive
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Should be required reading for every american.
Review: If you are afraid of traveling, like many americans, you need to read this book. If you want to expand your horizons and understand the world better, read this book. I recommend.

Reviewer: Richard
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great Book
Review: We’ve known Steve as a Travel Writer and host but it was great to get to know him as a political travel writer. Loved it!!!

Reviewer: Brian Ward
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: 48,000,000 Million Colombians Can’t Be Wrong
Review: When the country of Peru is mentioned, one imagines a peaceful scene of an Andean alpaca grazing along an Incan stone wall. When Ecuador is brought up, we imagine a rain forest panorama of frogs jumping off branches while butterflies mate in the background. When Colombia is mentioned, we envision a post-apocalyptic city full of overturned buses, being pillaged by men in ski masks. It is obvious which country any rational person would seek to avoid while searching for international romance.”48,000,000 Colombians Can’t Be Wrong” is a true adventure story about a gringo who goes online to look for a girlfriend in Colombia and then hops on a flight to Colombia’s capital in pursuit of a woman he has never seen in person.For more information on the book, please email the title, “48,000,000 Million Colombians Can’t Be Wrong.”

Reviewer: J. Holloway
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The enjoyment of interaction with people of different cultures, faiths and political systems, this book is one you’ll enjoy
Review: “While seeing travel as a political act enables us to challenge our society to do better, it also shows us how much we have to be grateful for, to take responsibility for, and to protect.” Rich StevesThis is a great travel book that doesn’t preach but encourages our experiencing and interaction with different cultures, religions, countries and the people who live there. the chapter on Iran, is compelling, but too far out of my comfort zone to want to visit. The chapter on Morocco & Turkey and talks of towns with large populations that follow Secular Islam like Istanbul & Tangier that are welcoming to Christian and other foreign travelers makes me want to visit. And according to Rich Steves, one of the more enjoyable experiences you’ll have in Morocco is walking through Tangier’s at night, to experience the people and their welcoming attitude to all visitors.Rich covers the political conflicts with Israel and the Palestinians, where you come away understanding the pain the Palestinians must feel having their home land taken away by a league of foreign governments. And that their most likely will not be a good solution to this conflict as long as the two societies stay separated by walls where the populations are not able to meet and find some common ground.The book also delves into systems and governments that work better than are own in some aspects of community life and how we may want to take some of these practices to see if they work well back home in the USA.Mark Twain “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness”.

Reviewer: A. Forsyth
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Traveling with eyes and heart and mind wide open
Review: A message implicit in the Rick Steves travel philosophy behind his ultra-useful Europe travel guides is at the center of this wonderful, unique book: your responsibilities as a citizen travel with you when you leave your country. Or” “Active, responsible citizenship: don’t leave home (or return) without it.” Traveling with your eyes open, and with an open mind and open heart, means that you will experience how people in other places do things differently–and difference is not bad. The more we learn about others, the more we learn about ourselves, often lessons that might be applied back home to improve our community, nation, planet.The focus throughout the book is on people–ordinary (though often extraordinary) people Steves met while traveling–and how they live their lives. Drawn from Steves’ extensive travels over forty years, the easily-readable small volume is chock full of examples of how people in Europe (and Morocco, Turkey, El Salvador and Iran) do things differently, from mailboxes designed to deter junk mail to approaches to soft drug use. Steves’ reflections on these differences helped me understand the rationale behind them. The powerful final chapter helped me see how I might share good ideas from my travels when I return home, and contribute to the betterment of all.To get the most out of this book requires some background knowledge of what’s happening in the world (at the level of occasional TV news watching), but any reader will learn a great deal about how the world works from reading this. And you don’t need to be a traveler to gain from it, but almost certainly you will be more inspired to travel–and to learn and contribute–after reading it.

Reviewer: Amanda
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: an excellent, informative read
Review: This is not a fluffy European travel book from Rick Steves, but a well-written reflection of the world through his eyes. It is informative and enlightening, and a great read. I plan to read it again in the future to get even more out of it.

Reviewer: Dr. Brian R Joseph
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Rick Steves’s TRAVEL AS A POLITICAL ACT really surprised me. I had long thought of Steves as the affable, polyester and cotton host of rather bourgeois tours to Europe, heavy on art museums and old churches. Little did I know that under the facade of this smooth doorman to Europe for comfortable middle class Americans was a passionate advocate for the poor and the disadvantaged.As someone who has lived and worked in Central America and in India, I was surprised and inspired by his compassionate understanding of the lives of those far from his own comfortable life on the American West Coast. His chapter on El Salvador brought back many memories, some sad, some joyful. And his final chapter ” Homecoming” is a jewel. It puts travel, whether for education, business or pleasure in a clear, useful framework and suggests many valuable ideas for keeping the party going long after our airplane has safely touched down, bringing us home.TRAVEL AS A POLITICAL ACT is an unexpected window into our modern world with all its troubles and delights that throws a fresh new light both on RIck Steves himself, and on the open-ended adventure of travel.If I were editing Rick, I might be tempted to suggest “Travel as Peacemaking” as a more accurate. and perhaps more compelling title. Regardless the title, it’s great writing and great reading.Highly recommended.Brian Richard Joseph, Ph.D.(Harvard)

Reviewer: Pana
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book made me think in areas that I had never considered. The education from this book even led me to question Rick’s views in some areas. I loved the way it made me think. As a traveler, it opened up my ideas on ‘how’ to travel. As a citizen it has made me examine, explore and research many areas within my own life. A great book for the mind! Well done Rick.

Reviewer: Elizabeth
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This is a great book for a traveller who is not just a tourist.

Reviewer: Sam
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book shows that travel can help us all be more open-minded to things we are not used to.

Price effective as of Mar 21, 2025 17:59:11 UTC

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