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United States Rick Steves is a best-selling guidebook author, television host, radio personality, and owner of a European travel company, guiding travelers to immerse themselves in local cultures across Europe.
Rick Steves maintains an active presence on Facebook, engaging with a large community of over 925,000 likes and 185,000 people discussing his content. He shares updates as a guidebook author, TV & radio host, business owner, Lutheran, and NORML Board Member.
Rick Steves' Europe is a multi-faceted travel company committed to inclusivity, where every person feels welcome and valued.
Rick is featured as a host on Create TV, where his role as the founder and owner of Rick Steves' Europe is highlighted, noting that his travel business brings over 30,000 people to Europe annually.
The Washington Post covers Rick Steves as a 'Travel mogul. Philanthropist. Legal weed champion.' detailing how he is more complex than his on-screen persona.
Rick Steves participated in 'An Exclusive Evening with Rick Steves,' scheduled for November 11, 2025, where he was presented as a best-selling travel author and host of public television's 'Rick Steves' Europe' and 'Travel with Rick Steves.'
In a live taping of The Journal podcast, host Ryan Knutson spoke with Rick Steves about the value of travel and Americans' reception abroad in 2025. This conversation explored how seeing the world makes it a better place.
Richard John Steves Jr. was born on May 10, 1955, in Barstow, California. His family relocated to Edmonds, Washington, in 1967. At age 14, Steves took his first trip to Europe with his parents, who were involved in the piano manufacturing industry. This foundational experience, including a visit to relatives in Norway, influenced his travel philosophy, emphasizing immersion in local life over typical tourist routes. He later attended the University of Washington, where he majored in European history and business administration, graduating in 1978.
Steves began his career by teaching travel classes through The Experimental College at his alma mater and working as a summer tour guide. In 1979, he authored the first edition of “Europe Through the Back Door” (ETBD), a guide focused on practical and immersive European travel. He self-published this work in 1980 and subsequently established a storefront operation in his hometown of Edmonds, which served as a travel center and piano teaching studio. This business, incorporated as Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door, offered travel classes, consulting, and organized tours, rather than traditional travel agency services. His first television series, “Travels in Europe with Rick Steves,” premiered in 1991, followed by the highly successful “Rick Steves’ Europe” in 2000, which continues to air through 2023. These shows are produced through his company, Back Door Productions.
Over the years, Steves has expanded his media presence to include a public radio show, “Travel with Rick Steves” (2005), and a syndicated newspaper column (2006). In 2010, he launched the “Rick Steves’ Audio Europe” mobile application, offering self-guided tours and travel information. He is the founder and owner of Rick Steves’ Europe (RSE), a travel business that guides over 30,000 individuals to Europe annually. Beyond his travel endeavors, Steves is a vocal advocate for cannabis legalization and has contributed significantly to homelessness initiatives, including donating a $4 million apartment complex to the YWCA in 2017 to provide transitional housing for mothers and children.
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