Rick Steves' Europe: Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

About Rick Steves' Europe

Our Travel Services
Travel Center and Retail Store
Receiving Free Publications
Submitting Articles and Photos
Rick Steves' TV Shows and Travel Classes
How Rick Steves Got Started

Contacting Us

Our mailing address and telephone number.

Customer Service

Frequently Asked Questions about our travel merchandise.

About Europe Through the Back Door

Our Travel Services

Does Rick Steves' Europe run tours?

We sure do! For details on our itineraries, seats available, and how to sign up, check out Rick Steves' European Tours. We also have a free Tour Catalog that includes all of this info.

Can Rick Steves' Europe help me plan my trip?

Rick Steves guidebooks offer suggested itineraries and all the info you'll need on hotels, sights, food, and transportation to plan your own trip. This website also provides extensive European trip planning information for free.

If you need more help, we offer travel consulting in person at our Travel Center in Edmonds, WA, or by phone. The cost is $50 per half hour, which is enough time for most in-person consultations. Because of extra pre- and post-session work, we charge $75 for phone consultations since they usually take 45 minutes of staff time. To set up an appointment, phone us at 425/771-8303, ext. 298.

Once you have made your phone appointment, it is useful to fax/email/send your plans to your consultant in order to make best use of the consultation time.

For more information, visit our Consulting page or contact us:

Fax: 425/771-0833, Attention: Consulting
Email: consulting@ricksteves.com

Will Rick Steves' Europe take care of my travel arrangements for me?

Rick Steves' Europe is not a travel agency, so we don't book flights, car rentals, or hotels. We do sell European rail passes, but not point-to-point train tickets.

If you are looking to have most of your travel arrangements taken care of for you, you might consider one of Rick Steves' European Tours.

Rick's guidebooks have all the information you need to find your own Back Door style hotels, and you'll usually save money taking care of your own reservations rather than booking through a travel agent. These guidebooks list Rick Steves' favorite hotels, and also include complete instructions for phoning and faxing hotels in Europe to make reservations.

For flights and car rental arrangements, we recommend contacting a travel agent in your area. Be sure to check out Rick's travel tips!

If you need more help, our travel consultants will be happy to talk with you. See the question above for details on scheduling an appointment.

Visit our Travel Center and Retail Store

Do you have a store where I can see your travel products?

Yes! Visit us from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday or during our extended hours on Thursdays from 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. at 130 Fourth Avenue North in charming downtown Edmonds, Washington. We're just off Main Street, four blocks inland from the Kingston ferry dock. Visit our map of how to find us. Or call us at 425/771-8303 if you need directions.

Do you have a mailing list?

We no longer mail out printed newsletters. Instead, you can subscribe to our email list to receive monthly Travel News or Tour News dispatches from Rick. We do send out free printed Tour Catalogs with our Tour Experience DVDs on request. If you wish to unsubscribe or update your contact information, go to our Subscription Center.

Do you publish travelers' articles and photos?

While we love hearing about travelers' experiences, we do not accept unsolicited articles or photos. If you'd like to share your travel experiences or tips, please visit our Graffiti Wall forum.

Rick Steves' TV Shows and Travel Classes

When can I watch "Rick Steves' Europe" on TV?

You can watch Rick Steves' Europe right now! If you are located in the United States, watch Rick Steves Europe on demand for free on Hulu. Or, watch segments of Rick Steves Europe on YouTube.

Of course, you can watch Rick Steves Europe on your local public television station. We make available all of your upcoming local public TV station's airtimes for Rick Steves Europe.

Reruns of the original "Travels in Europe with Rick Steves" series can be seen on the Travel Channel. You can search the Travel Channel schedule to find out when they'll air the shows in your time zone. Many Public Television stations are also rerunning these programs. Check with your local PBS affiliate for details.

How often does Rick Steves' Europe hold Travel Classes?

Does Rick offer any seminars in my area?

When Rick plans travel classes, we post updates to Rick's travel schedule.

How Rick Steves Got Started

How did Rick get started as a travel writer?

I traveled each summer back when I was a piano teacher. On a super tight budget I made lots of mistakes and learned the hard way. My passion for travel showed itself in a powerful interest in teaching others from my mistakes. Eventually I was giving talks about budget travel at the University of Washington, throughout Seattle and even using my piano studio recital hall more for travel lectures than for piano concerts. I finally had to decide: teach piano or teach travel. I chose travel and the rest is one very well used passport.

Does Rick have any tips on how to become a travel writer?

The keys to becoming a travel writer are to travel for the love of travel, sniffing out maximum experiences and writing while on the road. Back home, get your writing out anyway you can (for free). Your publicity stunt must be your commitment to smart travel. Impress people with the quality of your work by making it available widely and for free. Eventually, people will pay for your writing. (But keep your day job if you ever want to afford another plane ticket.)

Does Rick have any tips on how to get into TV production?

Breaking into TV production requires lots of money and something viable to make into TV. I don't think you can want to produce TV first. You need to have accidently been preparing to produce TV without knowing it for a decade and then proceed. The equation for making TV production a viable business is nearly impossible without lots of hard work, luck, and money.

Happy travels,
Rick Steves

Contact Us

Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door, Inc.

130 4th Ave N
POB 2009
Edmonds, Wa 98020

Tel: 425/771-8303
Fax: 425/771-0833
Email: rick@ricksteves.com

If you are trying to contact a specific department, please see our contact page.

Customer Service Frequently Asked Questions

How long will it take for my order to arrive if I order today?
More details about shipping can be found in our help section. If you choose "basic delivery" your order is guaranteed to arrive within 10 business days. A "rush delivery" order is guaranteed to arrive within 5 business days. As soon as your order is shipped, we'll send you an email containing your UPS tracking number so you can look up when the delivery date will be.

How can I place an order with Rick Steves without putting my credit card on the Web?
Simply go through the normal process of placing an order online. When you come to the Checkout Payment info page you'll see two choices: "Secure Online Payment" and "Mail Fax". Click on Mail Fax, then click on Place Order. It will take you to a page to confirm the information. Click on "Printable Order Form". It will pop up with all the fax or mailing information. Print the form and fax or mail the order to us.

Why is my cart empty at check out when I put items in it?
You need to "enable cookies" on your computer. Instructions can be found here.

What is a promotion code?
Rick Steves offers promotion codes to our railpass customers (and others from time to time). It can be used for a discount on one subsequent merchandise order. Whenever we offer a free item with a minimum purchase, you do not need a promotion code to qualify.

What is the CVV2 code your order asks for?
The code is an additional security check for credit card transactions. For Visa or MasterCard cards, you can find this code on the back of your credit card and appears as the last 3 numbers after your account number. For American Express cards, the code is on the front of the card and appears above and to the right of the imprinted card number.

I made a mistake on my order that I just placed online, what can I do?
Email Customer Service and tell us what you'd like to change. We'll reply to your email on the next business day during regular business hours, and make any changes you request. It's never too late…unless it's already gone out the door!

My order didn't confirm, what can I do?
During our regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific Time) you can email Customer Service or call at 425/608-4220 and they can verify if your order went through. If it didn't, we can take your credit card info over the phone and process the order manually. After hours, email us and we'll respond the following business day. Your other choice would be to place another order, and then call or email us to cancel any duplicate order placed.

Does your Convertible Carry-On have wheels?
No, in this case "Convertible" means it can be used as a backpack or a suitcase. However, both our 21" Wheeled Bag and Rolling Backpack have wheels.

Does your 21" Wheeled Bag turn into a backpack?
No, but our Rolling Backpack smoothly switches from the ease of wheels to the versatility of a backpack.

Are Rick Steves bags waterproof?
Bags made of thicker 600 to 900 denier polyester — our Convertible Carry-on, Classic Back Door Bag, 21" Wheeled Bag, Veloce, and Appenzell bags — are reasonably water resistant. Our lighter-fabric Civita products are a bit more likely to leak during a steady rain (it's always a good idea to have a plastic bag handy as an inside liner in case you're caught in a storm). The Hide-Away Poncho we sell is large enough to cover a pack while it's on your back. To protect the contents of any travel bag against rain, the best solution is…duck indoors!

Employment at Rick Steves' Europe

If you would like to be considered for a position at Rick Steves' Europe, please e-mail a cover letter, a resume, and a brief summary of your travel experience to gottajob@ricksteves.com or mail to:

Rick Steves' Europe
HR Dept.
P.O. Box 2009
Edmonds, WA 98020

Resumes are reviewed and considered as positions become available. Due to the high number of applications we receive, we regret that we cannot respond personally by phone. Thanks for your interest in Rick Steves' Europe!

For current openings, check out our jobs page.