Back Door Travelers Contribute $35,000 to Help the Hungry
Each year, as a reward for all our hard work selling railpasses, the Eurail folks give us a bunch of free "bonus passes" for our own use in Europe. But rather than use them for our own vacations, we think the best way to use these passes is to put them to work, letting our travelers support the work of our favorite charity.
The passes normally retail for $914 each. This year, we gave them free to the first 50 travelers who sent us a check for $700 written out to "Bread for the World." These 50 travelers helped us raise $35,000 for a great cause.
Bread for the World is a Christian citizens group that works in Washington D.C. to advocate for the needs of hungry and homeless people in the USA and around the world. I like to support Bread in its lobbying efforts because someone needs to speak up for the desperate as our government makes its decisions. What may be marginally helpful for the bottom line of some corporations can be catastrophic in the lives of countless real and struggling people. While the "haves" these days get plenty of benefits from their muscular lobbying efforts, we at Europe Through the Back Door are proud to help give the "have nots" a voice.
Thanks to all those who responded so quickly and enthusiastically! We hope to do it again next spring.
Happy travels,
Rick Steves