My Road Trip USA
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| Though I wouldn't blame you for hoping...driving coast-to-coast in this East German Trabi would deliver more adventure than travel. I'll take an American car. |
Dear Traveler,
For 30 years, I've spent all my travel time overseas...mostly in Europe. Now it's time I saw the good old USA. On March 3rd, I'm setting off on a 20 cities in 20 days road trip — giving talks in mostly smaller cities and towns — all the way from Seattle, Washington to Tallahassee, Florida.
I've never been so excited about an upcoming trip — not only to be bringing my travel lessons to smaller cities, but to actually be driving across the entire USA. For the last few years, I've noticed that every time I'm hired to give a talk in a "smaller market" — places like Fort Wayne, Indiana; Fort Smith, Arkansas; or Peoria, Illinois — I encounter lots of local pride, a super friendly welcome, and an auditorium packed with enthusiastic travelers. I was enjoying these middle-America gigs even more than my regular stops in the big cities.
So, for 2012, we're gearing up for "Rick Steves' Road Trip USA." My agenda: to inspire people to get out and see our beautiful world — and to inspire myself to explore and appreciate the great diversity and hospitality of my own country. My Road Trip USA web page will track my journey, and I'll be blogging daily via my Facebook page. And, each night along the way, I look forward to giving talks that help Americans enjoy maximum thrills for every mile, minute, and dollar they have for their next vacation.
Keeping with that theme, this month's Travel News will help stoke your travel dreams with articles comparing a very different pair of hill towns in Tuscany, the post-disaster progress being made in the Cinque Terre, the importance of study abroad, one reader's "last laugh" pickpocket story, and more. Enjoy the read.
If you live along my Road Trip USA route, tickets are now available at each stop. If you have friends and family who live nearby, share the news. And, wherever you live, I hope you'll travel along with me virtually. Simply subscribe to my Travel News list, and "like" me on Facebook.
Hop in, buckle up, and hang on. It's going to be a fun ride.
Happy travels — in Europe and the USA
Rick