The Grand Tour was a rite of passage for the aristocracy, and the adventuresome spirit behind it lives on in modern European itineraries. A longtime travel publisher traces the evolution of this fantastic voyage. Then Rick Steves' Europe guidebook researcher Cameron Hewitt takes a look back on the ways travel has evolved over the past quarter century. And as the Sagrada Família stretches ever closer toward completion, one of the project's architects helps us understand what Gaudí's ambitious creation means to Barcelona and Catalonia.

• Bill Newlin, former publisher, Avalon Travel
• Cameron Hewitt, Content and Editorial Director, Rick Steves' Europe
• Sagrada Família architect Mauricio Cortés

• For many years, until his recent retirement, Bill Newlin was Rick's guidebook publisher at Avalon Travel.
• Rick describes visiting the Hachette Book Group in New York with Bill Newlin in 2018.
• The Baedeker Guides were an influential series, published in German, English, and French, that covered destinations in Europe from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century.
• Cameron Hewitt rounds up ten things you need to know before traveling to Europe this summer, in his recent blog posts. He's also written about his travel adventures in his book "The Temporary European."
• To enter the UK, visitors need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). It allows for visits of up to six months, and is valid for two years. Note that the ETA must be secured prior to the date of your flight to the UK.
• The BBC explains the ETA rules.
• Updated information for the Gaudi centenary celebrations in Barcelona are on the SagradaFamilia2026.org website. It also describes how the cross that tops the Jesus Tower was built and put in place.
• Vatican News announced the installation of the Sagrada Família central tower on February 20, 2026.
• Rick recommends touring itineraries for Barcelona to view its distinctive "modernisme" architecture.
• Historian Gijs van Hensbergen wrote a biography of Antoni Gaudí and spoke about the effort to build Sagrada Família on Travel with Rick Steves program #547 in December 2018.