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Climate Smart Commitment

Our Self-Imposed Carbon Tax

At Rick Steves' Europe, we believe that international travel is a powerful way to better understand and contribute to the world we live in. But every international flight emits damaging carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to the climate crisis.

What can we do?
Staying home isn't the answer. It's possible to mitigate this environmental toll by supporting climate-smart initiatives in developing countries, where the need — and the potential for change — is greatest. Each year, Rick Steves' Europe will invest in a portfolio of carefully selected nonprofits that fight climate change through government advocacy and on-the-ground work. Our goal: to pay our fair share of the environmental cost that our travelers incur, and to do so in a way that empowers communities throughout the developing world.

On October 1, 2019, we paid a self-imposed carbon tax totaling $1 million, so that our 30,000 annual tour members can enjoy the peace of mind that they are traveling climate-smart. For comments or questions, contact us at climatesmart@ricksteves.com.

2019 Portfolio Grant Report

In late 2019, we invested $1 million in 11 nonprofit organizations that seek to address climate change through smart development efforts in the developing world.. Read our report of what seven of our partner organizations accomplished in the past year… Read more

Rick's Vision

A round-trip flight to Europe emits roughly as much climate-changing carbon, per passenger, as six months of driving. At Rick Steves' Europe, we take about 30,000 people to Europe each year on our tours. Standard accounting… Read more

Good Global Citizenship: A Note from Rick's COO

At Rick Steves' Europe, we consider ourselves travel teachers. We are in the business of providing the skills that empower people to have a lifetime of fun, affordable, and culturally broadening trips. And just as travel… Read more

How and Why

Climate change is a reality. Humans are driving it, and only humans can stop it. In the future, people will look back at our generation and see that there were three kinds of people… Read more