Our Climate Smart Commitment
Travelers face a dilemma: While international travel is one of the best ways to become a better global citizen, every flight emits damaging carbon into the atmosphere. Fortunately, it's possible to mitigate this environmental toll. Each year, Rick Steves' Europe invests $1 million in a portfolio of nonprofits that are making a big difference. That means that each traveler who takes a Rick Steves' Europe tour can enjoy the peace of mind that they are traveling climate smart.
While there are many ways to do this, we believe the best approach is to pursue long-term solutions: climate-smart projects in the developing world, combined with advocacy to shape legislation in the US.
Learn more about what we're doing and why
A Note From Rick
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 profit by taking about 30,000 people to Europe each year on our tours. Standard accounting practices allow businesses to… Read more
Why Our Climate Smart Commitment Is Good Global Citizenship
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
Our Climate Smart Commitment: How and Why
When carbon is emitted into our atmosphere, it creates a "greenhouse effect" that traps heat between us and space — heating up our planet. Every person and every business contributes to this problem, and Rick believes every person and every business has a responsibility… Read more
The $1 Million Climate Smart Portfolio
We set aside $1 million each year to fund a diverse portfolio of climate-smart, nonprofit organizations that work to advocate for smart policies and laws, conserve biodiverse lands, support small farms, and develop climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices… Read more