Travel writer Rick Steves hasn’t spent a summer in his native Washington since 1980, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Steves — who has made a career out of promoting travel — is spending his first summer in decades at home.
“I’m working on employing the traveler's mindset as we're diligently staying home,” Steves said during an interview with Boston Public Radio on Thursday. “We’re keeping positive, and we are curious, and we’re trying new things, and we are reaching out. We’re getting to know the locals. We’re learning the context of what’s around us.”
Steves said the key to having a good travel experience is to get a sense of the local culture, and the best way to do that, he said, is to meet and interact with locals. On Thursday, he shared how others can utilize a traveler’s outlook to better enjoy their time staying in their hometowns.
“If you’re not meeting people in your travels it’s a flat experience,” Steves said. “You can see all the cultural cliches on stage for the rest of your days, and it’s not going to be the same as having a drink with somebody. ... That’s what really carbonates the whole experience when you’re on the road, and those sort of things can carbonate the experience when we are on the road in our outlook, but right here at home.”
Steves is the owner of the tour group Rick Steves’ Europe and host of the television show “Rick Steves’ Europe.”
