Rick Steves: The EU Keeps Its Borders Closed To American Travelers

EU Coronavirus — A bottle of hand sanitizer stands next to an EU flag at the entrance to the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, July 16, 2020.

Hannah Uebele is a producer for Under the Radar with Callie Crossley and previously worked as associate producer for Boston Public Radio. She graduated from Tufts University with a B.S. in English and Environmental Studies. She's a proud Delawarean but has found herself saying "wicked" more and more often, so the Bostonian metamorphosis is well underway.Contact: hannah_uebele@wgbh.org

July 16, 2020

Updated August 07, 2023

The European Union (EU) is excluding Americans as it reopens its borders to travelers, because of high coronavirus case rates in the United States. Travel expert Rick Steves spoke with Boston Public Radio on Thursday about Americans being left off of the list of those welcome back into Europe.

"At the start of this, I thought a horrible scenario would be if Europe opens up to travel again. But our country was behind the curve, and we weren't welcome to go there because we were the danger," Steves said. "And the irony is, that's where we are right now."

Rick Steves is an author, television and radio host, and the owner of “Rick Steves' Europe” tour group. You can catch "Rick Steves’ Europe" weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on WGBH 2, and his radio show “Travel With Rick Steves” Sundays at 4 p.m. on WGBH.