Wednesday, January 27, 2010

6:30 PM Registration
7:00 PM Program

Newport High School
4333 128th Ave SE
Bellevue, WA

How can travel inspire creative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems? Is travel fundamentally an act of citizen diplomacy? How can Americans promote peace through their travel choices?

The World Affairs Council presents travel writer Rick Steves. In his newest book “Travel as a Political Act,” Steves reveals how a life devoted to travel has profoundly shaped his personal view of the world and his politics. His book is a guide to how thoughtful travel can broaden every person's perspectives, challenge outdated assumptions, and create a force for peace in the world.

Today, Rick employs 80 people at his “Europe Through the Back Door” headquarters in Edmonds. His company produces more than 30 guidebooks on European travel; the most popular public television travel series in America; a weekly hour-long national public radio show; and a weekly column syndicated by the Chicago Tribune. Rick most recently spoke for the World Affairs Council on his “Iran: Yesterday and Today” travel program.

Steves grew up in Edmonds, Washington and studied at the University of Washington, where he received degrees in Business Administration and European History. But his real education came in Europe: since 1973, he has spent 120 days a year traveling and working throughout the continent. Spending one third of his adult life living out of a suitcase has certainly shaped his thinking. Rick Steves lives and works in his hometown of Edmonds, and his office window overlooks his old junior high school.