As we speak is a profoundly unhappy day. Russia’s aggressive motion is heartbreaking for the dying, struggling, and financial turmoil it’ll trigger in Ukraine and, not directly a minimum of, past. Right here at Rick Steves’ Europe, we hope {that a} diplomatic answer will be discovered and peace will return to that fragile and long-suffering a part of our world.
Our mission at RSE is to assist People higher know and perceive our neighbors by means of journey. However after we deliver vacationers to a different nation, we additionally deliver their {dollars} — {dollars} that will help Putin’s aggression. Due to this fact, as of immediately, we have now canceled all 2022 excursions that embrace a cease in Russia.
After all, we’ll preserve a detailed eye on unfolding occasions and monitor any journey impacts by means of the remainder of Europe. However it is very important preserve geographic realities in thoughts and keep in mind that a warfare in Ukraine is as removed from our European trip goals as a warfare in Guatemala could be from Texas or Florida. For 40 years now, we have now lived, labored, and traveled by means of many durations of tragic warfare in lands removed from the place we lead our excursions (and a few nearer). And at the moment, we see no cause to vary the remainder of our journey and touring plans.
The tragic actuality unfolding in Ukraine solely jogs my memory how necessary it’s for People to maintain on touring and to take action in a approach that makes us higher and extra engaged residents of our world. I’m flying to Europe subsequent month for a 40-day journey by means of a dozen nice cities from London to Athens — and I’m proud that hundreds of my fellow vacationers will expertise the European journey of their goals whereas having wealthy studying experiences removed from dwelling on a 2022 Rick Steves tour.
Within the meantime, let’s be grateful for our blessings, help our nation’s leaders as they do their greatest to navigate this disaster, and preserve the troubled corners of our world (Ukraine, Russia, Afghanistan, and extra) in our ideas and prayers.
—Rick
