SOLD OUT: J.R. McDowell Speaker • Rick Steves

“Travel as a Political Act”

Tickets for this event are SOLD OUT.

Best-selling guidebook author and public television host, Rick Steves will be the Fall 2024 J.R. McDowell speaker.  The speaker series is designed to present a wide array of viewpoints on challenging and thought-provoking topics.  Steves’ talk, “Travel as a Political Act,” will be held on Tuesday, September 17 beginning at 7:30 pm at the Porter Center at Brevard College.  General admission tickets are $10 and will be available for purchase with cash or check at the Transylvania County Library beginning Tuesday, August 20.  Tickets are available for students at no charge.  Highland Books will be on site with copies of his books for sale and signing following the program.  This program is made possible by the Transylvania County Library Foundation in partnership with Brevard College.

In his talk, Steves will explain how he believes there is more to travel than good food and fun in the sun. By venturing out of their comfort zones, American travelers can gain an empathy for the other 96 percent of humanity and a better understanding of the interconnectedness of today’s world. In this provocative slideshow lecture, Steves will draw from lessons learned while exploring Europe, Central America, Asia, and the Middle East to illustrate how, when Americans “travel as a political act,” they come home with the greatest of all souvenirs: a broader perspective.

Beyond his writing and activism, Steves considers himself a teacher. He taught his first travel class at his college campus in the mid-1970s — and now, more than 40 years later, he still measures his success not by dollars earned, but by trips impacted.

Widely considered America’s leading authority on European travel, Steves produces a best-selling series of guidebooks and is the author of the book, “Travel as a Political Act.” He is dedicated to providing all Americans with access to travel information and has made extensive resources available for free on his website.

Along with his books, Steves produces and hosts public television and radio shows that air across the nation, and he is the founder and owner of Rick Steves’ Europe (RSE), a travel business with more than 100 full-time employees. RSE operates a successful small-group tour program which brings more than 30,000 people to Europe annually. The company contributes annually to a portfolio of climate-smart nonprofits, essentially paying a self-imposed carbon tax.

Steves supports and works closely with many advocacy groups and organizations whose missions fit his own, including Bread for the World. He is Chair of the Board of NORML and has been instrumental in the legalization of marijuana in states across the country. He has also provided $9 million in funding to build two neighborhood centers in his community and donated a 24-unit apartment building for homeless women and their children to his local YWCA.

Steves spends about four months a year in Europe, researching guidebooks, fine-tuning his tour program, filming his TV show and making new discoveries for travelers. To recharge, he plays piano, relaxes at his family cabin in the Cascade mountains and spends time with his son Andy and daughter Jackie. He lives and works in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington, where his office window overlooks his old junior high school.

This program is made possible by the Transylvania County Library Foundation in partnership with Brevard College.