Rick Steves, born in 1955 and raised in Edmonds, Washington (just north of Seattle), still looks out his window each morning at Puget Sound. He is the father of two children, Andy and Jackie.

Rick ventured to Europe for the first time as a teenager in 1969, visiting relatives in Norway and touring German piano factories with his piano-importer father. Rick was hooked… and ever since, he’s spent four months each year overseas. After a few trips of learning from his mistakes, Rick was inspired to teach his fellow travelers how to enjoy smoother and more culturally broadening travels. What began as a series of lectures evolved into guidebooks, guided tours, a public television series (Rick Steves’ Europe), a public radio show (Travel with Rick Steves), a website (ricksteves.com), and a syndicated newspaper column. Rick wrote his first book, Europe Through the Back Door, in 1980. Since then, he has researched and written over 50 different European travel guidebooks (all published by Avalon Travel Publishing). His Edmonds-based travel company, Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door, employs a hardworking and well-traveled staff of over 70.

An active Lutheran, Rick has hosted several educational videos for the Lutheran Church (ELCA) and received the Wittenberg Award in 2007 for his social activism. In 2009, the National Council for International Visitors (funded by the US State Department) presented Rick with their Citizen Diplomat of the year Award. Rick still spends four months a year in Europe updating his guidebooks, researching new ones, and producing TV shows, as he has for three decades.