Travel with Rick Steves

It's long been a tradition in academia and many religious institutions. But it turns out anyone can benefit from a little time off the regular routine for a "sabbatical." On the next Travel with Rick Steves, we examine the practicalities and benefits of taking a sabbatical. Whether it involves months away from the job, or it's a vacation centered on helping others, sabbaticals are still a valuable way to explore the world -- including the one inside yourself. We're learning about "sabbaticals," and hearing your travel stories, on this week's Travel with Rick Steves. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

(note: Aug 20 is Hungary's Constitution Day national holiday) Whether you're up for a night at the opera, or a day "taking the curative waters" at a hot spring, Hungary has a classy way of making you feel welcome. And its hearty wine and cuisine will keep you satisfied for hours. On this week's Travel with Rick Steves, a tour guide friend and teacher from Hungary joins Rick to take listener calls and tell us what her country is like in today's post-Soviet era. Join us for an insider's guide to Hungary, on the next Travel with Rick Steves. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

On this week's Travel with Rick Steves, Rick updates our itineraries on Scotland with native-born tour guide Ken Hanley. They discuss the tensions Scotland has had over the years with England, and take listener calls about visiting the trendy cities and lonely outer islands that make Scotland so special. And while the food's improved in Scotland in recent years, we'll get more of your stories about the best, and worst, food you've encountered in your travels -- from the Himalayas to Antarctica. That, and another round of listener travel haiku, are coming up on Travel with Rick Steves. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

We're exploring both ends of the transportation spectrum on this week's Travel with Rick Steves. Rick learns about the R-V subculture from Chuck Woodbury, who runs an online site for R-V travel. Chuck says that R-V camping has become a popular way to take the great American roadtrip -- even if the roads are overseas. Also, adventure bicyclist Willie Weir tells us about his most recent bike trip through Northern Thailand and Laos. Whether you've got two wheels or more...join us as we explore travel by bike and by R-V...on the next Travel with Rick Steves. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

You really haven't seen Italy until you travel south to Naples. It's one of the most intense and chaotic urban scenes in all of Europe. So American-born tour guide Nina Bernardo, who now lives there, joins us to help clear the misconceptions about Napoli. She'll also clue us in to the attractions of the nearby resort areas, such as Sorrento and Capri. We also hear from travelers who found ways to fend off the scam artists that the Naples train station is famous for. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

(note: Bastille Day, the major French national holiday, is July 14) When you examine the tensions that sometimes arise between Americans and the French, many of them come from the different ways our two cultures operate. On this week's Travel with Rick Steves, Rick takes a deeper look at the cultural faux pas some travelers experience in France. Our insider's guide to France and its culture comes from two native-born French tour guides, based in opposite corners of the country. That, and your calls about the best, and worst, food you've found in your travels, are coming up on the next Travel with Rick Steves. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Good things often come in small packages. This week on Travel with Rick Steves, we'll investigate two small countries in Europe and Latin America that are often overlooked as destinations in their own right. Belgium has been in the center of much of Europe's action for centuries, and it now hosts the political capital of the European Union. It's a country with a remarkably easy-going flair, and great food. Native son tour guide Ferdi Menghi joins Rick to take listener calls about Belgium. Then, Kurt Kutay (koo-TIE) introduces us to an indigenous tour guide in Belize, for an overview of Belize for adventure travelers. That, and another round of listener's travel haiku, are coming up on the next Travel with Rick Steves. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

We're looking at two of America's most popular getaways on this week's Travel with Rick Steves. We'll get the latest on one of the world's hottest destinations -- Las Vegas, Nevada, where high stakes entertainment has replaced the ultra-cheap deals for which the Las Vegas Strip was famous. Rick Garman has a new guidebook to the city, and tells us how to enjoy Vegas without "losing your shirt." Then, we'll cool off in the mountains with an overview of California's Yosemite (yo-SEM-it-tee) National Park with Ann Marie Brown, who knows it inside and out, and what it offers visitors year-round. Lady Luck and Mother Nature are calling us to Las Vegas and Yosemite...on the next Travel with Rick Steves. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

(note: June 25 is National Day in Slovenia; and it is also statehood day in Croatia - they each declared independence from Yugoslavia 15 years ago -- in 1991. ) They're celebrating 15 years of independence in Slovenia and Croatia, and we're joining in the party on this week's Travel with Rick Steves. Rick's tour guide friends from Slovenia join us in the studio to take listener calls and fill us in on why their small country has become the place to be for a no-pressure, bargain European escape - at least until they adopt the Euro and prices go up next year. Join us as we get an insider's guide to Slovenia -- a pastoral land with storybook castles, turbo-folk music, and a collection of 'wild and crazy guys,' on the sunny side of the Alps. And we'll also take a detour along the Adriatic coast of Croatia, on this week's Travel with Rick Steves. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Get up close to African wildlife and forge an emotional connection with an ancient indigenous culture as we explore what it takes to go on an eco-friendly safari. A representative of the Maasai (mah-SIGH) people and the head of an adventure travel company join Rick in the studio to take your calls about visiting Maasai country. We're planning for the trip of a lifetime on a safari to East Africa on this week's Travel with Rick Steves. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.