IN TRAVEL Broaden your view of the world
10 sites that challenge American assumptions.
For decades, television host and writer Rick Steves has shown viewers how to visit Europe. But the new edition of his book Travel as a Political Act (Rick Steves, $19.99) has a loftier goal: changing the way people see the world. “If you travel thoughtfully, you find people who find different truths self-evident,” he says. “You have an opportunity to come home with the greatest souvenir, which is global perspective.” He shares sites that will challenge American assumptions. Istanbul
Turkey’s biggest city straddles Europe and Asia, which makes it a fascinating place to visit, Steves says. “I consider Istanbul, along with Paris, London and Rome, one of the top four cities in Europe to see. You’re going to where East meets West, where the Middle Ages meets the modern world, and where secularism is meeting fundamentalism.”
Jerusalem and Bethlehem
Although just a few miles apart, these two holy cities — one in Israel, the other in the Palestinian-controlled West Bank — are separated by a wall and generations of conflict. Steves urges travelers to visit both places. “It gives you a chance to actually understand two narratives of a complicated issue that will be in the headlines for the rest of our lives,” he says.
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Amsterdam
Famous for its legal prostitution and marijuana “coffee shops,” Amsterdam is a place to see social experimentation in action, Steves says. “It’s a country where they don’t believe in legislating morality.” As a result, there’s less violence, more treatment for drug addicts and a lower incarceration rate. “It humbles my ethnocentricity to go to a society to see that smart people are struggling with the same challenges we are, and they’re coming up with different solutions.”
Belfast
This city, which found peace after decades of civil war, is a success story. “You see a hopefulness in Belfast. It’s inspiring to go somewhere where you can have deep-seated sectarian problems and overcome them,” Steves says. It’s easy to learn the region’s history on popular “Troubles” tours that visit the neighborhoods where violence once reigned.
Cairo
Egypt’s capital city can be an urban jungle of conflicting ideas and perspectives, which is what makes it vital to visit, Steves says. “It’s important to go to a place that’s a cultural and religious and political leader in its part of the world.” Although Steves generally urges independent travel, he says it’s safest to tour with a local private guide.
St. Petersburg, Russia
The most tourist-friendly city in Russia not only is polished up for visitors, but also offers a window to understanding support for its president, Vladimir Putin. “They have a leader that, from their point of view, has the respect of the world,” Steves says. “They have stability and the freedom to travel. It’s good times on Russian terms.”
Copenhagen
Big government and high taxes might be anathema in America, but not in Denmark. “They very willingly pay high taxes because they have high expectations, and they get a good return for it.” Steves says. “There’s no hunger, nearly no homelessness, and everyone, regardless of how wealthy their parents are, has access to quality health care and education.”
Havana
When Steves recently visited Cuba with his family, he found himself confronting the challenges and promise of a socialist society. “They have a system that isn’t conducive to prosperity, but I found the average worker in Cuba is better off than the average worker in Guatemala or Honduras,” he says. “This is not something that would work for me, but I was walking the streets in a very poor capital city with my kids and felt perfectly safe.”
Tehran
Relations have been strained with Iran for decades, and that’s why Steves says it’s important to visit. “These are not bad people, but they’re good people motivated by fear and love,” he says. “I had a woman come across the street to tell me, ‘We’re strong, united and we just don’t want our children to be raised like Britney Spears.’ We have to respect that.” Most visitors must come with an organized tour.
Washington
Steves says that although you learn a lot about your home country by traveling abroad and seeing it from a distance, it doesn’t substitute for visiting the nation’s capital. “If I go to Washington, D.C., I gain a better respect for my country,” he says.