286c Mother's Day; Sweet Home Croatia; An American Mother in Paris

286c Mother's Day; Sweet Home Croatia; An American Mother in Paris

Author: Rick Steves May 9, 2026 Duration: 52:00

On our Mother's Day edition, we hear what it was like to relocate a Midwestern family to the Croatian village their great-grandparents came from. An American who married a Frenchman tells us what it’s like raising a child in Paris. We go on a sentimental family trip to San Francisco, and hear how mamma is center stage in Sicily. Plus Rick pays tribute to his late mother, who influenced him to become a traveler.


For an hour each week, the familiar, curious voice of Rick Steves guides you far beyond the standard tourist itinerary. Travel with Rick Steves is less about checking sights off a list and more about the conversations that happen along the way. Rick, America's leading authority on European travel and a seasoned guidebook author, sits down with a fascinating array of guest experts-historians, journalists, chefs, and local insiders-to delve into the heart of a destination. They discuss the layers of culture, history, and daily life that define a place, while callers chime in with their own questions and discoveries from the road. What you'll hear in this podcast is a genuine exploration of how connecting with different cultures and people adds a profound sparkle to our lives. It’s the thoughtful, accessible dialogue you’d have with a well-traveled friend, one who believes that travel is a powerful way to understand our world. Each episode feels like an invitation to look closer, whether the topic is the traditions of a remote village, the evolving cuisine of a bustling capital, or the simple joy found in a shared meal with strangers. This is for anyone who believes the journey itself-the stories, the misunderstandings, the moments of connection-is the real destination.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Travel with Rick Steves
Podcast Episodes
781a Potsdam; Emperor of Rome; On the Hippie Trail [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
We hear why the city of Potsdam — home to elegant Prussian palaces and parklands, all in quick reach of central Berlin — is worth a day's visit. Then we get a sense of what life was really like for the emperors of ancien…
828 Orvieto; Taking the Train; India by Rail [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
A tour guide from Orvieto explains why his Umbrian hill-town home is well worth a stop on your Italy itinerary. Then a rail enthusiast looks at train travel in Europe and beyond and considers how — and why — the US set o…
827 The Grand Tour; Touring Today; Sagrada Família 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
The Grand Tour was a rite of passage for the aristocracy, and the adventuresome spirit behind it lives on in modern European itineraries. A longtime travel publisher traces the evolution of this fantastic voyage. Then Ri…
826 Ask the Senior Nomads; What Europeans Are Talking About [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
Debbie and Michael Campbell, aka the "Senior Nomads," offer listeners their expert advice on traveling full-time during retirement. And tour guides from Britain, Poland, and Germany reflect on how politics and media shap…
748a Quirky Oslo; Last Empty Places; Herbal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
An American expat in Oslo shares some of the quirks and customs of life in his adopted home. Then, a wilderness and history author recounts what he found exploring four blank spots on the US map. And an ethnobotanist des…
825 First Timer's Ireland; At Home in Ireland [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
Tour guides from the north and south of Ireland let us in on their picks for sights and experiences that will make a first trip to the Emerald Isle a memorable one. Plus, an Irish American singer explains the importance…
823 The View from Europe; Stonecutter’s Tour of Europe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
Rick engages a panel of European tour-guide friends to find out how they're responding to recent changes in the political relationship between their countries and the US, and to discuss the home-grown populist pressures…
822 Estonia Today; European Beer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
Estonia's medieval charm, beautifully preserved naturescapes, and Baltic culture are cultivating a burgeoning tourism scene. Bradt guidebook author and Estonian authority Neil Taylor lets us in on the abundant appeal of…
744a Falling for Saturn; Heart of Martin Sheen; Florentine Favorites [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:00
Astronomer Philip Plait — who fell in love with Saturn after first viewing the gas giant, with its mesmerizing rings and moons, through a telescope as a child — shares some of the amazing discoveries we've made about the…