Rick Steves Shares His Transformative Insight For Anyone With Anxieties About Traveling

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Travel pro Rick Steves has given us some wonderful advice over the years about visiting other places. He's talked about ways that travel can expand our horizons, in addition to practical tips about packing, rental cars, and things to see and do. In 2025, he published a book called "On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer," in which he talks about his trip through Europe and Asia in the 1970s and how he documented it along the way. It led him to become a travel writer, and we're all better travelers because of it. However, one thing he's spoken about over the years is something that keeps people stuck in the same place their entire lives, without venturing out to learn about the rest of the world, and that's fear. 

Fear and anxiety about traveling can hold us back, whether it's worry about the state of the world or a specific country or group of people. Science says travel can be the best secret weapon for longevity, and it can broaden our horizons, lead to new friendships, and inspire a better understanding of the world — as long as we overcome apprehension. Steves said in a 2015 interview with TripIt, "When I started traveling it was 'bon voyage.' Now it's 'have a safe trip.' It's like, 'We'll pray for you, hope you make it home in one piece.'" Steves said that this is robbing us of learning about "96% of humanity." According to the author, traveling leads to understanding, and that in itself is an antidote to fear.

Rick Steves isn't telling us not to have fear at all. In fact, he says on his website that he's been afraid while traveling before. However, once he went and met the people and experienced the place, it was no longer an unknown. Talking to someone face to face; learning about the culture firsthand; and getting a chance to experience a place's sights, smells, sounds, and tastes can change your fear into excitement and understanding. One tip he gives is to talk to other travelers before you go to a place. See what their experience was like, and learn from it. While he cautions to not be risky, he says that you can't allow your fear to keep you from trying something new. If the illness is fear, the cure is experience and understanding.

If traveling alone is something that makes you anxious, you can look into tours. In fact, one splurge that Steves recommends is getting a professional local tour guide. He says it's a great way to get an insider's look at a city. You can try a site like ToursByLocals, find a tour based around an activity you like such as photography or running, or search for a culinary tour so you can experience the food of an area.  

Another fear that keeps people from exploring our world is the fear of language barriers. That's not as true as it used to be, with tools like Google Translate at our disposal. Even if you don't use a translation app, Steves says you can overcome a language barrier by speaking slowly, avoiding slang, and using gestures. So, it's time to get out there, conquer your fears, and explore the world.