Introducing Rick Steves’ Europe

I’m really happy to be able to introduce a fantastic new series on Hulu, Rick Steves’ Europe. There are a lot of travel experts and a lot of travel shows out there, and although there are many good ones, Rick really stands out for a couple of reasons. First, he’s amazingly prolific. Amazon lists 74 travel titles with Rick as the author, and those are just the 2008/2009 versions, with new updates for most coming out every year. Beyond books, Rick has a number of TV series, specials and podcasts. It’s an amazing volume of work, and it always seems to be expanding. We’re really excited to launch Season 4 of Rick Steves’ Europe on Hulu today, and we look forward to offering more and more over time as Rick continues his travels.

The second reason Rick stands out is more important, and that is how passionate he is about all the places he visits. He loves the history, the interesting details, the small out-of-the-way places … and it all comes out in his books and TV shows in a way that really makes you eager to go explore. Rick lives in the U.S., but he’s spent more than 30 summers in Europe, searching for all those interesting nooks and crannies that aren’t so easy to find unless you have a guide like Rick. A good sign that a travel writer really lives and breathes the places he describes: My wife and I bought our first Rick Steves book a few years ago for a trip to Italy, and we actually ran into Rick and his cameraman while walking on the shores of Lake Como. Hard to believe, but here’s the snapshot to prove it:

I think these kinds of run-ins must be a common occurrence for Rick. Notice that he didn’t ask the professional cameraman standing next to him to take the picture, but instead snapped the picture himself by holding the camera out and pointing it back at us. Nice technique, and very gracious. The crazy thing about this is that I’m not even the only member of the (relatively small) Hulu family to randomly run into Rick in Europe. The wife of a friend here at Hulu saw him in Venice. It’s a good sign that a travel expert is dedicated and passionate if you can hardly avoid running into him whenever you travel. :)

If you love to travel, I have no doubts that you’ll love this show. Here’s a sample in which Rick visits Tuscany and makes us all want to reach for a suitcase.

Andy Forssell
Hulu’s Intrepid Explorer