Thoughts on Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine – Rick Steves’ Travel Blog

 

Today is a profoundly unhappy working day. Russia’s intense motion is heartbreaking for the demise, struggling, and financial turmoil it will result in in Ukraine and, indirectly at minimum, outside of. In this article at Rick Steves’ Europe, we hope that a diplomatic remedy can be uncovered and peace will return to that fragile and very long-suffering element of our earth.

Our mission at RSE is to help Americans far better know and understand our neighbors as a result of vacation. But when we bring vacationers to a different country, we also convey their dollars — bucks that would support Putin’s aggression. Consequently, as of right now, we have canceled all 2022 tours that incorporate a prevent in Russia.

Of system, we will hold a close eye on unfolding functions and keep an eye on any vacation impacts by way of the rest of Europe. But it is important to continue to keep geographic realities in mind and remember that a war in Ukraine is as significantly from our European holiday dreams as a war in Guatemala would be from Texas or Florida. For 40 years now, we have lived, labored, and traveled by a lot of durations of tragic warfare in lands considerably from the place we direct our tours (and some closer). And at this time, we see no cause to alter the rest of our vacation and touring programs.

The tragic truth unfolding in Ukraine only reminds me how significant it is for People to keep on traveling and to do so in a way that makes us better and far more engaged citizens of our world. I’m traveling to Europe up coming thirty day period for a 40-day vacation via a dozen great cities from London to Athens — and I’m happy that hundreds of my fellow vacationers will expertise the European journey of their goals though getting rich learning ordeals much from residence on a 2022 Rick Steves tour.

In the meantime, let us be thankful for our blessings, assistance our nation’s leaders as they do their ideal to navigate this disaster, and preserve the troubled corners of our entire world (Ukraine, Russia, Afghanistan, and much more) in our views and prayers.

—Rick