Travel with Rick Steves

Caught in the cultural crosshairs of Europe, Bulgaria is emerging as one of Eastern Europe's bargains. Travelers to Bulgaris can expect Ancient Byzantine and Ottoman influences and experience Mummers and midwives keeping traditions dating back to the ancient Thracians and Romans times alive. Rick also takes a house call from the travel doctor, who offers preventive advice for the long plane ride overseas and visiting the third world. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Art history specialist, co-author of "Europe 101" and original "Europe Through the Gutter" travel partner Gene Openshaw joins Rick to inspire us with a close-up view of masterpieces including paintings, sculptures and architecture travelers can't afford to miss in Europe. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Home of rasta and reggae, the small island of Jamaica offers big personality, a distinctive accent, waterfall zip lines, and snorkeling with dolphins. Thanks to all this and more, Jamaica is one of the most popular getaways in the Caribbean. And, for something completely different, the Middle Eastern kingdom of Jordan delights travelers with desert excursions, modern resorts on the Red Sea, anciet cities and more. From Petra to Bedouin, tourists to Jordan are in for a treat. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Salman Rushdie joins Rick to discuss how to confront the cultural clash between East and West and explain the motivation for his latest novel, "The Enchantress of Florence," which revolves around the earliest contacts between Europeans and 16th century moghul India. Later, sailing expert Anthony Sandberg recommends how to experience the eastern Mediterranean, much like the ancients did -- by island-hopping with a boat. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Whether you make it your home base for a few days, or for good, Provence charms any traveler hoping to expeirence traditional French countryside. Two France experts join Rick to take listener calls and unveil what makes Provence such a distinctive region, and why it's so popular among American and European visitors. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Rick talks with the editor at Life Books about their new photo essay on one hundred of the most compelling places to visit in the USA. And we'll get re-acquainted with Route 66 and the appeal it still holds for a classic road trip thru the heart of middle America and the southwest. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Fred Krakowiak, a wildlife painter who shares his love for Africa with us through his vivid descriptions of a safari, shows Rick what Africa looks like through the eyes of a painter, and Doctor Edward Chapnick, the head of travel medicine at a major hospital in Brooklyn answers questions about precautions for visits to lesser developed countries, as well as the plane ride over. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Stockholm-based tour guide Marita Bergman provides a glimpse into the attractions of her home city and takes listener calls on suggestions for exploring the Swedish countryside. Marita also explains how Swedish society provides for raising a familiy, and how the Swedes celebrate the longest day of the year. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

With seaside resorts on two coasts, volcano, rainforest, jungle, and more species of birds and butterflies than almost anywhere else on earth, Costa Rica is a naturalist's eco-dream. Travel writer Christopher Baker gives us a taste of Costa Rica's "pura vida" and tips on when to visit the country and how to get close to nature -- whether by river raft or by zip-line. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

For some parents, fear of flying means wondering how their kid will behave on the plane. Rick shares practical advice and pointers on traveling with children ranging from toddlers to teens. From acclimating kids to the streets of Rome to leaning how to cope with jetlag, Rick's guests discuss what parents need to know and how to turn kids into lifelong travelers. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.