Ideas on Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine – Rick Steves’ Journey Weblog

As we speak is a profoundly unhappy day. Russia’s aggressive motion is heartbreaking for the demise, struggling, and financial turmoil it should trigger in Ukraine and, not directly a minimum of, past. Right here at Rick Steves’ Europe, we hope {that a} diplomatic resolution might be discovered and peace will return to that fragile and long-suffering a part of our world.

Our mission at RSE is to assist Individuals higher know and perceive our neighbors by journey. However after we convey vacationers to a different nation, we additionally convey their {dollars} — {dollars} that may assist Putin’s aggression. Due to this fact, as of as we speak, we have now canceled all 2022 excursions that embrace a cease in Russia.

In fact, we are going to preserve a detailed eye on unfolding occasions and monitor any journey impacts by the remainder of Europe. However you will need to preserve geographic realities in thoughts and do not forget that a battle in Ukraine is as removed from our European trip desires as a battle in Guatemala can be from Texas or Florida. For 40 years now, we have now lived, labored, and traveled by many intervals of tragic warfare in lands removed from the place we lead our excursions (and a few nearer). And right now, we see no motive to vary the remainder of our journey and touring plans.

The tragic actuality unfolding in Ukraine solely jogs my memory how essential it’s for Individuals to maintain on touring and to take action in a means that makes us higher and extra engaged residents of our world. I’m flying to Europe subsequent month for a 40-day journey by a dozen nice cities from London to Athens — and I’m proud that hundreds of my fellow vacationers will expertise the European journey of their desires whereas having wealthy studying experiences removed from house on a 2022 Rick Steves tour.

Within the meantime, let’s be pleased about our blessings, assist our nation’s leaders as they do their finest to navigate this disaster, and preserve the troubled corners of our world (Ukraine, Russia, Afghanistan, and extra) in our ideas and prayers.

—Rick