{"id":2286,"date":"2025-05-20T11:56:50","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T09:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ambassade-hotel-nl.ont.stuurlui.dev\/?post_type=blog&p=2286"},"modified":"2025-05-21T15:02:58","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T13:02:58","slug":"travel-writer-rick-steves-travel-is-freedom","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/ambassade-hotel-nl.ont.stuurlui.dev\/de\/blog\/travel-writer-rick-steves-travel-is-freedom\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel writer Rick Steves \u2013 \u201cTravel is freedom\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Travel writer Rick Steves \u2013 \u201cTravel is freedom\u201d<\/h1>\n

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De Amerikaan Rick Steves, regelmatig gast in het Ambassade Hotel, is in zijn land een autoriteit op het gebied van reizen in Europa. In zijn reisgidsen en tv-programma\u2019s spoort hij de Amerikaanse toerist aan om buiten de gebaande paden te treden en andere culturen w\u00e9rkelijk te ontdekken. Tevens is hij sociaal activist en filantroop.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 You are very well-known from your books and blogs about travelling all over the world. Why, for American people, is Amsterdam a nice place to visit? And did this change over the years? \u2014<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Amsterdam is a kind of fairy-tale Europe for many Americans: it\u2019s amazingly well-preserved, provides a peek at Old World affluence, and serves up lots of cultural cliche\u0301s. Combine that with a well-organized tourism welcome, and friendly, English-speaking locals \u2014 and Amsterdam makes a good first stop on the Continent. As to what\u2019s changed over the years, mostly it\u2019s Amsterdam\u2019s popularity, combined with the crazy TripAdvisor mindset that makes everybody want to do the same thing \u2014 which means congestion at the most popular sights.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Your mission at Rick Steves\u2019 Europe is not only to give travel advice but also to inspire Americans to broaden their cultural understanding and to contribute to the world by travelling. Contributing to the world we live in is something you have been working on for years with your initiatives such as \u2018Bread for the World\u2019. Do you see a positive development in the world? \u2014<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

A fundamental part of my teaching is helping Americans get out and make friends with the world. Our world is filled with joy, love, and good people\u2026very much like our own neighborhoods. But if your world view is shaped by sensational commercial news (as it is for too many Americans), you become a fearful person. When you become a fearful person, evil politicians can capitalize on that fear and manipulate you. When we travel and get to know people, we become less fearful, and stronger. When we travel, we learn that suffering far away is as real as suffering across the street. We can learn about our country by leaving it and looking at it from afar. A thoughtful traveler understands how important American leadership is in our world, and how impactful our laws can be on struggling people and nations. I support Bread for the World because they bring a compassionate world view and a Christian perspective on taking care of the poor and hungry into the halls of our government. They make a huge difference in how the USA deals with economic justice issues, both at home and abroad.<\/p>\n

\u2014 You encourage your readers and viewers to visit not just major cities but also cozy villages away from popular tourist routes. The Dutch government is also trying to actively spread tourism to remove the pressure from Amsterdam, but is over-tourism in general not becoming a problem? \u2014<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you only go to famous places, overcrowding is becoming a serious issue. Barcelona\u2019s Ramblas, Amsterdam\u2019s Damrak, and Rome\u2019s Campo de\u2019 Fiori are all changing in character as tourism, Airbnb, and economic forces drive away real communities. This problem is compounded by millions of people from emerging economies, such as India and China, who converge on Europe\u2019s most famous places. Sure, 20% of the top sights in Europe are terribly congested. But 80% of Europe rarely experiences a tourist crowd \u2014 and 80% of the Netherlands, too! My tip for the traveler: Get off the beaten path\u2026explore!<\/p>\n

\u2014 What is in your opinion the most important value that a hotel can offer its guests? From that perspective, do you have any advice for the Ambassade Hotel for the coming years? \u2014<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

For me, a hotel provides a comfortable, efficient, and friendly nest. It\u2019s a place to call home \u2014 and a springboard from which to explore a great city. And that\u2019s why when I sleep in Amsterdam, I choose a hotel like Ambassade.<\/p>\n

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Best wishes and happy travels!<\/strong>
\n\u2013 Rick Steves<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true},"blog_category":[7],"class_list":["post-2286","blog","type-blog","status-publish","hentry","blog_category-magazine"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambassade-hotel-nl.ont.stuurlui.dev\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/2286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambassade-hotel-nl.ont.stuurlui.dev\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambassade-hotel-nl.ont.stuurlui.dev\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambassade-hotel-nl.ont.stuurlui.dev\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"blog_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambassade-hotel-nl.ont.stuurlui.dev\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_category?post=2286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}