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

 

These days is a profoundly unhappy working day. Russia’s intense motion is heartbreaking for the loss of life, struggling, and economic turmoil it will lead to in Ukraine and, indirectly at minimum, further than. Below at Rick Steves’ Europe, we hope that a diplomatic solution can be identified and peace will return to that fragile and extended-suffering section of our entire world.

Our mission at RSE is to enable Us residents better know and recognize our neighbors by means of journey. But when we deliver vacationers to a further country, we also convey their bucks — bucks that would guidance Putin’s aggression. Thus, as of these days, we have canceled all 2022 excursions that include a prevent in Russia.

Of class, we will hold a close eye on unfolding occasions and observe any travel impacts by the rest of Europe. But it is significant to hold geographic realities in head and don’t forget that a war in Ukraine is as significantly from our European holiday vacation desires as a war in Guatemala would be from Texas or Florida. For 40 yrs now, we have lived, worked, and traveled by way of lots of periods of tragic warfare in lands significantly from exactly where we lead our tours (and some nearer). And at this time, we see no rationale to change the relaxation of our travel and touring options.

The tragic truth unfolding in Ukraine only reminds me how important it is for Us citizens to preserve on traveling and to do so in a way that can make us much better and a lot more engaged citizens of our globe. I’m traveling to Europe following thirty day period for a 40-working day trip by means of a dozen good metropolitan areas from London to Athens — and I’m proud that countless numbers of my fellow tourists will expertise the European trip of their goals although acquiring rich learning encounters 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 best to navigate this disaster, and retain the troubled corners of our earth (Ukraine, Russia, Afghanistan, and much more) in our feelings and prayers.

—Rick