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At this time is a profoundly unhappy day. Russia’s aggressive motion is heartbreaking for the dying, struggling, and financial turmoil it’s going to trigger in Ukraine and, not directly at the very least, past. Right here at Rick Steves’ Europe, we hope {that a} diplomatic answer will be discovered and peace will return to that fragile and long-suffering a part of our world.
Our mission at RSE is to assist People higher know and perceive our neighbors via journey. However once we deliver vacationers to a different nation, we additionally deliver their {dollars} — {dollars} that might help Putin’s aggression. Due to this fact, as of at the moment, we’ve canceled all 2022 excursions that embrace a cease in Russia.
In fact, we are going to maintain a detailed eye on unfolding occasions and monitor any journey impacts via the remainder of Europe. However you will need to maintain geographic realities in thoughts and do not forget that a conflict in Ukraine is as removed from our European trip desires as a conflict in Guatemala can be from Texas or Florida. For 40 years now, we’ve lived, labored, and traveled via many durations 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 vital it’s for People to maintain on touring and to take action in a manner that makes us higher and extra engaged residents of our world. I’m flying to Europe subsequent month for a 40-day journey via 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 dwelling on a 2022 Rick Steves tour.
Within the meantime, let’s be grateful for our blessings, help our nation’s leaders as they do their finest to navigate this disaster, and maintain the troubled corners of our world (Ukraine, Russia, Afghanistan, and extra) in our ideas and prayers.
—Rick
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