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

Now is a profoundly unhappy day. Russia’s aggressive motion is heartbreaking for the dying, struggling, and financial turmoil it will bring about in Ukraine and, indirectly at the very least, further than. Here at Rick Steves’ Europe, we hope that a diplomatic option can be observed and peace will return to that fragile and long-suffering portion of our entire world.

Our mission at RSE is to assist People better know and have an understanding of our neighbors by journey. But when we provide vacationers to a different region, we also deliver their dollars — dollars that would guidance Putin’s aggression. Thus, as of today, we have canceled all 2022 excursions that incorporate a stop in Russia.

Of study course, we will continue to keep a shut eye on unfolding gatherings and watch any journey impacts by the relaxation of Europe. But it is crucial to maintain geographic realities in brain and bear in mind that a war in Ukraine is as significantly from our European family vacation desires as a war in Guatemala would be from Texas or Florida. For 40 yrs now, we have lived, labored, and traveled through a lot of periods of tragic warfare in lands considerably from in which we lead our excursions (and some nearer). And at this time, we see no explanation to modify the rest of our vacation and touring ideas.

The tragic truth unfolding in Ukraine only reminds me how important it is for People in america to keep on traveling and to do so in a way that helps make us improved and a lot more engaged citizens of our environment. I’m flying to Europe next month for a 40-working day vacation via a dozen great towns from London to Athens — and I’m proud that thousands of my fellow tourists will expertise the European excursion of their dreams whilst having prosperous understanding experiences considerably from house on a 2022 Rick Steves tour.

In the meantime, let us be grateful for our blessings, assist our nation’s leaders as they do their ideal to navigate this crisis, and preserve the troubled corners of our globe (Ukraine, Russia, Afghanistan, and additional) in our ideas and prayers.

—Rick