This is Sarah Stewart Holland and this is Beth Silverce.

Thank you for joining us for Pantsu Politics.

Hello everyone and welcome to a very special episode of Pantsu Politics.

We're going to do something a little different today.

We have a very special interview with the one and only Rick Steves beloved figure in

my life since 1999.

We're going to share our interview with Rick Steves and our conversation with him about

his book Travel as a Political Act in its entirety today on our show because we think it's so

wonderful and we think it's well timed as we all head into a heavy travel weekend.

As you probably know, Rick Steves is a popular public television host, a best-selling guidebook

author, and an outspoken activist who encourages Americans to broaden their perspectives through

travel.

He is the founder and owner of Rick Steves Europe, a travel business with a tour program

that brings more than 30,000 people to Europe annually.

Rick lives and works in his hometown of Edmunds Washington where his office window overlooks

his old junior high school and that care and attention that he takes in writing his bio

in such a lovely way comes through in this conversation and his book which desperately

made me want to book a trip to Germany just to go to a particular spa.

So if you listen to this conversation without immediately starting to do some Google searches

for a new trip, you have a stronger will than I do.

Without further ado, here is our conversation with the wonderful Rick Steves.

London has made real progress in reducing new HIV diagnosis.

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