TORONTO -- For the first summer since 1980, Rick Steves is not exploring Europe.
Instead, the well-known travel author and TV host is spending the warmer months discovering his hometown of Seattle.
āI just toured my hometown cemetery for the first time in my life. It was fascinating,ā he told Ā鶹“«Ć½ for the streaming app Quibi in early August. āIām enjoying every sunset, like a performance. Iām learning how to cook. Iām walking the dogsā¦ there are wonders right here.ā
Steves said his travellerās spirit has allowed him to embrace the overlooked attractions in his city as he waits out the pandemic ā something he plans to do for a little while longer.
Even though many countries in Europe have begun to reopen their borders and welcome back tourists, Steves said he thinks itās still too early to return to the way things were.
āI donāt think I want to go back to Europe until it is good and ready to be able to welcome people safely. That's for their safety as well as my safety,ā he said. āThe whole nature of the COVID virus and tourism is we've got to be patient.ā
The expert traveller said he understands that businesses that rely on tourism are struggling right now and eager to find ways to entice visitors to return, but he said it wonāt be worth the effort if theyāre forced to shut down again because the virus makes a resurgence.
āIf weāre not patient, and if weāre not really having a grip on the virus before we rekindle the business, weāll stay at first base and never get around to where we want to be,ā he explained.
Steves said his touring company and the approximately 100 people he employs are also hurting during the pandemic. He said they have been working three-day weeks for 60 per cent of their regular pay as they āweather the stormā together.
However, Steves said their sacrifice will be rewarded when the virus is under control and people can travel again in a safe and meaningful way.
āTourism for me is not sitting in a bubble and trying not to get a disease. Tourism for me is people,ā he said.
āThe mark of a good trip is how many people do you meet? How many times are your cheeks kissed in France? How many times do you pack onto the piazza in Rome and do the passeggiatta? How many wonderful evenings do you have in a pub in Ireland where they say āstrangers are just friends who youāve yet to meet?āā
While those types of encounters may seem unrealistic now, Steves remains optimistic that tourism will return to some semblance of normalcy ā even if that means a few adjustments, such as fewer breakfast buffets and more mask-wearing.
Most importantly, Steves said people shouldnāt give up on the idea of travelling safely again in the future.
āThe value of travel will be more important than ever,ā he said. āWhen you travel, you realize the world is filled with beautiful, loving people and lots of joy and I think that's what we need to see and thatās part of going forward. My hope is that we don't get ourselves in a mindset of building walls coming out of this, we need to build bridges.ā