Register

An Evening with Rick Steves

Join popular travel writer and public television host Rick Steves as he recalls adventures from his new book "On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer." Ticketed.

An Evening with Rick Steves

Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025

Time: 7:00 p.m.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Location: Mershon Auditorium,1871 N High St, Columbus, OH 43210

Event Description: In the 1970s, the ultimate trip for any backpacker was the storied "Hippie Trail" from Istanbul to Kathmandu. A 23-year-old Rick Steves made the trek and documented his experiences along the way: leaping off a moving train in Yugoslavia, getting lost in Lahore, battling leeches in Pokhara, making the scene on Freak Street in Kathmandu, and more. That 60,000-word journal is now Rick’s newest book, "On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer" — and he is celebrating its publication with a new talk that illustrates how this coming-of-age trip inspired his teaching mission to equip and inspire Americans to venture beyond Orlando: to travel smartly by creating an efficient itinerary, eating and sleeping well, avoiding crowds, and packing light...to travel experientially, with the philosophy that the more understanding you bring to your sightseeing, the more you’ll get out of it, and meeting people carbonates your experience...and to “travel as a political act” by broadening their perspectives and coming home with the greatest of all souvenirs: a passion for building not walls, but bridges.

Tickets: Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster. They are offered at 4 price points based on seat selection: $15, $25, $35, and $50 plus applicable fees.

Book Sales: Purchase "On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer" in advance through the "Add Merchandise" option in Ticketmaster. Pre-purchased books are available at a discounted price of $24.00 plus sales tax. Books purchased through the ticketing link will be available for pickup at the event. Books may also be purchased at the event for the full price of $30 (which includes the tax). Many thanks to local Delaware bookseller, Beanbag Books for their support of this event.

Book Signing: Books purchased through the event, whether in advance through Ticketmaster or on-site, are eligible to be signed after the talk. 

About Rick Steves: Rick Steves, America's most respected authority on European travel, empowers Americans to have European trips that are fun, affordable, and culturally broadening. In 1976, he started his business, Rick Steves' Europe, headquartered in Edmonds, Washington, near Seattle. There he produces a best-selling guidebook series, a popular public television show, a weekly public radio show, a syndicated travel column, and free travel information available through his travel center and ricksteves.com. Rick Steves' Europe also runs a successful small-group tour program taking 30,000 travelers to Europe annually.

Location & Parking: Mershon Auditorium is located on The Ohio State University campus at the intersection of 15th Avenue, between High Street and College Rd. The Auditorium is part of the Wexner Center for the Arts. Learn more about visiting and parking at the Wexner Center for the Arts at www.wexarts.org/plan-your-visit.

Presented by 12 Central Ohio library systems.