Tour guide Rick Steves announces cancer diagnosis

TV traveler and tour guide Rick Steves announced Wednesday that he has cancer.

In a social media post, Steves said he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and was planning to have prostate surgery in late September.

“There is a clear path to health,” Steves said, adding, “I have great confidence in my doctor and in the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. And I have much more to be grateful for … including the support of my friends and family and the deep belief that I am in good hands.”

Until the surgery, Steves said his doctor had cleared him to travel to France to film his travel TV show in the coming weeks.

Steves hosts Rick Steves’ Europe and runs a travel blog for Americans traveling to Europe. He has also written and produced guidebooks and runs a tour program, among other initiatives. His goal, he says, is to encourage Americans to broaden their perspectives through travel.

On his YouTube channel, where he has more than 1.8 million subscribers, Steves posts videos about European architecture and art, among other things, and his tour schedule brings more than 30,000 people to Europe each year, according to his website.

His website states that he founded Rick Steves’ Europe in 1976 and is based in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington, near Seattle.

Since 2019, Steves’ company has invested $1 million a year to help fight climate change and “creatively mitigate our carbon footprint.”

The funds are invested in organizations that fight climate change in two ways, its website says, one being “by helping farmers in the developing world use climate-smart agricultural technology” and the other “by advocating in the halls of government to take the threat of climate change more seriously.”

In his statement Wednesday announcing the cancer diagnosis, Steves said that throughout his life he has been “fortunate to have never spent a night in the hospital.”

“I find myself approaching this adventure almost as if it were an extraordinary and truly important journey,” he said of his cancer diagnosis. “I pride myself on my positive attitude and expect to take home pleasant, albeit intangible, memories, such as: appreciating and seeing the dynamism in the little things; appreciating the goodness of people and the treasure of friends and family; being in awe of modern medicine and the army of incredible, intelligent, and dedicated people who make it possible; appreciating the blessing of life, health, and this world; and – generally – being more grateful.”

He added that he looked forward to “many more years of happy travel, exciting collaborations and great friendships.”