20 Cities in 20 Days: Rick Steves to Take a Road Trip Across the USA

Edmonds' Rick Steves has made a living traveling to Europe while sharing his adventures and offering inside tips. People from all over the world stop by his for books, maps, advice and even the chance to see Steves himself.

Every March, to promote his PBS show, Steves travels to select major cities across the U.S. during PBS' pledge drive. This year, Steves has decided to visit some smaller markets while discovering what his own country has to offer.

This spring, Steves will embark on a coast-to-coast road trip across USA, stopping in 20 cities in 20 days. In communities all along the way, Steves will give talks about what Europe has in store for travelers these days, as well as offering his impressions of traveling the highways and byways of the United States.

“I’ve never been so excited about an upcoming trip—not only to be bringing my travel lessons to smaller cities, but to actually be driving across the entire USA,” Steves writes on his Facebook page.

“For the last few years, I’ve noticed that every time I’m hired to give a talk in a 'smaller market' ... I encounter lots of local pride, a super friendly welcome and an auditorium packed with enthusiastic travelers. I was enjoying these middle-America gigs even more than my regular stops in the big cities.”

Along the way, Steves says he will be helping support smaller public TV and radio stations, giving lectures and making impromptu stops at independent book stores.

You can track Steves' journey on his Road Trip USA page at ricksteves.com. He'll also be blogging on Facebook.

Steves' trip begins March 3 in Richland, WA, and ends March 22 in Tallahassee, FL.