Rick's April Trip?

Which trip are you referring to?

Rick Steve's commented somewhere that he was still planning to make his trip to Europe as planned and that he was leaving April 12. Ths was a few weeks ago so I wasn't sure if anything had changed.

Per the FAQ's on the website (https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/coronavirus-faq), all of RS tours leaving before April 19, have been canceled. I don't know if that includes his own personal trip to Europe or not, but most likely he has postponed his trip also.

I think what OP is referring to is Rick's plan to go to Turkey ( "wheels up on Easter Sunday", is how I remember it)

What he personally has decided, at the last I saw, is to go, unless governmental action intervened

If you’re talking about his trip to Iran, he hasn’t mentioned anything, but he may be rethinking it with travel restrictions. They were much higher warning for quite a while

"As for me, I’m booked on a flight to Istanbul on April 12. At this point, I haven’t even thought about cancelling. I’m thinking positive and hoping to make my trip. If things change between now and then, I’ll do the responsible thing. But for now, Easter Sunday is, for me, wheels-up." RS

Found here---https://blog.ricksteves.com/

I’m in Turkey right now (have been for the past 10 days). The first officially reported cases (2 so far) have just popped up the the past 24 hours. From what I’m reading elsewhere, things are starting to change a bit in Istanbul (I’m headed there tomorrow, before flying home a few days later).

Given the current situation in Iran (and, frankly, the lack of transparency on reliable info), I can not imagine going there right now, and I’d be pretty surprised if Rick Steves chose to head there. Turkey is a different story, more of a gray area, but given the trends, it seems prudent to me (as someone there right now) to defer non-essential travel here.

I’m currently in Cappadocia, with our trip winding down. We fly to Istanbul tomorrow, we will be there for a few days, then fly back to Seattle (assuming no surprises...). I can provide a first-hand update from Istanbul starting tomorrow if anyone (including Rick’s staff) would find that helpful. (Although I’d assume they have plenty of known, trusted contacts there.)

Rick posted this on Facebook:

No More Europe Trips...for Now

It's astonishing how much the world has changed in just the last week. Italy went into full lockdown. The CDC moved most of Europe (except the UK, Ireland, and Turkey) to "Level 3" travel advisory: Americans should cancel nonessential travel there. And across the US, everything from local schools, to NBA and March Madness games, to theme parks and music festivals have been cancelled. And that’s just as of March 13.

We've decided to cancel all of our Rick Steves' Europe tour departures through April 19, and we are closely monitoring the situation, with a plan to cancel additional departures as needed. If you are booked on a Rick Steves tour, keep an eye on our up-to-date Coronavirus Tour Member FAQ at ricksteves.com. Our top priority is the health and well-being of our travelers and tour guides, and our sense of responsibility not to contribute to the further spread of the virus. Even though Americans are still technically allowed to visit Europe...you probably shouldn't.

Cancelling these tours is a hard decision. Sure, we stand to lose a lot of revenue. But much more important to me is that I hate to see so many long-yearned-for travel dreams dashed. And our hearts are going out to our European guides, hoteliers, bus companies, and other partners and friends in the travel business who are suffering financially. In the coming weeks, I'll be collecting and sharing on-the-ground coronavirus reports from these European friends.

As for me: Even though Turkey is still not included in the CDC travel advisory, it's pretty clear that I won't be on the flight I've booked to Istanbul on April 12. I have such fun travels planned for this year, but I'll play it safe, decide closer to the departure date, and take them one trip at a time. I know I'll get back to Europe — I'm just not sure yet exactly when.

Our tours may be on hold, but Rick Steves' Europe is not going into hibernation. My office staff of 100 is now working mostly from home, with instructions to take good care of all those whose dreams to travel on a Rick Steves tour have been upended (at least, in the short term), and to keep producing top-quality travel content. Our mood is actually upbeat — confident that this pandemic will pass and Americans will be heading back to Europe before long. And when they do, our team at Rick Steves' Europe will be ready to inspire, inform, and equip them to have the best trips possible.

In the meantime, we'll shift into "armchair travel" mode. You probably won't be going to Europe in the next several weeks — and in fact, you may be stuck inside your house. But that doesn't mean you can't dream about your next trip and think back on your favorite European moments. Starting today, I'll be sharing a "daily dose" of my favorite European memories. We all deserve a break from panic-inducing headlines...and travel dreams are immune to any virus.

During this crisis, we stand in solidarity with our fellow travelers and Europe-lovers — and with our European friends who are fighting this same fight. We'll stand together, remain militantly optimistic, and look forward to the day when we turn those wonderful travel dreams into reality.

Thank you for being part of this community of travelers. And keep on traveling...even if, for now, it's from home.