You can still register to hear travel expert Rick Steves at Thursday’s Badger Club meeting

With the Covid pandemic continuing to rage, many of us wonder what’s the future for international travel.

Who better to ask than author and television personality Rick Steves, America’s most respected expert on European travel? An opportunity to hear Steves’ answers will be offered Jan. 20 when he appears online through Zoom as guest speaker for the Columbia Basin Badger Club’s annual meeting.

Steves started Rick Steves’ Europe, which is headquartered in Edmonds, Wash., in 1976. He produces a best-selling guidebook series, a popular public TV show, a weekly public radio show, a syndicated travel column, and free travel information available through his travel center and ricksteves.com. The company also runs a successful small-group tours taking 30,000 travelers to Europe annually.

Covid has changed our lives in many ways, not the least of which is how it has affected our ability to enjoy foreign travel. As conditions return to normal, Steves says, the future of travel — like many other things — will look different.

For example, you may not be able to rely on old guidebooks, and favorite small shops and restaurants may no longer be in business. Also, different countries may have different requirements for visitors, such as proof of vaccination or negative Covid tests.

Fully vaccinated travelers to Great Britain will find fewer restrictions than in most European Union countries. The UK recently dropped a requirement for a pre-travel Covid test but does require testing within two days of arrival. In France and Italy, however, the “EU Digital COVID Certificate” is required to access public spaces such as bars and restaurants, fitness centers, museums, swimming pools and large events. This certificate must document if a person has been fully vaccinated against, has been previously infected, or has tested negative for the virus.

Steves has recently returned from a lengthy tour of Europe, setting up episodes for his new season of travel documentaries on PBS. He has also finished work on a six-hour series on European art and architecture that he hopes will be broadcast on public television next fall.

His Badger Club presentation will begin at noon on Thursday, Jan. 20. It will be preceded by the club’s annual business meeting beginning at 11:30 a.m. Register for this event at columbiabasinbadgers.com to receive a link to connect to Zoom. Members are not charged for our meetings, while non-members pay $5.

The Badger Club was founded in 2008 to provide a platform for civil discourse on important topics. Until the pandemic, all meetings were held in a hotel conference room with a meal included. The club moved to digital forums in June of 2020 when it became clear that meeting in person was not going to be possible because of the pandemic.

Interestingly, what we have learned is that many people appreciate the ease and time efficiency of attending by Zoom and we have been able to get strong speakers. As a result, our membership has grown substantially. Annual dues are $60, unchanged from 2008.

Kirk Williamson is a founding member of the Badger Club and current president.