Andy Steves writes his own guidebook, aimed at younger travelers

EDMONDS — He may be the son of Rick Steves, the guru of budget European travel, but Andy Steves has his own ideas.

Andy, 29, has a new travel book out focused on information for his own generation. He plans to talk about “Andy Steves’ Europe: City-Hopping on a Budget” on Saturday morning at the movie theater in downtown Edmonds.

A 2005 Meadowdale High School graduate, Andy earned degrees in industrial design and Italian at Notre Dame University in Indiana. He studied abroad in Italy during that time and began to organize weekend trips around Europe for himself and friends.

“We found cheap flights to see other cities for the cost of a taxi home from Sea-Tac,” Andy said.

When he returned to school, Andy entered Notre Dame’s annual business plan competition with an idea for a student travel company. Vying for prize money against 100 other teams, Andy won.

“There were people who proposed bone marrow transplant technology, but I think the judges could see my expertise and my passion,” he said.

That was six years ago. Since then more than 5,000 American students studying abroad have sought help from Andy’s company Weekend Student Adventures, and some universities are beginning to incorporate WSA into study programs.

“The book is a condensed guide,” Andy said. “Millenials want to know what’s to do, but then they want to do it their own way.”

When Andy was a child, his father, Rick Steves, would take off each spring to travel Europe, record TV and radio shows, write newspaper columns (such as the one in today’s Herald) and update materials for his books.

From his first guide “Europe Through the Back Door,” self-published in 1980, Rick, 61, has built a travel empire based in Edmonds, with a staff of 80, hundreds of guides in Europe and a huge warehouse of mail-order books and gear in Mukilteo.

“My mom and sister and I would visit my dad about half-way through his trip, at a destination that was appropriate for families,” Andy said. “In some ways we were guinea pigs, and sometimes all I wanted was a cheeseburger from the corner bar.

“But don’t ever ‘poor Andy’ me, because those 18 family summer trips gave me the foundation and the confidence to set up my own tour company. I got the benefits and the research experiences, and I even worked two summers for my dad’s company.”

Andy does admit that while his approach is different, the passion for travel is similar to his dad’s. Though Andy’s book makes use of cell phones — mobile technology not present when Rick was in his 20s — the idea of going on a budget, getting out of one’s comfort zone and saying yes to opportunities that present themselves is very similar.

“The premise of my book is that most people of my generation don’t have the luxury of time. We can’t take two months to travel through Europe, as my dad’s generation did,” Andy said. “So what I suggest is very streamlined and makes use of mobile technology. Boomers will like it, too. People live on their phones now and are constantly connected. That said, I don’t want them to let their phones keep them from making cultural connections with the people in the 13 cities I write about.”

The book has chapters on Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Dublin, Edinburgh, Florence, London, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Rome and Venice.

Weekend Student Adventures is based in Prague, but when Andy is home, he crashes at his mom’s house.

What he likes to do best, however, is travel with students, gap-year kids and tough backpackers who want to get the most out of their money.

The book, from Avalon Travel, sells for about $20 and includes maps, color photos and lots of advice.

Learn how to master digital tools, book cheap flights online, skip long lines, find cheap rooms, connect with other travelers in hostels and follow itineraries for short weekend visits.

“The art museums, iconic sights and the old architecture will always be there,” Andy said. “Be sure to hit the coffee shops, speakeasies and local eateries, too. And do it all in a weekend.”

If you go

Andy Steves, the son of travel expert Rick Steves, has his own suggestions for visiting Europe. Hear him talk about his new book, “Andy Steves’ Europe: City Hopping on a Budget” at 10 a.m. July 16 at the Edmonds Theater, 415 Main St., Edmonds. Find out more about his travel company at www.wsaeurope.com.