Reserve seats on any 2017 Rick Steves tour today, and you’ll save $ 100 per person! To receive your early booking discount, you must reserve a 2017 tour by midnight on November 30, 2016. Discounts are for new bookings only and must be secured with a $400 per person deposit(订金).

See our Conditions:

   Tour price guarantee: our tour prices do not include air tickets, and may be adjusted without notice due to possible changes in currency rates and trip costs. However, your price for the tour you’ve selected will be guaranteed the moment we receive your deposit.

   Included in the price of each tour: Sightseeing tours by a Rick Steves’ Europe(RSE) guide, and local guides when appropriate, including all admission to sights seen as a group; all breakfasts and half of your dinners; accommodation each night; all transportation from the first hotel to the last hotel of the tour; all RSE guide, local guide and driver tips.

   The plans of the trip may be changed: Europe is full of surprise, and we need to be flexible enough to take advantage of whatever comes along so that we may provide you with the best possible tour.

   Tour payments: Your final tour payment must be paid at least 60 days before the departure. Missing the final payment deadline may result in your being removed from the tour! If you sign up for a tour less than 60 days before its departure, the entire tour price must be paid.

   Transferring(改签) to another tour: Up to 60 days before your departure, you can transfer to any other tour in the same calendar year with seats available, applying your existing deposit and with no transfer fee. If you transfer to a different tour, the price of that tour will be applied, effective on the date we confirm your transfer. Transfers less than 60 days before your tour’s departure may not be possible.

Ecotourism：A Different Way to Travel

Are you attracted to obscure places? Do you prefer to vacation away from other tourists? Are you careful to take only memories and to leave only footprints？If you answered yes to more than one of these questions，you just might be an ecotourist.

Ecotourists are people who want to experience the unspoiled natural world—and leave it that way when they return home. This trend started in the 1990s，and ecotourism is now growing three times faster than the tourism industry at large. The Kapawi Ecolodge in Ecuador’s remote Amazon Basin is contributing to that expansion，and it gives a snapshot of what ecotourism looks like.

At the Ecolodge，a small group of cabins sits in the middle of the Achuar people’s reserve and is only accessible by air. From here，visitors can explore parts of the Amazon rainforest seen by few outsiders. As they do，local Achuar guides explain how the forest is like their supermarket，where they find food，clothing，medicine and tools. As a result，tourists learn to appreciate the local culture as well as the natural environment.

The owners of Kapawi pay monthly rent to the Achuar people，but they also train the community to run and manage the lodge. They have agreed on a plan to turn the operation over to the Achuar completely by 2011.The owners are working to make ecotourism benefit and empower the local people.

You probably won’t start your own ecolodge，but you can be an ecotourist if you follow these guidelines：Protect the environment；Support local businesses；Respect the local customs and traditions.

The world is full of fascinating places to visit. As an ecotourist，you can enjoy them yourself and make sure that they remain beautiful for future generations as well.

More perhaps than any other European nation, the Swiss have got used to looking after foreign travelers. As early as the 18th century, wealthy French, Germans and Italians were treating the country as an amusement center while, in the 19th century, it became the major holiday playground for the British nobles. Today, it attracts visitors from all over the world.

The Swiss are clear about the importance of tourism to their economy, which contributes about eight percent of Gross National Product, and helps the industry greatly. Managers of hotels from all over the world go to Switzerland to learn how to do the job, and a generally high standard can be expected from the great majority of the country’s hotels, most of which are small and pride themselves on a personalized service. Public transport is the best in Europe. Both the Swiss Federal railways and the private railways are fully electrified, and the total network is made up of about 5000 kilometers of track.

Under the Fly Baggage system passengers can check luggage in at 116 railway stations and have it automatically carried to their flight. The national highway system is equally well planned, and the mountain roads offer views of some of the country’s most breathtaking scenery. Also serving the mountains is an effective system of railways and cable ways, while more than 160 passenger cars cross the lakes and rivers to and fro. Hiking in the mountains is equally popular with Swiss nationals and foreign visitors. For those who want to view the country from a height without having to climb the mountain themselves, it is always possible to take in the view from a balloon.

Tips for Cycle Trips

Cycling has many advantages as a form of travel, as it is the fastest way to travel by humanpower, and slow enough to allow the type of local involvement that is impossible with poweredtravel.Cycle travel is a cheap form of transportation.

Distance

On level terrain(地形),without a headwind, a cyclist of average fitness on a touring bike cancomfortably cover 60-120km a day.Distances of up to 250km a day are possible, but anythingmuch beyond 120km willrequire considerable physical tension and not allow many stops to enjoythe places you visit.For many80-100km a day will be the most suitable distance to aim for, as itwill give a sense of achievement and also leave plenty of time for meals and activities.

Geography

The gradient（坡度）of the trip will reduce your range.A basic rule is that for every 100metres of altitude you climb, you should add an extra 15 minutes to your journey time.In hilly ormountainous areas, the easiest routes for cycling are downstream along major rivers, as they will be downhilloverall.A long, roundabout route along a river will usually be easier than a short,direct route over a hill or mountain pass.However, it is worth bearing in mind that the most scenicroutes often come from hilly terrain(地形).

Eat

Food choice depends largely on where you are, so see the respective(各自的) sections for moreinformation about foods. As you will be working hard, it’s important to get enough energy in yourfood. On long trips away from major towns,there may be little quality food available, so beprepared to live on candy bars, prepared meat products and the like(and so on)if the need arises.

Sleep

While you can take a tent with you, many hotels and especially campsites can accommodate(provide … a place to stay)cyclists. However, there are also some hotels that may be less used to accommodating cyclists.Ifyou are exploring an unfamiliar world, asking about the accommodationcanspare you the search for anew place to stay after a long exhausting day of travel.

Many people like traveling. Travel in Canada has become exciting as a number of lakes including “Great Lakes” in Canada make it attractive. In fact, Canada has more lakes than any other country which contains fresh water. In addition to lakes, Canada has a number of beaches as it has a long coastline on its north, east, and west. Travelers from around the world come in large numbers to enjoy sunbath at various beaches.

Niagara Falls lie on the border of Canada and the US. It is now popular for its beauty and is a valuable source of hydroelectric power（水力发电）. Niagara Falls are most attractive during summer season when weather condition is charming and attractive. At the Canadian side, floodlights（照明灯）illuminate（照亮）both sides of the fall for several hours after dark and the whole scene becomes magnificent（壮丽的）.

When traveling to Canada, travelers can enjoy doing shopping at Toronto which is considered a leading city. It symbolizes American culture and the spirit of independence. Migrants（移民）form European, Latin American, Asian and Caribbean races inhabit（居住）the place and make it a plural society（多元社会）. Ottawa, on the other hand, is the capital of Canada and center of political activities.

Vancouver is an enlightening city in Canada which was named after British Captain George Vancouver, who explored the area in the 1790s. The city is a leading industrial place in Canada. Another tourist attraction in Canada is the capital city of British Columbia, Victoria. The city is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island.

Travel in Canada is being made easy as transportation facilities（设备）are of higher standard. Besides, very few people know that Canada is a high-paying country in terms of wages（报酬）per hour. In addition to a popular tourist destination（目的地）, Canada is an economic powerhouse（经济强国）of North America, particularly in agriculture products. Canada dairy industry（乳品工业）exports（出口）milk products around the world.

The world’s first “Sky Pool” has been uncoated（曝光）-and it’ll give anyone a touch of dizziness（眩晕）, unless he or she is not bothered by heights．

   Situated in the capital’s new riverside district beside Battersea Power Station，the glass pool，hanging 10 storeys，or 110 feet up as a bridge between two apartment buildings，is 25m long，5m wide and 3m deep with a water depth of 1.2m．Swimmers will be able to look down 35 meters to the street below as they take a dip，with only 20cm of glass between them and the outside world．It’s even got a bar，folding chairs and an orange garden．

   The pool will be part of Embassy Gardens at Nine Elms，a huge￡15 billion building project beside the new American Embassy in south-west London．The project is creating thousands of apartments，the smallest of which are expected to cost nearly $1 million，and the pool will only be open to the apartments’ owners．

   Embassy Gardens takes design inspiration from the Meatpacking District of New York with floor to ceiling windows and brick frontages．The designer，Sean Mulryan，desired to push the boundaries in the capability of construction and engineering and do something that had never been done before．The Sky Pool’s transparent structure is the result of significant advancements in technologies over the last decade．

   The experience of the pool will be truly unique and it will feel like floating through the air in central London．

   Those people lucky enough to swim there will have a perfect view of the Palace of Westminster and the London Eye．It will be a selling point for developers when the second stage of the development is released to market．

On a typical warm weekend day this spring, about 60,000 people will make their way to one spot or another in the Great Smoky Mountains Park, which is found along the border between the states of Tennessee and North Carolina, US. They will come to be amazed by the mountains on the skyline and the dense (茂密的），“smoky” forests, plants and animal life. They will be taken back in time, if only for a short while. As lovers of the Smoky Mountains like to say, they’re a little bit of the world as it was once.

    Over the century, Americans have built a special relationship with these wonders of the great outdoors. The parks are not just pretty places to admire, but also places of spiritual togetherness. Whether it is a snowcapped peak in the Rocky Mountains or one of the Great Lakes in the Northeast, the parks give citizens the opportunity to think more deeply about their lives, the nation and each other. They’re a connection to the US’ beginning and to the spirit of the settlers who made new lives for themselves in a wilderness .For Americans native peoples the parks are a link to their homelands, which are thousands of years old.

    The parks also inspire artists. Poems and pieces of music are written about them； visual artists have work based on them. One such artist, US photographer Ansel Adams, took thousands of photographs in Yosemite National Park.

    Above all，the parks inspire patriotism (爱国精神）in visitors. Edwin Bembaum, US director of the Sacred Mountains Program at the Mountain Institute, associates park sites like the amazing Grand Canyon with the US, national hymn (赞歌），America the Beautiful. The “spacious skies” and “purple mountain majesties (雄伟）” celebrated in the song remind Americans, according to Bembaum, “of the quest (追求）for freedom and independence at the heart of American culture and history”.

    With the launch of the US - China year of tourism in March, more travelers from China now have the opportunity to visit these wonders of nature. Who knows? Perhaps one day you will be among those going out into the Smoky Mountains or heading to Yellowstone for a glorious day enjoying nature.

Are you the kind of person who likes staying in unusual places? If the answer is "yes", then try the world's coldest hotel in Jukkasjarvi in the north of Sweden. But go in winter or all you'll find is a pool of water, because the hotel melts every spring!

The man who runs the Aortic Hall Hotel is Nils Yngve Bergqvist. He is also the man whose idea it was. He built his first hotel for an art show in 1991 and he designed the present hotel---over 200 square metres ---himself. It took workmen about two months to put 1,000 tons of snow onto a wooden board. As the weather got colder, the snow froze and then they removed the board. The whole building and everything in it is made of snow---except for the wooden front door. There's a theatre, a jazz club, a radio station and a large ice bar. As you can imagine, hot drinks are popular with the guests! The rooms have no doors, there is no furniture, no heating and everyone sleeps on ice beds. But the 800 people who have stayed at the hotel this winter seem to like it. If you want to stay in one of the ten ice rooms, it will cost you about ￡30 a night. You won't be very comfortable, but you will receive a survival certificate (生存能力证书) from the manager!

When the winter is over, Nils holds his competition every year to predict the day that the hotel will fall. The person that guessed the day correctly last year received a large painting from an Aortic Hall show. Bergqvist's ice hotels are becoming world-famous and he loves his work. He's already excited about his next project---an ice hotel that will be bigger and better, he says.

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Service Trips for High School Students

Are you a high school student who loves to be outdoors and is eager to experience new challenges, learn new skills and meet new people? WTA offers first-time participants country trips and returning students have the option to go on trips in the back country (边远地区).

Front Country Trips

Our front country trips provide opportunities for people to experience projects near the ocean, in the scenic Cascade Mountains and in northeast Washington. Our trips also provide you with experienced leaders, a great project, some camping tents, sleeping bags and all your meals for the week.

Advanced Back Country Trips

On these trips you will be backpacking to the work site and will have a chance to advance your trail and leadership skills under the supervision(监护) of a WTA leader.

Trip Details

In 2015, trip fees for WTA members will be $195 for the first trip and $145 for each additional trip. Non-members will pay an additional $40 for their first trip and can be qualified to be members in the second trip. Due to the popularity of our trips, please submit your payment and application within two weeks. If a trip is full and you would like to be added to the waiting list, please call us at 206/625-1367 or email trail-teams@wta.org.

Scholarships

We believe no student should have to stay at home this summer because he or she can’t afford to go outside. Thanks to donations from members and supporters, WTA is proud to announce that we are able to offer a limited number of scholarships. Application Deadline: May 1, 2016.

Disney World is a very popular attraction. But going there can be costly. Here are some suggestions that can help you save money.

Instead of eating at the park, get premade food from a nearby grocery store or even make your own lunch. Also, make sure to take your own water with you because spending $3 on water will make your stomach hurt. Another idea is to pack snacks or quick and cheap pick-me-ups as you make your way around the park.

Of course you’re going to want to take some Disney souvenirs home with you, but you’ll quickly realize that it comes with a price. Before buying anything, make sure you have a plan. Some suggestions for keeping costs down include picking your own pearl at the Japan store at Epcot, which is all about the experience and only $15.95 plus tax, or even getting special tradable collection pin that you can trade with Disney cast members or other guests.

When you go to Disney World on rainy days, you may catch a lot of showers. But you don’t have to. Go to a local Dollar Tree and buy disposable ponchos（一次性雨披）for $1. The ponchos at Disney are probably more durable（耐用的）, but they cost $9. For a family of five, the Disney ponchos would cost $45 versus spending $5 at the dollar store.

It costs $17 to park in Disney for a day. Luckily, most non-Disney resorts offer free shuttles（来往的班车）to and from the park and all Disney resorts offer free transportation for guests as well. If you like to be on your own schedule without worrying about when the shuttle comes, then parking is your only choice. But waiting for the shuttle and going by a schedule isn’t really difficult, either.