For 20 years Stephen McPhilemy has been a protege of America travel guru, Rick Steves.
Stephen has learned much from Rick and is a passionate advocate of his travel philosophies.
In turn Rick has learned much about Ireland from Stephen and regards him as ‘his man in Ireland’. Stephen is a regular guest on Ricks nationwide NPR Radio programme ‘Travel with Rick Steves’ and on his National TV show on PBS.
Meeting Rick Steves
In the summer of 1996 I was working as a tour-guide in historic Derry when a tour-bus pulled into the tourist-office bus-park and 24 Americans piled off wearing zip-off pant and seersucker shirts and clutching the same little book, which I suspected might be the bible, but would soon learn it to be a bible of a different sort – the Rick Steves travel bible! Now the best-selling guidebook in the US, bar none.
Over the last 20 years I have gone from being a local guide for Rick Steves groups in my beloved hometown of historic Derry to leading 10 tours a year for ‘Uncle Rick’ around Ireland – North, South, East & West. I’ve quenched the thirst for Ireland knowledge of 5,000 Americans (and a few Canadians who skilfully sneaked onto the tours!) on Rick’s’ Europe Through the Back Door’ tours.
Click here for my profile on ricksteves.com.
Every year Rick kindly flies me and 100 other tour-guides to seattle for a week long Tour-Guide summit and a tour reunion where we catch up with hundreds of travellers who’’ve enjoyed our tours that previous summer. its such a great part and I’ve attended every year since 2000.
In fact I plan my entire year around being in Ricks hometown of Edmonds, Washington o the second week of janaury every year, no matter what. Even St. Patrick day doesnt get that special treatment from me, I could be anywhere in the world on St. Patricks Day, but on the second week of January I can be foudn in only one spot, I love that.
To hear my contributions to Rick Steves radio programme click here:
