Travel personality Rick Steves set for prostate cancer surgery in September

Travel writer and television personality Rick Steves announced his prostate cancer diagnosis Aug. 21, emphasizing he expects to be fine and the cancer shows no signs of spreading. “My doctor assures me that, if you’re going to get cancer, this is a good kind to get, and careful scans show no sign of it having spread,” the 69-year-old said in a post on X. Despite the diagnosis, Steves said he plans to continue traveling for his programs, including filming two new shows in France. He will have surgery in late September in Seattle, he said. “God willing — (I’ll) be cancer-free and back at it by the end of October,” he wrote.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

There’s a new ranking of the safest countries to drive a car in Europe. Based on data from the Europe Transport Safety Council, Norway is the safest country for road users. In 2023, the country was the leader with just 20 road deaths per million inhabitants. Close behind was Sweden, with 22 deaths per million. The United Kingdom, Denmark, Switzerland, Malta, Finland, Germany and Ireland were all tied for third. The two countries with the highest mortality rates are Bulgaria and Romania. Meanwhile, Spain, Slovakia and the Netherlands earned the less-than-ideal distinction of having a road mortality rate in 2023 that was higher than it was in 2013.

The National Park Service advises visitors to stay at least 25 or 100 yards away from wildlife. Now a new Instagram filter created by the Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board removes the guesswork and helps ensure a safe encounter. The filter is called Selfie Control, available free on Instagram. The tool features five animals — bison, bear, elk, moose and two types of bears (black and grizzly). Click on the name of the animal, and an icon appears in the frame, plus the recommended distance: 25 yards for moose, elk and bison and 100 yards for bears. Once you set up your shot, the image of the real animal should be the same size as the symbol. If it’s too big, you’re too close.

Just because you can buy airline miles outright doesn’t mean you should. There are only a few situations where buying airline rewards makes sense. First off, you may want to consider buying miles if you’re planning to book a pricey fare with cash and the cost of purchased miles works out to less than you would pay. Another scenario is when you’re only a few thousand miles short for a redemption you want to make. Thirdly, from time to time many frequent-flier programs also offer a “bonus” for purchasing miles. Buying during one of these promotional periods is obviously better than buying when a bonus isn’t offered, but that doesn’t mean you should buy miles just for the fun of it.