Rick Steves says to ‘keep on traveling’ in response to terrorism

In the aftermath of the attacks in Paris, local travel and public figure Rick Steves took to his Facebook page to share his thoughts on the tragedy, and offered some advice to fight terrorism: keep traveling.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Paris, the victims, and their loved ones,” Steves writes. “And it remains my firmly held belief that the best way for Americans to fight terrorism is to keep on traveling.”

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Steves, of Edmonds, was quick to warn against letting “emotions get the better of us,” and advised people to react to terrorists in a manner opposite theirs &#8212 intelligently and rationally.

Steves notes the recent history of terrorist attacks in Europe, including the 2004 Madrid bombing that killed 191 and injured 1,800; and the 2005 London bombing that killed 52 and injured 700. He notes that Europe has a population of 500 million people, and contrasts that to America with 320 million, where approximately 100 people die each day from gun violence. With that in mind, the best way to fight terrorism, and its goal of instilling fear, is to keep traveling in spite of their efforts, Steves said.

“Remember: There’s an important difference between fear and risk,” Steves writes.