On the Hippie Trail
Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer
Avalon Publishing · Print & ebook · April 21, 2026
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Now with a new preface and postscript!
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- Who it’s for
- A travel-writer origin story with the texture of a road book and the focus of a.
- Themes
- travel, self-discovery, adventure
- Pacing
- Mixed
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A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Now with a new preface and postscript! Stow away with Rick Steves for a glimpse into the unforgettable moments, misadventures, and memories of his 1978 journey on the legendary Hippie Trail. In the 1970s, the ultimate trip for any backpacker was the storied “Hippie Trail” from Istanbul to Kathmandu.
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A 23-year-old Rick Steves made the trek, and like a travel writer in training, he documented everything along the way: jumping off a moving train, making friends in Tehran, getting lost in Lahore, getting high for the first time in Herat, battling leeches in Pokhara, and much more. The experience ignited his love of travel and forever broadened his perspective on the world. This book contains edited selections from Rick’s journal and travel photos with a 45-years-later preface and postscript reflecting on how the journey through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal changed his life. You know Rick Steves. Now discover the adventure of a lifetime that made him the travel writer he is today.
Road Lessons
A travel-writer origin story with the texture of a road book and the focus of a.
Come here for
- travel writing's apprenticeship feel
- classroom-friendly route from Istanbul to Kathmandu
Expect
- chapter-by-chapter dip-in pacing
- literary-travel lens over pure itinerary
Where it sits
| Personal Memoirs | 59% |
|---|---|
| India & South Asia Travel | 51% |
| Travel Writing | 38% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Personal Memoirs
- India & South Asia Travel
- Travel Writing
- Middle East Travel
- Authors
- Rick Steves
- Publisher
- Avalon Publishing
- Published
- April 21, 2026
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- travel · self-discovery · adventure
- Reading lane
- Personal Memoirs