New York Times columnist Nicholas Christoph earned his stripes as a foreign correspondent

writing from many of the world's hot spots.

You regularly meet people with guns who just might kill you.

His reporting from China and Sudan

even earned him two Pulitzer Prizes.

I saw peasants, rickshaw drivers who were risking their lives.

Nick Christophs are guest in the hour ahead as he reveals why he remains optimistic about

the state of the world.

There is a lot going on that is good that we don't always acknowledge.

And Andrew Pryor scours the streets of Paris to help us experience the most delicious city in the world the way he and his neighbors do.

Buy your cheese, buy your baguette, buy your wine, get some great chocolates and head off down to Lelaya Park and maybe sit

there and enjoy a great picnic.

Grab a pastry from the Corner Bakery and catch up on one of our favorite columnists.

It's just ahead on Travel with Rick Steeves.

Reporting on the news from the world's conflict zones has a powerful way of showing

you the value of life and the meaning of home. In just a minute we're

delighted to talk to New York Times columnist Nicholas Christoph to hear what he's learned from career

as a top-notch journalist.

And an Australian cook and podcaster living in France shares tips for enjoying the

fabulous food scene in Paris,

affordably the way he and his neighbors do.

That's a little later in the hour on today's travel

...