Rudy Maxa

As public radio's "Savvy Traveler" and host of public television's 52-part series on Europe, Rudy Maxa is one of America's best known consumer travel writers and broadcasters. He is also an award-winning contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler magazine.

For 14 years, his no-holds-barred travel advice under the moniker "The Savvy Traveler" has been one of the most popular segments on public radio's business show, "Marketplace." And in April 2005, the fourth part of his public television series on Europe began airing coast-to-coast on PBS stations. Maxa was the founding host of the one-hour weekend version of "The Savvy Traveler" broadcast on about 200 NPR stations in the US.

As a speaker, Maxa uses real-life (and often amusing) anecdotes to reveal travel secrets that can save audience members thousands of dollars while traveling. Infectious in his enthusiasm for travel, he explains why you should never pay full price for a last-minute international ticket; how to find the cheapest airfare, and why the Internet isn't always the answer; how to negotiate hotel rates; and how to fly in the front of the plane without a business or first class ticket.

Maxa has written on travel topics for Forbes, Worth, GQ, The Washington Post, AARP Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Travel & Leisure, Best Life, as well as National Geographic Traveler. And he's a regular guest on network news shows commenting on travel issues.

An award-winning Washington Post investigative reporter for 13 years after graduating from Ohio University, Maxa was also a senior writer at the monthly magazine, Washingtonian, for nine years and Washington bureau chief of SPY magazine for two years. Political scandal reportage by Maxa was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize by The Washington Post, and he is the author of two non-fiction books. The television series he hosts, Smart Travels: Europe with Rudy Maxa, has won numerous CINE Golden Eagle Awards, one of the highest awards a non-theatrical presentation can receive, as well as a Crystal Award of Excellence from The Communicator Awards.