Career
Maxa is the host and executive producer of 85 half-hour travel shows on the world"s great destinations that are broadcast on public television in the United States. with the titles Smart Travels: Europe with Rudy Maxa, Smart Travels: Pacific Rim with Rudy Maxa, and—since 2008—Rudy Maxa"s World. In addition, Maxa hosts America"s most widely syndicated radio travel show, a two-hour weekend show also called Rudy Maxa"s World. Maxa began his career in journalism after graduating from Ohio University (Bachelor of Science in Journalism, "71) as an investigative reporter, magazine writer, and personalities columnist at The Washington Post (1971-1983).
He left the Post to become a senior editor at the city magazine, Washingtonian (1983-1992) and also worked as the Washington bureau chief of Spy magazine (1992-1994).
He is an award-winning contributing editor with National Geographic Traveler magazine and Delta Air Lincolnshire" magazine, Sky. He is the author of two nonfiction books, Dare To Be Great (1976) and Public Trust, Private Lust (1977).
He has written articles for Gentlemen’s Quarterly, Forbes, United States of America Today, Modern Maturity, Playboy, Town & Country Travel, Travel & Leisure, and dozens of other newspapers and magazines. He wrote for the American Broadcasting Company-television dramatic series Capital News and for several years hosted a Saturday-morning radio talk show on political issues for WRC-Department of Administration and Management, the National Broadcasting Company-owned and -operated radio station in Washington, District of Columbia Maxa"s career as a travel journalist started in 1990 when he began contributing bi-weekly travel commentary to the public radio business show Marketplace.
He began writing weekly travel columns for Microsoft and National Broadcasting Company.com, usatoday.com, and abc.com, and his Marketplace commentary led to the creation of a two-hour public radio show, The Savvy Traveler, that Maxa hosted for four years before launching his public television shows.
Maxa attributes his desire to travel partly to the fact he grew up as a military brat. Maxa lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
