Rudy Maxa is a former Washington Post investigative reporter and columnist (1971-1984) where his reporting was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. He joined Washingtonian magazine as a senior writer and columnist (1984-1993) before becoming Washington, DC, bureau chief for SPY magazine.

Maxa became a consumer travel commentator for the public radio business show "Marketplace" in 1991, which led to a one-hour, national travel radio show on public radio called "The Savvy Traveler" that Maxa co-created and hosted for four years before launching a television travel series on public television in the US in 2001.

"Smart Travels: Europe with Rudy Maxa" produced by Small World Productions was public televisions first High Definition series. Maxa became co-executive producer of five seasons of "Smart Travels" before taking over ownership of the show and renaming the series "Rudy Maxa's World" in 2008. He also hosts America's most widely syndicated radio travel show, "Rudy Maxa's World," a two-hour weekend interview show broadcast.