First trip to Europe? Whatever your travel style, read this book before you go!
Written: Jan 26 '05 (Updated Jan 30 '05)
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Pros: Comprehensive guide to travel skills, attitudes, making the most of your trip.
Cons: Too popular??? May cause too many people to go to the same destinations "backdoor."
The Bottom Line: Teaches all the skills you need for a memorable, hassle free trip. Even if you use other guides, this book is essential reading before your first trip to Europe.
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| jsquarejj's Full Review: |
I took my first trip to Europe about 20 years ago (1984) at age 33--kind of a late start. I owe the enjoyment of that month-long journey and many more since then to Rick Steves. I’d been accustom to traveling with a set itinerary, rental cars, hotel reservations, spending lots of money, etc., but Steves showed me a whole new way of doing things, one that’s more fun, spontaneous, unstructured, intimate and--yes--less expensive.
My travel revelation was the result of reading the first edition of Steves’s now classic Europe Through the Back Door. This book was, and continues to be, an excellent primer on travel basics: how to plan an itinerary, how to get around (especially by train and public transportation), how to save money on food and shelter, how to get by when you don’t speak the language, etc. But Steves’s real contribution was the “backdoor philosophy.”
The Philosophy
Before Steves, most Americans traveling in Europe fit into two categories There were the well-to-do (including business travelers) who stayed at “international hotels,” ate at well known restaurants and took in the sights with well organized tour groups. At the opposite extreme were the college students, identifiable by their backpacks and unkempt appearance, who stayed in youth hostels or slept rough, bought their food in grocery stores, and hitchhiked around.
Steves opened up the territory between these two extremes by showing how average Americans could tour Europe comfortably without spending a small fortune. At the same time, he advocated a more authentic travel experience, one that puts Americans in touch with Europeans and their culture, and one that helps them travel more like Europeans instead of bucking the system.
In his early days, Steves was totally into travel by rail, never (or rarely) making hotel reservations, staying at small hotels, B&Bs or rooms in family homes, meeting Europeans as often as possibly by frequenting small shops and restaurants, etc.
Another aspect of Steves approach is to seek lesser known destinations rather than touring just the biggest, most famous cities.
Practical Matters
This book consists of two parts. First, it’s a comprehensive course in European travel. It explains everything you need to know to plan your itinerary, get to Europe and back home, get around while you’re there, find overnight accommodations and restaurants, identify the most interesting tourist sites, manage your money and perform currency exchange, and interact with the people who live there, even if you don’t speak their language.
There’s an especially comprehensive treatment of train travel including a thorough discussion of rail passes and lots of details that will make your trip go more smoothly. For example, did you know that some trains that start out as one eventually split in two to head for different destinations?
Even more important, Steves explains how to find lodging and restaurants when you arrive somewhere without reservations and without a clue.
In the second part, the book covers more than thirty specific “backdoor” destinations throughout Europe, including eastern Europe and Turkey.
Steves offers specific suggestions of hotels, B&Bs and restaurants, with brief descriptions and contact information. His hotel suggestions run the range from spartan to moderate with occasional splurges. He often suggests accommodations with “bathroom down the hall,” so know your preference on this point and read carefully. His restaurant suggestions run a wider range from cheap to quite expensive.
Downside: The Rick Steves Empire
From his modest beginning twenty something years ago, Steves has built a travel empire that includes dozens of travel guide titles, an extensive video series seen often on PBS, a web site (www.ricksteves.com) that sells rail passes and a limited array of select travel gear, and a touring company.
His guides are so popular that I guarantee you will see people using them while you travel in Europe. But there is an unfortunate downside to this popularity. By choosing to emphasize less visited places, Steves almost guarantees that they will become overrun with people who read his books. The latest example is Italy’s Cinque Terre, particularly the town of Vernazza. Eating at a small outdoor restaurant there in July 2004, I saw no less than six copies of Rick Steves Italy on various tables. Vernazza has become overrun with American tourists at least partly because of Rick Steves. Is it still a “back door destination?” For now, yes, but in a few years, who knows?
Who Should Get This Book
If you’ve never traveled to Europe, please read this book before you go. It will more than pay for itself both in time and money saved and in personal confidence. If your travel style and budget mesh with Steves’s philosophy, this may be the only guide you need for your first trip.
Students may find a series like Let’s Go more in line with their tastes and budget, while more upscale travelers will appreciate guides from Frommer or Fodor. Even so, I feel that Steves’s book should be your introduction to European travel.
Related Links: Saving Money on Your European Vacation
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Finally, here's everything you need to know about travel money and tourist ripoffs on your European Vacation.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
jsquarejj
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Member: Jim J
Location: Santa Cruz, California
Reviews written: 190
Trusted by: 78 members
About Me:
#7 in Personal Finance, #14 in Travel. My goal? Saving you money.
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