Product Description
An easy-to-read planner for first time travellers in Europe. It covers everything from where, when and what to take, how to go, where to stay, and safety tips. It also includes a resource guide for getting visas, rail passes, and how to contact national tourist offices and airlines.
Excerpted from First Time Europe (Rough Guides) by Louis Casabianca. Copyright © 2003. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
WHY GO CHEAPLY?
As recently as fifteen or twenty years ago, seeing Europe by staying in hostels or small hotels and using a Eurail train pass was pretty much a student option. No longer. Savvy travelers have recognized the rewards of such a trip in comparison with a much more expensive tour. Because of this, although I am speaking mainly to college students, recent graduates, and teachers who are planning budget trips for several weeks, the advice in this book should be useful for independent travelers of all ages. Indeed, if you are an "older traveler" finally getting to go to Europe for the first time, or someone whos going back after having served there in World War II, I would like to add a special farewell. To those who are now realizing that European trip they have dreamed of for years or decades, congratulations. I hope its the best trip of your life.
Travelers with larger budgets who want to avoid bland hotels and crowded tours may also find the information contained here very useful as a worthwhile introduction and reference.
This is not a guidebook. There are plenty of excellent guides available to every conceivable region of Europe. This book is about the nuts and bolts of travel, especially with regard to planning, saving money, and getting the most out of a trip. I cant guarantee that everything in this book is right for every traveler; after all, my advice reflects primarily my own experiences. But I can promise that I will help the first-time traveler avoid some very common mistakes and frustrations, save time and money, and skip the sometimes painful learning process I went through. This is the book I needed and couldnt find before I left on my first trip. I hope you find it helpful on yours.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.