Ah, the eternal travel questions: What to pack? When should I go? For how long? It’s going to cost what!? Learn how to deal with all of the small details of planning a trip to Europe with Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door 2004. Rick Steves, America’s number one authority on travel to Europe, shares the real deal on travel to Europe, so there’s less left to guessing and more time spent enjoying the journey. Completely revised and updated, Rick’s time-tested recommendations for safe and enjoyable travel in Europe have been used by millions of Americans in search of their own unique European travel experience.
Rick’s travel tips include: sticking to a budget; smart packing; planning ahead for visiting major sites; personal safety; avoiding tourist traps; and finding Europe’s “back door” attractions. Smart advice is also offered on everything from social etiquette, to booking a hotel and ordering food. Almost as good as traveling with the man himself, Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door 2004 is an essential item on any European traveler’s checklist. Color maps are included.
Customer Review: Terrible description in section on Turkey
“Tourists are learning that the image of the terrible Turk is false, created to a great degree by it unfriendly neighbors. Turks are quick to remind visitors that, surrounded by Syria, Iraq, Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Bulgaria, and Greece, they’re not living in Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood.”
This is a direct quote.
It sounds like they’re trying to say that the surrounding countries are painting an incorrect negative image of Turkey. Which is amusing, since he listed both Greece and Armenia there, which were both targeted by Turkey. Either this writing staff has no idea what they’re writing and is just happy to sell books, thinking no one will double check the info, or they’re Racist and opinionated. Either way, I wouldn’t trust the info in here even as a rough guide on where to go.
Customer Review: A book for getting the most out of Europe
Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door presents a philosophy that many tourists seem to lack: When in Europe, ACT like you’re in Europe! This book is aimed towards those travelers that just can’t quite seem to ever escape the U.S. no matter where they travel.
Rick presents a whole host of tips for seeing a Europe beyond the standard guided bus tours and airline deals. His years of experience go into his writing, giving often insightful and funny tips from sleeping overnight in the train station (he recommends sleeping in the first-class lounge to be among a higher class of hobo) to the best way to wash your clothes in the hotel sink.
This book is not all about travelers caught in a pinch, however. There’s also great advice for finding accomodations in during busy season, picking the right hotel/room, and finally finding those gems–great spots in Europe that no other traveler seems to know about.
This book is not so much a guide to specifics as it is a guide to travel philosophy. Steves encourages the reader to immerse themselves in the local culture, and offers advice for the reader not sure how to do so.
Those looking for a country-specific guidebook should look somewhere else, but they should also keep this book handy to really get a feel for what Europe truly is and was.