Good, but mainly geared towards Americans

books:


	• Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2007: The Travel Skills Handbook (Rick Steves) Rick Steves Avalon Travel Publishing, 2006 - 676 pages average customer review:based on 20 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Geared towards baby boomers

This book is geared towards relatively affluent baby boomers. I say "relatively" because he advocates a lot of eating in restaurants and staying in B&Bs, which is not an inexpensive way to visit Europe. If you prefer to travel with a backpack and stay in hostels or other less expensive quarters (whether you're a baby boomer or not) this book has very few hints for traveling that way.

Check this out of the library before buying. He has some good info in the book, and his website is very informative, but his assumption that most Americans have bad manners when overseas wears thin after a while. He also makes a big deal about dressing/acting like the locals. Well, as soon as you open your mouth, they'll know you're not one, whatever you're wearing. And, watching any of his shows, you'll see people wearing American clothes everywhere--just like stores that used to be only in New York, San Francisco, Paris etc. are now in many local malls--you can find these stores in other countries, too.

Finally, I think he exaggerates somewhat the threat of thieves and scam artists overseas. Yes, you need to be careful of your money and travel documents because you can't just run home in 10 minutes and get things replaced, but you can be ripped off at home by pickpockets and scam artists too. Being aware of your surroundings is the best way to keep from being ripped off, at home or not.

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Good, but mainly geared towards Americans

Looking through the pages, many helpful ideas can be obtained about traveling throughout Europe, however, most information presented is American centric, leaving those of us outside of the US in the dark when it comes to certain aspects of the information stated. I would probably say that this book would be exceptionally handy for an American tourist that is Europe bound, but not as useful to the majority of people living in the rest of the world.

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This guidebook is actually fun to read, although it is lacking in more details you might be looking for. Great tips, and really interesting facts.

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Book Was Very Helpful In Europe

We used alot of Rick Steves tips during our trip to Italy and France. Very helpful, saved us time and money and aggrevation.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

From train and rail pass skills to strategies for visiting open-air folk museums, who else but Rick Steves can teach travelers the skills they really need when traveling through Europe? Learn how to deal with all of the small details of planning a trip to Europe with Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2007.

America's number one authority on travel to Europe, Rick Steves has done the legwork, discovered the secrets, and made the mistakes ? so travelers don't have to. 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
? Finding Europe's "back door" attractions.

Smart advice is also offered on everything from social etiquette to booking a hotel and ordering food. Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2007 is an essential item on any European traveler's checklist.

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