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Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2004: The Travel Skills Handbook

Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2004: The Travel Skills Handbook

List Price: $21.95
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Tells you How to be an European Traveler, Not Where to Go
Review: I would read this before any trip I take in the future - the tips on European traveling are essential.
The ideas cover what to REALLY pack, sleeping in trains and hostels to be comfy and safe, what to eat and see in general, and how to emotionally cope with problems--which you WILL have; but do not use it as your guide book.
Places and names change in Europe, times to visit change, and everyone's taste is different.
If you want a "guide book", you should buy Let's Go: Europe. If you want to prepare for a great experience with minimal stress and maximum proficiency, you should buy the cheapest edition of this book regardless of the year of publication and ignore the specific places to visit info.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This guy does his own legwork
Review: My wife and I used Rick Steves' guidebooks in 1998 and 2000. The books were excellent and very up to date. He's interested in getting you into Europe on the ground level at its best. We had 10 days to see places, and he had the perfect pace. He's pretty blunt-if its contrived or otherwise not worth your precious time, he tells you not to bother. His suggestions for accomodation were excellent. We really felt like we experienced a slice of Europe and LOVED IT!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: great resource/easy read
Review: This book was the best thing to happen to me prior to heading off to Europe. The book has tons of valuable info to have while traveling the continent, and it is written in plain English! It is a very easy read, and by the time you are done with it you feel like you are an expert on where to go and what to see. Gather your highlighters and tabs and go to town! I can't imagine what my trip to Europe would have been like without this book. I wanted to go to Europe and delve into the culture- not the tourism. Europe Through The Back Door shows you exactly how to do just this. I also found Rick's website really helpful- [URL]

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Several Good ideas
Review: This book has several good ideas, although some seem a little excessive. For instance, his ideas on packing light. Overall, I found it very useful.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The key to successful travel
Review: This book has definitly made an impact on my life. I first read it in 1998, and the updated one still has all of the best information on smart budget travel I have ever come across. Someone suggested it to me when I was thinking of going on my first trip abroad. I was a little apprehensive about being a young girl, traveling alone through Europe, for the very first time. After I read this book I had a lot of confidence and set out. I spent 3 months over there. And a year later set out for another trip; this time it was for 5 months, throughout Europe and the middle east. Now when many people ask me for advice on their trips, usually I sum up my response by advising them to get a copy of Rick Steve's - Europe Through the Back Door. All of his advise will definitly save you a lot of time, and hassle. The second half of the book talks about small town gems, and they are all great places.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Europe through the back door 2002
Review: I enjoyed this book, I thought it was very entertaining and infromative. When I go to Europe, you can be sure I will have a copy of this book with me. Mr Steves' video programs are very enjoyable as well.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Absolutely the Best
Review: When I'm in the US, the highlight of my day is Rick Steves show. When I can't watch the show (and even when I can), I love perusing Rick's books. Rick is so personable and enjoyable I almost feel as though the books were written by a good friend.

Rick Steves' travel books don't detail the usual. Why should they? We all know to visit the Coliseum when in Rome, the Parthenon when in Athens and Notre Dame when in Paris. Rick's books are gems precisely because they detail those out-of-the-way places that any ordinary tourist would no doubt miss if he didn't have Rick's books to guide him.

In addition to fascinating places, Rick also gives us much useful information about hotels, restaurants and local customs. Unless you're traveling with an unlimited budget, this information is invaluable to both the novice and the more seasoned traveler. Even if money is "no object" Rick's tips will help you to see the "real" Paris, the "real" Venice, the "real" Spain. They'll lead you to places you never even dreamed existed but you'll be thankful you found.

Rick writes in a very down-to-earth and friendly style that is simply a joy to read and a radical departure from the dry, conventional guidebooks most authors write.

As a continental European, I've found Rick's books invaluable when visiting other parts of Europe. If you're planning a trip to Europe, one (or several) of Rick Steves' books can only make your trip all the more enjoyable.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Smoking Dope in Europe!
Review: While this book is more user friendly than other books on the market, it was offending in that he suggests, on page 299 (right below the picture of Mass at St. Peter's) "For a casual toke of local life without the risk that comes with smoking in the United States, drop into one of these cafes and roll a joint. If you have no political aspirations, inhale". A book that suggests marijuana use has no place in our home or travel! We are extremely irritated that the author has turned a useful travel book into a travel guide for Pot-Heads! I wonder if he inhales?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Don't leave home without it...
Review: If you are planning a trip to Europe, then this book will be essential. After two such trips myself I have come to regard Rick Steves as a kind of personal friend. He has yet to let me down. On our first trip to Italy my girlfriend and I started referring to him as Saint Rick. He's always right.

Most books in this genre aim to provide the reader with a great deal of detailed listings of restaurants, hotels, and sights. But if you have, say, one week to spend in Italy, you may feel lost in trying to prioritize your time. WHICH sights should you see (you can't see them all), which restaurants should you eat at? Where can you go in Sienna for a magical evening? It is in answering these questions that Rick Steves really shines.

Yes, you should still buy "Let's Go," but you will also need a book such as this to find out where to get the best gelato in Florence. I prefer mint.

Thanks Rick.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best travel book ever!
Review: Rick Steves book guided my girlfriend (now wife) and I through an incredible 2 months in Europe. We carried Let's Go Europe and Fodors with us originally but threw them both away in favor of Europe Through the Back Door. Steves book gave us great restaurants, hotels, museums, history, tips on train travel... all the essentials. SIMPLY THE BEST!


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