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

Rating:
Summary: Rick does it again.
Review: The only complaint I have about Rick Steves is that the perfect places he discoves on his travels (the ideal example would be Cinque Terre) are immediately overrun. There's no real way to prevent this, and I guess it encourages people to be a bit more openminded about obscure places. It certainly is a testament to his popularity.

Which is well-deserved, by the way. This book is full of sensible advice and ideas. The hard-earned travel wisdom of a billion summers with just a backpack and comfortable shoes crystalizes into this book that is required reading for the young (at heart if not in body) about to strike out on their first trip abroad, the practical-minded armchair traveler, and even the seasoned veteran, who will surely learn something new. This and Mona Winks are worth the bit of extra weight in your backpack.