Rick Steves' Europe Through The Back Door 2011: The Travel Skills Handbook Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
You can count on Rick Steves to tell you what you really need to know when traveling through Europe, including how to: Plan your itinerary and maximize your timePack light--and rightFind good-value hotels and restaurants Travel smoothly by train, bus, car, and planeAvoid crowds and tourist scamsHurdle the language barrier Understand cultural differences and connect with localsSave money while enjoying the trip of a lifetime After 30 years of exploring Europe, Rick considers this travel skills handbook his life's work. He shares his favorite off-the-beaten-path towns, trails, and natural wonders. With this guidebook, you'll experience the culture like a local, spend less money, and have more fun.
Series: Rick Steves
Paperback: 804 pages
Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; 2011 Edition edition (August 17, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1598806556
ISBN-13: 978-1598806557
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,133,986 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #17 in Books > Travel > Reference > Tips #1637 in Books > Travel > Europe > General #2777 in Books > Travel > Reference > General
If you are an experienced traveler, this book is probably not for you. If you aren't, the wealth of experience is priceless. I got my copy in 2008 and have since purchased the 2010 and 2011 for friends going abroad for the first time. While you won't agree with everything Rick says (and he is up front about it) he provides you with the practical information to make informed decisions and have a good trip. He covers everything from tipping, to itinerary, to language, to packing, to using public transportation,to scams etc. etc. On my first trip I didn't have this and missed out. However, the info I learned by reading the 2008 books really helped my trips become more successful.
Admittedly, I heed by the old rule that you can never trust a man with two first names. I knew nothing of Rick Steves or his wide array of products aimed at making European travel for Americans easier. I was really only looking for one book to give me some suggestions of what to do/buy in Europe, as well as learn a bit about the sneaky people who try to make victims of American tourists. Not only did I get every piece of information I was looking for out of this book, but I got so much more. I read the entire thing from cover to cover the day I got it, and I learned about England, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, and so much more. I even learned about places I wasn't going to visit, like Eastern Europe. I learned about traditions, pitfalls, and even a little bit about European marijuana laws.This book has it all. If you're looking for ONE book to get you through Europe, make it this one. Nice job, Mr. Steves.
As a first-time traveler to Europe I have found this book very helpful in providing an overview of transportion issues, packing, practical travel tips relating to culture and sightseeing planning, and then a brief overview of primary European destinations and their highlights. This is not a substitute for a detailed guide for a specific destination and if you have traveled to Europe previously (at least in the relatively recent past), I do not believe it would be useful in addition to the specific destination guide.
I bought this book for my mother-in-law to help her plan her European vacation for her retirement. She loves it! It seemed to have very practical information in it for people who have never been abroad. I love Rick Steves' attitude toward travelling and this book is just as great as his others.
This book is excellent for a general overview of travel skills useful in Europe. The book mostly focuses on Europe as a whole but offers some specific country tips throughout as well as in separate country sections in the back of the book. The book covers general information on everything involved in your European trip from planning, packing, purchasing tickets, plane tickets, insurance, train tickets, buses, jet lag, etiquette tips, how to avoid scams, money issues, before you go tips, hotel tips, museum tips, purchasing passes, etc.... all with not only useful and accurate information and commentary but also excellent insider tips. There are also great references to other books and very helpful websites for planning and purchasing tickets, etc before you go. I used this book to travel around Europe and found the tips very useful mostly for planning before we went as well as planning on the trip itself. A definite must for anyone planning a full European trip that has never been to Europe before or just wants numerous insider tips to help them plan an amazing trip.
This book does an excellent job of providing information about almost all aspects of travelling in Europe. With its information a potential traveler can avoid most of the confusion that gets in the way of enjoying the travel experience. It covers a wide range of subjects from planes, trains & automobiles to phones, money, lodging, languages and laundry. It is a "how to" book rather than a guide book and does its job well.
I really love this book. I am going to Europe for 3-6 months - longer than most "holidays" and more time than Rick Steves is probably advising for - but the tips in here are good ones and I feel really prepared for the trip. I used a lot of the suggested websites to price shop and really did find rates so much lower than I was finding on my own. He's not just about saving money, though: he's also about making the European experience authentic and worth-while.
I put off my first trip to Europe until 1994. I love planning for trips so I read up and planned a delayed honeymoon trip in 1994. We used lots of guides,including Rick's. When our plans fell through due to miscommunications, I relied on the Backdoor approach that targeted places we were originially planning on. It worked out completely, giving us greater flexibility and maximizing our experience in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. Our interests in history, culture, food and art were well served by Rick's approach. Rick's books and PBS series has since added to my passion for travel. Business trips to northern Italy and Germany were enhanced by looking at Rick's country guidebooks. I hope to take another European trip with my daughter this time, but until then, Rick's books and TV show are great. His belief that direct contact with different cultures, countries and religions will add to political understanding is absolute right, even with travelers and immigrants in our own country. Coming from the same generation as Rick Steves helps, he has moved us from the backpacking student era to middle aged professionals still yearning for a learning adventure on the road.
Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2011: The Travel Skills Handbook Rick Steves' Europe Map Rick Steves' Easy Access Europe: A Guide for Travelers with Limited Mobility Paris, France: Travel Guide Book: A Comprehensive 5-Day Travel Guide to Paris, France & Unforgettable French Travel: Best Travel Guides to Europe, Book 1 Leadership: Management Skills, Social Skills, Communication Skills - All The Skills You'll Need (Conversation Skills,Effective Communication,Emotional ... Skills,Charisma Book 1) Rick Steves' Italy Map: Including Rome, Florence, Venice and Siena City Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book & Dictionary Rick Steves Paris 2016 Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports Rick Steves Northern European Cruise Ports Rick Steves' German Phrase Book & Dictionary Rick and Morty Volume 1 (Rick & Morty Tp) To Hell and Back: Europe 1914-1949 (The Penguin History of Europe) Communication Skills: 101 Tips for Effective Communication Skills (Communication Skills, Master Your Communication, Talk To Anyone With Confidence, Leadership, Social Skills) Travel Through: Japan (Qeb Travel Through) Back In Time: A Historic Western Time Travel Romance (An Oregon Trail Time Travel Romance Book 3) Door to Door: The Magnificent, Maddening, Mysterious World of Transportation New Zealand: New Zealand Travel Guide: 101 Coolest Things to Do in New Zealand (New Zealand Travel Guide, Backpacking New Zealand, Budget Travel New ... Wellington, Queenstown, Christchurch) The Back to Basics Handbook: A Guide to Buying and Working Land, Raising Livestock, Enjoying Your Harvest, Household Skills and Crafts, and More (The Handbook Series) Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation: Southern Europe, South America, and Post-Communist Europe
