Steves Explains How to Experience Europe, not Just Visit It
Written: Apr 17 '01
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Pros: Not just another guide book, but a "philosophy" that can take you anywhere!
Cons: You'll want a real guidebook to go with it...
The Bottom Line: If you really want to get the most out of your travel, and to do it cheaply to boot, this is the book for you!
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| mrkstvns's Full Review: Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door: The Tra... |
Rick Steves is not a follower. His books stand out from the crowd. He doesn't tell you what sites to see, where to stay, or where to eat. Instead, he shares a philosophy of travel with you. He talks about why you should avoid chain hotels and restaurants, why you should avoid canned tours, why you should pack light, why you should never make hotel reservations. He calls his philosophy "back door" travelling, and his philosophy really centers around getting to know people and places.
Europe Through the Back Door by Rick Steves has been around for almost 20 years -- but it's updated frequently -- and it is one of the true classics that should be read before taking off for Europe for the first time. The book is over 500 pages and is published by John Muir Publications.
Most of the book centers around practical ideas for travelling comfortably on a budget. He talks about how to pack, how to find inexpensive guest houses, and provides lots of tips for getting around quickly without spending much money or sacrificing comfort. Some of his ideas do require some comfort sacrifice: for example, he suggests that you can sometimes sleep on a night train -- maximizing your vacation time for sightseeing and doing rather than just moving (not to mention saving a few bucks on hotel rooms).
While the back-door traveler does not go to big chain hotels, it would be a mistake to think that Steves' philosophy is about hosteling or traveling super cheap. It's not. It's more akin to traveling in the U.S. and staying in small bed and breakfast inns along your journey as opposed to reserving rooms at Hiltons or Radissons. It's not just about cost. It's about cozy places that bring you close to local people. It's about flexibility and spontaneity.
Before taking my first trip to Europe some 15 years ago, I read Steves' books and watched some of his travel programs on PBS. His ideas made a lot of sense. I followed some of his suggestions, such as being flexible about time schedules and never making reservations. As a result, I stayed in some wonderful friendly, cozy, local places that cost a fraction of what a big chain hotel would have cost. $25 a night in one place for a comfortable room in an old 17th century tavern. I also followed his suggestion of occasionally stopping in at a town market for some cheese and a bottle of wine for lunch. This really saved quite a lot on meals, giving us the chance to take a longer trip than we might otherwise have been able to afford, not to mention getting to sample local food that was truly authentic, as opposed to eating in chain restaurants. By following Steves' suggestions, you eat and sleep like a European -- not like an American tourist. You meet more people, you gain more insight, and you have more fun!
Many of the ideas about how to travel are not just applicable to Europe, but to travel anywhere. I pack light everywhere I go. I seldom make reservations, and prefer to be flexible about itineraries depending on how much I like a place or what I find out from locals when I get there. Only the details differ: instead of looking for the "zimmer frei" signs that you find in Germany, I might look for the "hostal" signs that you find in Ecuador (where the word does not mean hostel as we think of it). No problem.
In addition to the philosophical discussions, Steves describes several of his "back door" places that he has visited in Europe. These are often small towns that are off the beaten track, or that have simply been overlooked by most travel writers who just concentrate on the big cities and obvious tourist traps. Steves points you to several different kinds of back doors: maybe a small, quiet towns in the Alps; a village in the French wine country; or perhaps a tiny fishing hamlet on a Scandinavian fjord. Most of the "back door" places that Steves mentions are out of the way places that provide insight into the flavor of a country -- they are not necessarily places with big museums, natural attractions, or glitzy hotels.
If you're planning your first trip to Europe, and you really want to experience all the wonderful places and people that the continent offers, then I recommend reading Rick Steves' "Europe Through the Back Door". The book has a breezy, friendly, easy-to-read tone to it. It's well written with tons of good tips.
Is the book for everyone? Probably not. If you are the kind of person who is insecure about just doing things, or you're the kind of person who perceives cultural or language differences as a barrier, then a guided tour or a traditional guidebook might be more what you're looking for. The book might not suit your needs if you have already done quite a lot of international traveling since you will have probably already discovered how to pack, travel, and find places to stay and eat without using guidebooks.
NOTE: This opinion was originally posted 2/17/00 in the Travel category under "Travel Guides". Because that category was retired by epinions, I am reposting it in Books. I apologize if you have read this review before.
Recommended:
Yes
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