Great book to get your head right about traveling
356660
I LOVED this book. It truly captures everything I love about other travel and experiences cultures. Potts packs the book with practical travel tips for transportation, eating, sleeping and survival. He steers clear of politics completely and just gives the reader a no-nonsense guide to long-term travel from earning money to avoiding cultural misconceptions and wrong attitudes to interacting with locals to a guidebook or riding taxis. Other guides give you hundreds of unnecessary pages of crap and unwanted detail that you'll never need. Potts doesn't. There is no fluff or advertising to be found. He makes it clear that the learning experience itself is invaluable. Above all, Potts shows the reader how financially feasible long-term world travel really is. I read few books more than once, but this one will be read again and again until be becomes deeply creased, tattered and scribbled in unmercifully.
3556881
These days travel budgets are sorely tested. You want to get the most out of your trip to Europe because let's face it, you're spending a lot on airfare, squirreled away money for hotels, rail passes and food while trying to leave a little something left over for...well, you'll know it when you see it.
  Anyway, this is why EUROPE THROUGH THE BACK DOOR is a must before you take your trip. Pick it up a good month before you go and read it cover to cover. Bookmark and dog ear the pages and places that are relevant to you.
  Some of what you'll read won't make any real sense until you arrive and then you'll begin to realize its value.
  Back in the Stone Age of the 1970s I hitch-hiked across Europe, occasionally slept in old ruins, played blues guitar in train stations for donations, drank a lot of good wine and beer and picked up a few tips for better travel along the way, like, oh- I dunno- don't sleep in old ruins?
  Later, when I lived and worked in Germany for a number of years I learned more and better ways to travel. Gone was the sleeping bag and heavy backpack. Gone went the train station food.
  Repeated trips led to better discoveries and you know what? I learned a lot from Rick Steves books too, stuff I should have known at the time but didn't, little gems of discovery that helped make the travel better.
  Because he frequently updates his books you also get timely references as well- a key element because things change and Steves adapts along with them and chronicles the times and changes. Europe on $5 a Day doesn't exist anymore but with the book(s) Steves will help you find some good deals in good locations and understand the mechanics of better travel.
  Finally, don't let other smug travel 'experts' steer you away from Steves either because I guarantee that you will find at least one or two things in this book (and his others) that will help make your trip more comfortable, occasionally easier, safe, and more enjoyable.
  Bon voyage...and oh yeah, and if you pass a guitar player in a train station or on a street corner singing slightly out of tune toss him a coin or two. Chances are he doesn't have a copy of Europe Through the Back Door.
523567
I have used Rick Steves' travel books before for trips to Germany and Italy. What I like best are his self-guided walks in the cities and towns he describes. If you follow them, you will learn so much and get to see the most important sites.  His books are great for those who like to go it on their own, rather than travel on a tour.  Rick likes to travel on a budget, so he gives a lot of good advice on reasonably priced (for Europe that is) lodging and restaurants.  I have traveled in Italy and Germany using his recommendations and have never been disappointed.  Remember that he is frugal, so the accommodations will not four-star, but they will be clean and the people will be friendly.  I am looking forward to using this book as I travel in Spain this year.
546339
This is a hand fitting comprehensive guide, with all the info needed to plan travel. Several major city maps are included, along with guides to points of interest, and best ways to get to and from, times of operation, costs, etc. Rarely, they even advise 'skip this and do that'. Lodging and meals and some entertainments are rated reasonable, expensive or pricey. I have yet to find more than a dozen 'reasonables' in all of the UK. Maybe I missed more in the rest of Europe.

This is a great book if you're planning to travel. It's even a great book for the armchair traveler. Pictures and commentary make you feel as if you're already there.
615353
I think on any travels that will be new to you it is important to do some research. This book seems to do the job well. Have used their guide books before.
433269
The subtitle of this book is UNCOMMON ADVICE FOR THE INDEPENDENT WOMAN TRAVELER. And this book is exactly that. I don't know how author Thalia Zepatos does it, but she manages to tuck every conceivable thing you could possibly wish to know, if you are a woman planning to travel alone, into 250 pages. It covers the pros and cons of traveling alone versus traveling with a companion or taking a tour. It talks about creating your own journey, how to find and meet friends in different cultures and what to expect from those cultures. It talks about sexual harassment and how to deal with it. It covers packing and how to make the transition back home. For the first time in my life, I am leaving the safety net of traveling with my husband, and am setting off by myself into a part of the world known for its machismo and consequent harassment of women travelers. I am so glad I found this book! Five stars.
3235013
I'm looking to travel, so I've been looking for books to guide my way.  To tell you the truth, most of them put me to sleep and turned me off to where I wanted to go to begin with.  This guide was different.  It was very  insightful and informative regarding where I should go and what I should do  without restricting my "travellers creativity".  I'm taking it  with me to Turkey.  That should tell you enough.
1396961
Rick Steves always provides the best travel advice.  This book exceeded my expectations.  It is nice how it is divided out by sections such as "Dining" etc.  It isn't just a dictionary you have to flip through and look up each word separately.
4579826
Very useful and easy to read and understand. It has helped me with some doubts I was having about traveling permanently.
4049259
I am using this book to plan my drive through France.  It's ideal if you plan to rent a car and drive the countryside.  He tells you routes to take and suggests the most scenis ones.  He also gives good, brief history of  the areas and makes restaurant, hotel and site-seeing information,  including telephone numbers which is incredibly helpful.  My only  complaint...and the reason I give four instead of five stars...is that in  giving driving directions he does not tell you which way to head: north,  south, east, west.  So in mapping out my journey ahead of time, I am  finding myself frustrated trying to figure out which direction he  recommends and then looking for the villages on my map.
2859535
This book is a very quick read that is packed full of great tips and funny, yet informative, stories. If you're thinking about taking a trip, or want some inspiration to get going, this is a great place to start! There's so much planning that goes into international travel and Jackie makes sure you don't miss anything along the way.

She leads the way from start to finish providing everything you'll need to plan for a trip. If you've never been abroad before, you will feel prepared and confident to travel. If you're an experienced travel, I promise there's something in there for you too! I can attest to that - I have been to 30+ countries and just returned to the states after living in Australia for most of 2013. I read Jackie's book shortly after returning and found some great advice I wish I had known before! It also made me want to travel again, even though I'd only been back for 3 weeks...

I highly recommend this for anyone who is even remotely interested in travel. I've also given a few away as Christmas gifts :) A fully prepared/planned, well budgeted travel adventure - gifts don't get much better than that! (whether for yourself or others!)
1190958
Rick Steves guidebooks never disappoint. They are updated frequently so while older editions are still helpful newer editions have information you might not get. Most helpful is the information on how to get to train stations (transportation in general). I don't always use his restaurant recommendations but I think my tastes are just different than his. No matter where you travel this book is great for planning your adventure
2649350
What a great book.  it covers so many different things about traveling with your parents, handicapped and even people with dementia.  She has so many suggestions on what to do before during and even after traveling.  She gives you sources and lists of what not to forget.  How to make arrangements before you get to your destination and even after.  This book is really a good idea for any traveler.  So many hints.  Loved it and I am putting it in my library.
1719752
I planned a trip to England and Ireland using Rick Steve's books (last year's edition and this year's edition) and the Lonely planet books.  The combination was great.  Rick Steve gives you a very up to date selection of places to stay, things to do and the prices you'll pay.  He also included lots of internet addresses.  I organized the whole trip over the web with no travel experience!  I had to use the old edition to start planning because the new one wasn't available at the time I started planning.  I invested in the second updated version a month before leaving and some things had changed!  This guide wasn't as comprehensive as the others, but it was full of good usable information.  I wouldn't even try traveling overseas again without one of his guides.
2528686
This is a well written, interesting & informative book.  It is a must for anyone who enjoys traveling or who wants to start traveling for the first time.  It allows you to make plans that suit your interest & pocketbook with ease and accuracy.  You get the "inside" information on all phases of travel!  It is a book you will enjoy sitting down with and just browsing or seriously studying for your next trip.  There are so many ways to cut the cost of your trips, whether short or around the world without sacrificing comfort or pleasure.  It will give you ideas on where to go, how to go and just what to do when you get there. Whether a seasoned traveler or a novice, you will receive many hours of pleasure from this book.  It is a MUST HAVE!  The author has done an excellent job of taking the mystery and work out of planning great trips for less money! She has made the information available in interesting and easy to understand prose.  I give the book and the author 5 STARS.
4302041
I bought this book to assist in planning a trip for my 3 older children to travel to Europe next summer. I found this book very helpful and practical. There are numerous specific tips re: safety and logistics. I have the kindle version but will most likely buy the hard copy before their trip. This young lady did an excellent job and ay have a future in travel writing!
2311550
This book is full of great information for those people who want to travel with only a carry on. This book lays everything out in a clear and concise manner, everything you will need to only pack a carry on and how to do it. The book does have illustrations on how to pack a Tortuga backpack which is great since I bought one. This is my first trip abroad and I will be traveling from Athens, Greece and ending up in Dublin, Ireland so I will be covering a lot of ground plus varied weather conditions. I found this book to be extremely helpful.