Europe through the backdoor

date Oct 26, 2007
authors Rick Steves
reading time 2 mins
  • Book Title: Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door 2006
  • Author: Rick Steves
  • Year written/published: 2005
  • Summary: This book had general tips and really good resources on travelling… especially cheap and great traveling. Towards the end chapters, the author recounted his travel stories in Europe.
  • My Comments:I really enjoyed reading this! great resource + great insight.. and yes thanks to Rick Steves, i’m addicted to a new genre of books - Travel Books!
  • Contents page:

Part 1

  1. Getting Started
  2. Planning your itinerary
  3. Transportation
  4. Money
  5. Sleeping and Eating
  6. City Skills
  7. Special Concerns

Part 2

  1. Italy
  2. Portugal, Spain, Morocco
  3. France
  4. Belgium and Netherlands
  5. Germany, Austria and Switzerland
  6. Eastern Europe
  7. British Isles
  8. Scandinavia
  9. Throughout Europe
  10. East Mediterranean

your best itinerary in 8 steps:

  1. Read up on Europe and talk to travellers
  2. Decide on the places you want to see
  3. Establish a route and time-line
  4. Decide on the cities you’ll fly in and out of
  5. Determine the mode of transportation
  6. Make a rough itinerary
  7. Adjust by cutting, streamlining, or adding to fit your timetable or budget
  8. Fine Tune

What to pack

shirts, pants, shorts, swimsuit, underwear and socks, one pair of shoes, jacket, tie or scarf, money belt, money, documents and photocopies, small day-pack, camera, sealable plastic baggies, water bottle, wrist watch, ear plugs, first-aid kit, medicine and vitamins, sunscreen and sunglasses, soap, clothesline, small towel, travel info, maps, address list, small notepad and pen, journal

optional: picnic supplies, packing cubes, inflatable pillow, mp3 player, poncho, insect repellent

electronic: laptop + charger + battery, mobile phone + charger, mp3 player, digital camera + storage + charger + battery, PDA

Itinerary Skills

  • Moderate the weather conditions you’ll encounter
  • mix cities and villages
  • join in the celebration
  • save your energy for the biggies
  • establish a logical flight plan
  • see countries in order of cultural hairiness
  • save your good health
  • minimise one-night stands
  • leave some slack in your itinerary

and i loved this short suggestions…

europe_84758943759834.jpg

Consider flying ‘open jaw’

I routinely fly ‘open jaw’ into one city and out of another… …

identity theft

  • protect your credit card and debit card
  • safeguard your PIN code
  • use your credit card sparingly
  • use your debit card even more sparingly
  • make photocopies of your passport and credit cards
  • be careful of what you email
  • monitor your accounts

travellers’ first aid kit

band aids, antiseptic handi-wipes, antibiotic cream, moleskin, tweezers, thermometer in hard case, medication for colds + diarrhea

outsmarting thieves…

  • money belts are peace of mind - a small nylon zipped pouch strapped around waist under your pants/skirts… you wear it completely hidden from sight - operate with a day’s spending money in your pocket - you don’t need to get at your money belt for every euro

money belt items…

passport, plane ticket, railpass, credit card, debit card, cash, plastic sheath to keep them dry, contact list, trip calendar + calendar