Rough Guide to First-Time Europe

INTRODUCTION

This is the third edition of First-Time Europe, the first two editions of which were very kindly received by travelers in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia. Somewhere around fifty thousand people have used this book to plan a Europe trip, and I sincerely hope that you are number fifty thousand and one. I've been back to Europe five times since writing this book, and it still hasn't lost the magic I felt on my first trip. First-Time Europe is a planning guide, and is designed to help the first (or second, or third) time European traveler plan and complete a safe, rewarding, enjoyable, and affordable trip. It truly is: "What you need to know before you go." So, as you read these words and consider going to Europe and buying this book, I can say two things with confidence: (1) Go to Europe; you will have the most broadening, rewarding, and educational experience of your life. (2) This little book can help you tremendously, both before and during your trip. If you can come up with about two thousand dollars, I can get you to Europe for a month or more. You won't regret buying this book, I promise. See you in Europe.

Dedication John Wesley Hardin was an outlaw, thief, and gunslinger in the American Old West. Whatever his other failings, Mr. Hardin performed one act which every budget traveler has dreamed of doing: he shot a man for snoring too loudly. In many a crowded hostel dorm room, and in many a thin-walled pension, many a desperate, bleary-eyed traveler has found solace in the memory of Mr. Hardin's act. In recognition of John Wesley Hardin's role as patron spirit of the snore- oppressed, this book is dedicated to his memory.

Louis CasaBianca, author of First-Time Europe, A Rough Guide Special, is a Bay Area native and graduate of U.C. Berkeley. A lifelong traveler, Louis backpacked extensively through the Western United States before entering Navy flight training in 1987. Qualifying as a Navy Diver soon afterwards, and then living, flying, diving, and traveling on five continents, Louis met Mark Ellingham of Rough Guides at the Book Passage Travel Writing Conference, and hatched the idea for First-Time Europe.