The Rough Guide to First-Time Europe 5 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

INTRODUCTION

I know you’re at least thinking about going to Europe, or you wouldn’t be reading this book. Every year thousands of people just like you head to Europe for the first time, and I’d guess all of them want the best trip they can get for the money. This book is intended to help someone taking one of those trips see Europe as cheaply and as enjoyably as possible. The first time I traveled to Europe I just picked up and went, and had to learn the hard way. That trip was a wonderful experience, but it would have been much easier, and certainly less expensive, if someone who had been there before had given me his or her advice. Now, several years and much European travel later, this book contains the advice I give to friends before their first trip.

The very first and most important piece of advice I can give you is one word: GO! If you have the time, and can find the money somewhere, anywhere, just GO! You will not regret it, I promise you. When you walk into St Peter’s in Rome and look down a central aisle longer than two football fields, over the spot where Charlemagne was crowned twelve centuries ago, and then give a glance to the right and see Michelangelo’s Pietá, you will not regret going. When you sit on a beach in the Greek Islands and watch the sun set into the Aegean Sea, and listen to the others on that beach laughing and chatting in six languages as the ouzo and wine get passed around, you will not regret the time and money it took to get there. When you wake up in Paris and have a choice between going to the Eiffel Tower, or the Louvre, or Versailles, or Notre Dame, or the Cathedral at Chartres, or a dozen other wonders only a walk or a train ride away, your trip will seem very cheap indeed. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t try to go as inexpensively as possible; in fact, this book is written in large part to help you do just that. But later in life, when you look back and ask yourself whether it was worth it to go when you did, I promise you the answer will be "Yes." If you have the time and the money, do it. If you have the time, but think you don’t have the money, keep reading, and maybe I can show you that Europe for a few weeks, or for a summer, can be a lot cheaper than you think.

And, if the whole process of going seems like too much of a bother, too much planning and time, remember the following: by spending a summer in Europe you will visit countries that are both much older and very different from your own, and gain a new perspective on your own country as a result. You will meet people who happily live lives very different from your own. And you will see some of the greatest creations of the human mind and spirit: legendary wonders of art and architecture that form a large part of the collective heritage of the human race. That’s why you’re going to Europe, not to hunt for the cheapest hostel or the best rate of exchange. Remember this during all the dry talk about money and packs and all that practical stuff.

WHY GO CHEAPLY?

As recently as fifteen or twenty years ago, seeing Europe by staying in hostels or small hotels and using a Eurail train pass was pretty much a student option. No longer. Savvy travelers have recognized the rewards of such a trip in comparison with a much more expensive tour. Because of this, although I am speaking mainly to college students, recent graduates, and teachers who are planning budget trips for several weeks, the advice in this book should be useful for independent travelers of all ages. Indeed, if you are an "older traveler" finally getting to go to Europe for the first time, or someone who s going back after having served there in World War II, I would like to add a special farewell. To those who are now realizing that European trip they have dreamed of for years or decades, congratulations. I hope it s the best trip of your life.

Travelers with larger budgets who want to avoid bland hotels and crowded tours may also find the information contained here very useful as a worthwhile introduction and reference.

This is not a guidebook. There are plenty of excellent guides available to every conceivable region of Europe. This book is about the nuts and bolts of travel, especially with regard to planning, saving money, and getting the most out of a trip. I can t guarantee that everything in this book is right for every traveler; after all, my advice reflects primarily my own experiences. But I can promise that I will help the first-time traveler avoid some very common mistakes and frustrations, save time and money, and skip the sometimes painful learning process I went through. This is the book I needed and couldn t find before I left on my first trip. I hope you find it helpful on yours.