First Time Europe: A Rough Guide Special

by Louis CasaBianca

INTRODUCTION This is the fourth 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, Australia and most recently South Africa. Somewhere around two hundred thousand people have used this book to plan their Europe trip, and I sincerely hope that you are number two hundred thousand and one. I've been back to Europe ten 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.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference

First published March 1, 1996

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an awesome, information book about traveling in Europe. It gave me a lot of things to think about and consider, as well as some addresses of agents etc. and personal advice. It was also a really entertaining, I sped through it. The one problem with this book was that since it's an older edition (2003) some of the info is clearly outdated (unfortunately this is the only edition my local library has).

[Jessi Vowels · Rating 3 out of 5]

i consider myself a fairly seasoned traveler and i still found this book pretty informative and full of good info (a lot of which is very europe specific and would not have occurred to someone like me, who has backpacked quite a bit, but mostly throughout mexico). it also had some worthwhile tidbits pertaining to where you'd want to travel, which i didn't expect as well.

[Cherie]

A- Lots of great info, but outdated

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was one of a couple of books I had before I set off backpacking to the UK. Very helpful stuff for the travelling noob and interesting information otherwise.

[Bill Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent not snobbish
Do not get the updated and snobbish versions with a different author