What do you think?
Rate this book
Europe for a Bargain: An Indian's Middle Class Experience of the First World
Europe for a bargain is a short light travel humor book chronicling an average middle class Indian’s observation of places and people on a trip across the first world.
Don’t read this book if you solely want ideas on best places to travel in Europe. The internet has sufficient material on that. Read it if you want to understand what middle class Indians perceive and consider worth seeing in the first world. This book opens a window to a world very different than what we Indians live in and in the process gives us a glimpse of ourselves.
Warning- Leave your sensitivity aside before you start reading!
Don’t read this book if you solely want ideas on best places to travel in Europe. The internet has sufficient material on that. Read it if you want to understand what middle class Indians perceive and consider worth seeing in the first world. This book opens a window to a world very different than what we Indians live in and in the process gives us a glimpse of ourselves.
Warning- Leave your sensitivity aside before you start reading!
58 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 18, 2016
22 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Aditi Mukherjee
11 books27 followersAditi Mukherjee is the author of the popular contemporary fiction ‘Love in times of terror,’ a historical fiction ‘The Last Mughal Warrior in Love’ and a travel humour ‘Europe for a bargain.’ Europe for a bargain was a number # 1 best seller on Amazon for several months after its release. Her latest work is a collection of bizarre short stories - Damaged.
When not working on her books, she consults for corporates and travels the world for inspiration. Aditi is also an empanelled Guest Lecturer for several universities where she teaches creative writing.
Besides being a writer, Aditi is an ultramarathoner, an endurance cyclist and a yoga enthusiast.
When not working on her books, she consults for corporates and travels the world for inspiration. Aditi is also an empanelled Guest Lecturer for several universities where she teaches creative writing.
Besides being a writer, Aditi is an ultramarathoner, an endurance cyclist and a yoga enthusiast.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 5, 2017
Europe is a lure for the Middle Class Indian. And Mukherjee is absolutely bang on in narrating the aspirations of the newly affluent working class. Her pre-trip experiences are worth a read for anyone who shares the same ambition of a European Trip. You also get a good feel of how the rooms will be, the food to expect and the destinations that you may visit and the time you will get at each place.
What does not come across here is a sense of the journey. It is just a description, a few facts at times, no shared sense of discovery, no compelling story, no feeling that makes you want to pack your bags and make the trip yourselves.
That's sad, as the best of travelogues should inspire you to dream on of trips unending...
What does not come across here is a sense of the journey. It is just a description, a few facts at times, no shared sense of discovery, no compelling story, no feeling that makes you want to pack your bags and make the trip yourselves.
That's sad, as the best of travelogues should inspire you to dream on of trips unending...
January 17, 2020
'Europe for a Bargain' is a travel book written by Aditi Mukherjee. It talks about the author's first-hand travel experience to Western Europe - UK (London), France (Paris). Belgium, Germany and Switzerland. It is a short book of ~60 pages and it can be easily read from start to finish, in a flight journey from Hyderabad to Delhi. The fact that it is part of 'Kindle Unlimited' and 'Amazon Prime Reading' (free books with Prime Membership) makes it even more interesting to read the book.
The book starts with Aditi's decision to sign-up with a travel agent for a group tour to Western Europe for 10-11 days and captures her experience starting from the visa appointment. The author has a very good sense of humor and uses satire very well in sharing her views on serious topics such as racism/ rape in India. The book has a lot of interesting facts and trivia such as - 'when the sun shines the Eiffel tower grows taller by 6 inches'. It also has useful tips such as 'carry sunscreen and dark shades (sun glasses) while climbing Mt. Titlis even when it is freezing cold, as UV exposure increases by 10% for every 3280 ft above sea level'.
However, it is not clear if it is a story book or a travelogue. If one treats the book as a travelogue/ travel guide, it misses a lot of critical information on how to save money (only mention is in the title of the book), where to book tickets, etc., The fact that the author has spent only a max of 1-3 days in each of those countries shows-up in the breath and depth of travel related information on those places. If you read this as a story book, there are clearly no twists or turns and there is hardly any events. The book is an amalgamation of facts and trivia, and the author's good sense of humor makes it an interesting read.
Even with all its shortcomings, I still think it could be really useful for Indian readers who are aspiring to travel to Europe for first time, to understand what to expect in Western Europe, especially during group travel, from the perspective of an upper middle-class Indian traveler.
The book starts with Aditi's decision to sign-up with a travel agent for a group tour to Western Europe for 10-11 days and captures her experience starting from the visa appointment. The author has a very good sense of humor and uses satire very well in sharing her views on serious topics such as racism/ rape in India. The book has a lot of interesting facts and trivia such as - 'when the sun shines the Eiffel tower grows taller by 6 inches'. It also has useful tips such as 'carry sunscreen and dark shades (sun glasses) while climbing Mt. Titlis even when it is freezing cold, as UV exposure increases by 10% for every 3280 ft above sea level'.
However, it is not clear if it is a story book or a travelogue. If one treats the book as a travelogue/ travel guide, it misses a lot of critical information on how to save money (only mention is in the title of the book), where to book tickets, etc., The fact that the author has spent only a max of 1-3 days in each of those countries shows-up in the breath and depth of travel related information on those places. If you read this as a story book, there are clearly no twists or turns and there is hardly any events. The book is an amalgamation of facts and trivia, and the author's good sense of humor makes it an interesting read.
Even with all its shortcomings, I still think it could be really useful for Indian readers who are aspiring to travel to Europe for first time, to understand what to expect in Western Europe, especially during group travel, from the perspective of an upper middle-class Indian traveler.
April 30, 2019
We're about to undertake a Europe trip and I found this an entertaining and very timely read. This is a journal, a good read, from the pre-trip preparations (visa etc), to hotel rooms and food and the cold on Mt Titlis etc. However, "Europe for a Bargain" in the title is completely misleading, there's nothing in the book that has tips about how to save money or get a "bargain".
September 12, 2018
Excellent read, very funny..
March 20, 2019
Just a journal
This "book" is nothing more than a journal of a Europe trip. The title brings the expectation that some hacks will be given. But you will be sorely disappointed.
This "book" is nothing more than a journal of a Europe trip. The title brings the expectation that some hacks will be given. But you will be sorely disappointed.
May 21, 2019
Saw Europe through this book.No need to go there now😁.
January 3, 2020
More like a journal! Good Read 👍🏻
A very light read and a flip through some basic Europe tour! Would have loved to read more about the places!
A very light read and a flip through some basic Europe tour! Would have loved to read more about the places!
January 3, 2020
Nothing special about it.
Looks like a diary entry and not a book. Nothing special about this except for some geographical general knowledge. .
Looks like a diary entry and not a book. Nothing special about this except for some geographical general knowledge. .
June 24, 2019
Pretty ordinary.
The narratives are lucid but uninspiring and uninteresting. Worth giving a miss. Neither hilarious nor serious. Wouldn't recommend for a good read
The narratives are lucid but uninspiring and uninteresting. Worth giving a miss. Neither hilarious nor serious. Wouldn't recommend for a good read
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews