First-Time Europe: The Rough Guide, Second Edition (2nd ed) [Paperback]

Louis CasaBianca (Author), Jerry Swaffield (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1997 | Series: 2nd ed

Aimed at the budget traveller, this guide covers the practicalities of travel, especially with regard to saving money and getting the most out of a trip. The book focuses on planning and includes advice on what and how to pack, what to look for when buying a backpack, and how much money to take and in what form. It also looks at the practical side of "being there", with information on public transport, phoning home, staying healthy and keeping out of trouble. This new edition includes more travel resources, expanded budget and accommodation sections and features a 21-language glossary.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 2 edition (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858282705
• ISBN-13: 978-1858282701
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,417,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A useful general guide to travelling in Europe., March 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: First-Time Europe: The Rough Guide, Second Edition (2nd ed) (Paperback)

I travelled abroad for my first time this past year. It was, in fact, the first time I had left the USA at all (despite my parents living in Michigan, I have never even been to Canada). The first book I bought to prepare for the trip was First-Time Europe : A Rough Guide Special. This was after I had already gotten through about a third of it in the bookstore. As this indicates it is a very readable book, much more than I generally expect most travel guides to be.

Of course, I should emphasize that it is not, in fact, a `country-specific' guide book. It doesn't tell you what to see or where to go in any particular country. It is designed as a general guide, a companion to such a guide book, basically covering the sort of information that something like Let's Go Europe tries to fit in its first chapter: pre-departure preparations, what to expect, how not to get your luggage stolen, etc.

This is not to downplay the value of First-Time Europe at all. It covers a lot more than the general introduction of a travel guide. And more importantly, at least for me, it is designed for readability. A country-specific guidebook is usually more like an almanac, designed for maximum information in the least amount of space. They are great if you know what you are looking for (i.e. the phone numbers of youth hostels in Berlin). Yet important reminders and notes that stuck with me from the passages of First-Time Europe are often reduced to single sentences in other guidebooks. And with my style of reading and retention, that means I'll often miss them. In fact there is even a great anecdote illustrating this in the book, where the author, Louis Casablanca, recounts the effort he spent trying to get directions to a hostel, before noticing the directions were in his guidebook the whole time.

So could I have gotten by without reading it? I'm sure I could have, especially since the first part of my trip was a `Study Abroad' experience, so I had someone to hold my hand in the beginning. And honestly, a good deal of the information in the book could probably be found elsewhere. I'll stop short of calling invaluable. However I'm still glad I bought it. Even if all the information isn't new, it is presented in a much clearer way than other books. Reading a country-specific guide book before going was generally a frustrating experience for me - they are much more useful once you are all ready there (and have made a couple mistakes). First Time Europe is a much more satisfying read. No, I can't tell you exactly how many potential blunders it actually eliminated. Yet just in the number of perceived worries it answered, and my corresponding growth in confidence about going to Europe, it was well worth the read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for Student Travelers, March 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: First-Time Europe: The Rough Guide, Second Edition (2nd ed) (Paperback)

As a prospective AFS exchange student to Europe, I found this book to be of more help than any other. Student travelers don't have many books as resources; "First Time Europe," while not geared exclusively toward students, has a wealth of information that is useful to us. What to pack, what to expect, places to stay, attitudes...they are all contained here. This is highly recommended to any student, or others who are on a tight budget and want the most for their money. Written with a perfect balance of anecdotes and practical information, the book is interesting as well as informative. Buy it, buy it, buy it!