Rite of Passage: Tales of Backpacking 'Round Europe (Paperback)

by Lonely Planet (Author), Lisa Johnson (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Lonely Planet brings its customary panache to this collection of true tales' -- San Francisco Chronicle


Product Description

Backpacking through Europe for the first time changes your life. New friendships are forged over a bottle of cheap wine; old friends go their separate ways; you fall in love in the first town and forget about it in the second. You get bored with wearing the same clothes, tired of sleeping in crowded dorms…yet you still have an unforgettable, fantastic time.

In Rite of Passage, backpackers taking their all-important first visit to Europe tell it like it really is. They describe crossing the language barrier in Corfu, meeting the locals in Prague, surviving hostel life in London, finding love in Paris and overindulging in Greece.

Rite of Passage is the perfect companion for backpackers – the stories are raw and fresh, inspirational and honest, and cut straight to the heart of the European travel experience.

Product Details

• Paperback: 199 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740595939
• ISBN-13: 978-1740595933
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #93,892 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!, October 21, 2003

By A Customer

The stories in Rite of Passage are full of passion, hunger, and searching, and that which is found is not always what is sought - it's not a book about finding the best spots to hang out, but instead discovering interesting places in the human experience.

Packaged as a travel book, Rite of Passage is really a collection of literary pieces. Ms. Johnson has an eye for tales with both heart and wit.

This book is for people who are truly alive, not some old betty wanting to prolong a Disney moment. Nor is it for the emotionally constipated, as evinced by one other reviewer.

Rite of Passage is the best book to come out this year! Anyone who gives it less than five stars is just not used to backpacking.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tells it like it is, November 15, 2005

By	Michelle Millum - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I purchased this book 4 months after returning from my own lengthy backpacking trip. Within the first few essays I was in tears. It so perfectly captures the experience of traveling abroad that it immediately made me wistful for my own trip, even the stressful and absurd parts. I disagree with the idea that these are cliched or second-rate depictions of teen-angst, and as someone who's been in many of the situations described, I can only say that it's clear that anyone who thinks so has not actually taken a backpacking trip. Somehow it never boils down to the museums and monuments you saw, but you look back fondly on the late night sitting in the courtyard of your hostel with 4 strangers drinking wine and telling stories.

This book is a must-read for anyone who has taken this "rite of passage" trip. You will find yourself gasping for breath as you alternately laugh in recognition, or cry in wistfulness. For those who love to travel or are considering a trip, definitely read this book, but I might recommend waiting until you get back, as your appreciation will be much deeper.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cheaper than airfare!, February 24, 2004

By	Colin Stahl (Bloomington, IN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I spent some time studying in Germany during my high school years, and falling in love with Europe got me to cough up the money to go back their on my own. Freely running around in a foreign country is so enchanting that it was difficult to come home, and I think the book's ability to capture these little moments of travel bliss are what makes it so wonderful. It's more than just "teen angst abroad," as one reviewer described it. The essays aren't all written by kids, but also by Lonely Planet's professional travelers, and reducing the culture and experience to "teen angst" would be like summarizing the Bible on a post-it note.