Europe Through the Back Door

ETBD is a book of travel skills, not about a particular destination. Novice European travelers can find a wealth of information in it about things you might not even realize you don't know.

Leslie, Europe Through The Back Door provides more of a tutorial on "how" to travel in Europe, and is especially relevant for first-timers. It covers topics like itinerary planning, packing, money issues, avoiding scams (pickpockets) and rail skills (which is very important as many from this part of the world have limited or no experience with rail travel). It's more of a "pre-read" prior to the trip, rather than a Guidebook to be packed along. The country or city-specific books provide more detailed information in terms of Hotels, restaurants, sightseeing and local transportation in the places covered.

ETBD is a great book if you have never gone there before - or never planned your own trip before. But once you have, it's not really necessary to read - though you might enjoy it anyway.

I usually check ETBD out from the Library when I'm planning a trip as part of my overall reading. I tend to brain dump after a vacation so it's a reminder of some basics I may have forgotten since last time. It's a quick read.

As others have said it is a how to book. It is worth reading. Anyone who would even consider bring it with them must not have been paying attention when reading chapter on packing light. Unlike the guide books you don't need the most current edition so if the library has a 2008 or 2009 edition that is a fine read and you won't be missing much.

...and it's not a book that you need to repurchase every year. It's the 'nuts and bolts' of how the trains work (where to buy tickets, how to validate tickets, everything on railpasses, differences in 1st cl and 2nd class, etc.), how to validate metro tickets, how to avoid pickpockets, how to do laundry in your room, what to do if someone needs medical attention in the middle of the night - these sorts of things. There's no travel guide-type info on the countries or cities... Every once in a while I'll skim through it and see something that I've forgotten...it's a good refresher course. I'd recommend getting it. If you learn ONE thing (and I'm betting you'll learn more) it may save you the price of the book...and a bottle of aspirin :-/

Hey, Leslie!
I just discovered that I have a 2006 copy. I'll bring it by later today or tomorrow if you like....?