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Without planning you've a high risk of missing things you really want to see, and spending more money than needed. Also, you risk diversion to secondary attractions if you haven't done some 'triage' on your priorities. Finally, you'll want alternatives. What if it rains when you plan to picnic or visit an outdoor attraction? What if there's a strike (not unusual in Europe.) What if Paris is a bore?
Other travelers may tell you what delighted them, but they can't know what will delight you. Do be aware that all books have prejudices as well, but the best are comprehensive. If you read a couple you can draw your own conclusions about what you want to see.
In a city like Rome or an area like the Berner Oberland few of us have sufficient holiday time to see the wealth of sights available. It's important when we visit spots like these to spend a lot of time in advance figuring out which are the most important things to do so we can make the most of our relatively limited time.
European Travel References
The first three are by Rick Steves (John Muir Publications), the last from the Harvard Student Association. Back Door: (ETBD) More than what to see, you'll learn how to travel. A wealth of information on options for places to stay and eat, rail passes (32 pages of info), culture, being a part of the scene, safety, and several less-frequently-visited locales that are wonderful. No one should make their first trip to Europe without having read it. Europe 101 provides, in enjoyably irreverent fashion, the background and context of Europe so you can appreciate what you're seeing. There's nothing worse than spending all that time and money, and wondering what you've seen. The Best of Europe and Let's Go series provide excellent 'guide books' for where to go, where to stay, where to eat, getting around, and what to see. We'll not all agree with all their opinions. Read both Best of Europe and Let's Go, otherwise you'll have only one biased opinion. With both, you'll have two opinions. You'll be better able to sort out what interests you. Each has companion books covering specific countries (or groups of countries) in detail. The budget traveler will find lots of suggested hotels and restaurants. An alternative to Let's Go
is the Our recommendations for books about
specific destinations:
Berlitz' Italian (German,
Hungarian, etc.) pocket guides give useful introductions to languages. Study them
before your trip and you'll be armed with a few words of something besides English, and
they're useful references on site. A "Finnish/English" (or whatever) pocket
dictionary is valuable as well. With modest effort, you'll be amazed at the useful
vocabulary you can add each day, the smiles you can bring to people's faces, and the
pleasure you'll add to your trip.
You'll find more of our travel book recommendations, with brief reviews, in our bookstore.
Complete
Index of Ed and Julie's Our Favorites Trip Tips and Tools Copyright © 1996-2001 E.J.
Gehrlein Traveling
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n acquaintance asked,
"Is there any sense in planning a European (2-month) trip? My boyfriend and I
are very spontaneous and impulsive. Besides, while we're over there I'm told we'll meet
other travelers and find out from them what's really neat." 
eading is a good place to begin
turning your dreams into reality, both in books and on the Internet. 
uch of your
enjoyment is captive to when transport runs, night train schedules, museum closing days,
and the opening and closing hours of galleries and other attractions. Where do you want to
be? What do you want to see when you're there? When do you want to be there? 
e flexible, but understand random
advice from strangers is only valuable compared against something, like your own
knowledge, priorities and plans. 
e admit to a bit of
frustration when we look at the server logs for our site which tell us how our visitors
spend their time on our site. More people spend more time checking out hotels than sights
and suggested walks. For us, at least, the reason we visit a city is to see the sights,
not stay in a hotel.
o, make planning a priority, but
don't make the plan the priority. Having prepared, be flexible. Once you know the
options and have time on the ground to add your own impressions to what you've read in
books, be spontaneous, impulsive, and, above all, enjoy!
ravelers in any budget range,
irrespective of destination, should read these books before 
Indicates books available through the link to
Amazon.com, usually at a discount.)
f you're thinking of using a rail
pass, Rick Steves also publishes a free 48 page Back Door Guide to European
Railpasses. You can also order his books directly. 
oing beyond hostels, camping and cheap hotels, read a
"mainstream" guide like Frommer or Fodor for a useful second opinion, and to
find good information about hotels and restaurants beyond the budget scope of Steves or
the Harvard students. City or country-specific guides are preferred to get the most
information.