Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BAcK door trAVEL PHILoSoPHY
From Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door
Travel is intensified living—maximum thrills per minute and one
of the last great sources of legal adventure. Travel is freedom. It's
recess, and we need it.
Experiencing the real Europe requires catching it by surprise,
going casual...“Through the Back Door.”
Affording travel is a matter of priorities. (Make do with the
old car.) You can travel—simply, safely, and comfortably—nearly
anywhere in Europe for $120 a day plus transportation costs (allow
more for Prague). In many ways, spending more money only builds
a thicker wall between you and what you came to see. Europe is a
cultural carnival, and, time after time, you'll find that its best acts
are free and the best seats are the cheap ones.
A tight budget forces you to travel close to the ground, meet-
ing and communicating with the people, not relying on service
with a purchased smile. Never sacrifice sleep, nutrition, safety,
or cleanliness in the name of budget. Simply enjoy the local-style
alternatives to expensive hotels and restaurants.
Extroverts have more fun. If your trip is low on magic
moments, kick yourself and make things happen. If you don't
enjoy a place, maybe you don't know enough about it. Seek the
truth. Recognize tourist traps. Give a culture the benefit of your
open mind. See things as different but not better or worse. Any
culture has much to share.
Of course, travel, like the world, is a series of hills and valleys.
Be fanatically positive and militantly optimistic. If something's
not to your liking, change your liking. Travel is addictive. It can
make you a happier American as well as a citizen of the world. Our
Earth is home to six and a half billion equally important people.
It's humbling to travel and find that people don't envy Americans.
Europeans like us, but, with all due respect, they wouldn't trade
passports.
Globe-trotting destroys ethnocentricity. It helps you under-
stand and appreciate different cultures. Regrettably, there are
forces in our society that want you dumbed down for their con-
venience. Don't let it happen. Thoughtful travel engages you with
the world—more important than ever these days. Travel changes
people. It broadens perspectives and teaches new ways to measure
quality of life. Rather than fear the diversity on this planet, travel-
ers celebrate it. Many travelers toss aside their hometown blinders.
Their prized souvenirs are the strands of different cultures they
decide to knit into their own character. The world is a cultural yarn
shop, and Back Door travelers are weaving the ultimate tapestry.
Join in!
Search WWH ::




Custom Search