+ Rick Steve's Europe
advice, tips and supplies for the novice traveler

+ STA Travel
book plane and train tickets or find a hotel at discounted prices

+EBags.com
for a backpack and supplies for great prices

+ Hostelling International
listings for hostels and cheap hotels; also offer phone cards and more advice and links

+ Easy Everything
if you need Internet access in Europe, this is the place to go!

+ Amazon.com
get your guidebooks here!

CONTACT ME!
Amy Plitt
aplitt@hotmail.com

In the summer of 2001, my boyfriend (John) and I went to Europe for six weeks. While there, we went to England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brussels, and the Netherlands. We managed to do all of this fairly inexpensively, and we had a lot of fun. I've chosen to write about London, Paris, Rome and Amsterdam because those were the places where we had the most fun.

GENERAL ADVICE:

+ There are two things you are going to absolutely, desperately need while in Europe: a good, sturdy backpack, and a good, thorough guidebook. I recommend a Jansport backpack; mine was lightweight and could hold a lot (at one point I had 22 lbs. of clothing, sundries and souveniers in it!). As far as guidebooks go, the most popular seems to be Let's Go! Western Europe. John and I used Europe on a Shoestring, which I liked much better; it was less popular, and therefore the places in it were not as crowded with students. Whatever guidebook you use, make sure it is extremely thorough for the places you are going; if you are only going to one or two countries, it may make more sense to just buy books for those places. However, if you are going on a long and inclusive trip, get a book that covers the whole continent.

+ If you want to be treated with respect, be a respectful traveler. People seem to think that Europeans, especially the French, are rude and hate Americans, but that's not true. As long as you respect the culture of the places you go, people will treat you with endless amounts of kindness. This is especially true in less cosmopolitan cities, such as Munich (Germany) or Nice (France).

+ After 9/11, some people may understandably be scared of traveling overseas. Keep up with the news to find out what's going on in Europe; find a website with tips from other travelers (such as Rick Steve's website), and check with your embassy in other countries before going abroad to see if the country is safe for American travelers. Most, if not all European countries will be.

+Invest in a map for the larger cities, like London and Paris. It's worth it.

+ Make sure you have a good, solid pair of comfortable walking shoes; you WILL be walking a lot, and your feet will be hurting if your shoes suck.

+ Also use a money belt or a neck wallet to carry your most important belongings (i.e. passport, cash, credit cards, etc..) These are lightweight and can be worn unnoticed underneath clothing.

+ Get an ISIC (International Student Identity Card) before you leave the United States. This will get you all kinds of discounts at museums, restaurants, etc., not just in Europe, but all across the globe. These can be purchased at STA Travel. If that fails, have your student ID with you. It may not be as universally accepted, but if you go to a bigger school (like an Ivy League or NYU) you'll be fine.

+ Visa and Mastercard are accepted globally; other credit cards might not be. There are scads of ATM's across Europe, and these generally give you a better exchange rate than a currency changer. However, in some places (such as Amsterdam or Nice, where there are few ATM's), go to a currency exchange, preferably in the train station (these will be the most reliable and least likely to rip you off).

+If you want to get in touch with the folks back home, invest in a phone card. You can also e-mail them; Internet cafes are scattered throughout Europe. The most popular is Easy Everything; the easiest thing to do is find one the first city you go to, and copy the addresses for all of the cafes for each city you're going to be in.

HAPPY TRAVELLING!