Finally one last request

The trip that gave birth to the original First-Time Europe began more than seven years ago. I’ve been back to Europe eight or ten times since then, including a six-month period when I lived in Italy. Looking back, and after reviewing this book, the advice that rings the truest after all of these years is the simplest. First and fore-most, stop worrying about it and make the trip. Do your reading ahead of time, and learn about the regions you want to visit. Travel very, very light. Make your reservations. Take an open mind and lots of film. Learn as much of the language(s) as you can. Go early. If you remember nothing else, remember these things.

Every author hopes that his or her book will somehow benefit the reader. My aim was and is to provide information that makes your trip more enjoyable and successful. If I did that, please let me know. If I didn’t, then definitely let me know, and tell me what was wrong and how to fix it. Whether or not I helped you, this book is not perfect, and can certainly be improved when I come to prepare a new edition in a year or two.

Accuracy is a major concern, and I would appreciate hearing of any mistakes or changes. Also, if you had an experience that would help others if they heard about it, please write. This is especially the case if you have some expertise: motorcycle tourists, hard-core campers, travel agents who can talk about airline tickets from a seat on the other side of the counter . . . anybody who has information that could help the budget traveler.
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Going Home

Sadly, every trip must eventually come to an end. Truth be told, many people are glad to be heading home after two months (or more) on the go, sleeping in a different bed every few days. Returning home should be a piece of cake for the now-experienced traveler, so only a few words of advice are necessary:

- If you are flying home, and stopping on the way, be careful. If you miss one leg of a flight, all other legs are canceled. For example, let’s say you are scheduled to fly home from Munich to London to Sydney, with a scheduled stop of one week in London. You are having such a good time in Munich that you no-show for your flight to London, and stay in Munich for six extra days, and take a train to London. Well, your ticket from London to Sydney was canceled when the plane took off from Munich without you. Believe it or not, it is virtually impossible to cancel one segment of a two-part flight even if you call ahead. Hard to believe, but true. If your homeward ticket says that you catch a plane in Munich, and go through London and back on to home, even if the whole trip is on the same airline, you MUST catch that plane in Munich. Yes, I know this is stupid - believe me, I know. I once burned through six phone cards in Paris, trying to get a flight segment canceled so I didn’t have to backtrack all the way to Denmark.