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Going to Europe? So am I. (4 of 4)
We're kicking Anthony out of the office.
And no, this isn't another April Fool's joke.
See, about a year and a half ago, the lads and I headed over to High Street pub for a few pitchers. It turned into a big BootsnAll brainstorm sesh (as often happens). Our memory is a bit fuzzy due to all the Rubinator, but at some point Sean turned to me and said, "So Ant, how would you like it if we stuck you on a train and had you backpack around Europe for a few months and write about it?"
You can probably guess my reply. (It'd be good if you can, because I can't remember it myself.)
Now it's April 2003, and I head out for London in August. If you're reading this, there's a good chance you're going to Europe too, and I need your help. I'm writing a website on my trip, but not just my trip. It's a site for everyone out there who's been to Europe, wants to go to Europe, and who is going to Europe. It's called the Eurail Blog.
I hope it's useful to you. Maybe it'll inspire, maybe it'll inform, maybe it'll give you a good laugh. Have some advice or want to give your own take? Want to meet up? You can leave your own comments anywhere on the site, or email me (ant@BootsnAll.com). Here's some areas of my planning that you might find useful for your trip:
There's lots more, including different destination sections, and I'll be adding more stuff to this as I plan, collect resources, etc. I hope you find Eurail Blog useful, and email me at ant@BootsnAll.com to share your own tips, meet up on the road, or just chinwag about Europe and travel.
Want to go one better than commenting and emailing? We're also kicking around setting up sites like this for other travelers heading to Europe. Would you like one? Let me know: ant@BootsnAll.com.
See you on the Eurail Blog, and see you in Europe!
What else is going on in this newsletter?
Win a Europe Railpass!
What could you do with a spare $900 smackers? Travel another month or two? Splurge on extra souvenirs, a few nice meals, jaunts to all of Eastern Europe? Now's a good time to start thinking about it. We're giving away a Eurail Flexipass, so
sign up for our contest! »
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Guidebooks
No matter how much travel info you find on the Internet, a good, extensive print guidebook is still worth cracking and maybe even packing. Guidebooks present country-specific info, and they also address niggly details – how to use a payphone, how much to tip, why you don't make X gesture in X country – that make it easier to survive in different countries and cultures.
Wherever you're going or whatever guidebook you prefer, here's our selection.
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Phrase Books
It never hurts to learn the language. We've put together a list of phrase books (separted into Western and Eastern European tongues) for pretty much every European tongue imaginable. From our phrase books page you can click your language, then buy your phrase books online. Good luck with the lingo. May you always order the right beer, may your pickup lines never fail, and may you never mix up asking for the bathroom with asking for the bus station.
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Travel Insurance
It's said that if you feel you can't afford to pay for travel insurance, then you can't really afford your trip. Now, we're all for independence, adventure, and some risk, but then again, should your gear be stolen at knifepoint or you break your leg on a hike, it's a good idea to have paid in advance for the peace of mind that you won't have to worry about replacing your stuff or paying medical expenses.
Through BootsnAll you can buy insurance packages to keep you covered while you're having fun, wherever in the world you go. Like we said, we're all for adventure – but we're pretty keen on peace of mind too. So pick up some insurance before you head out, okay?
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Europe Insiders
Travelers helping travelers: this is what BootsnAll is about. Our Europe Insiders, or local experts, are always available to answer questions or give advice via email. If you're looking for info on Europe, head over and search up Insiders for where you're going:
Europe Insiders
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"What? That's it?"
'Fraid so. With 40+ countries, four newsletters and one continent, all that remains is for you – and for Anthony – to get going. We hope you have a brilliant trip, but don't worry: the Europe Travel Newsletter will be back. We'll have more coming your way, usually one or two newsletters every few months, as we load up on new stories, resources and services.
Not only will you get those new newsletters, but you'll still be able to return to these four. Go to our Archive page, hit CTRL-D to bookmark it, and come back whenever you need Europe travel info again. Here as well are the other newsletters in this first series:
Thanks for reading the Europe Travel Newsletter. However you want to travel Europe, we hope this helps you have an even more smashing time.
Cheers and see you on the Continent,
Chris, Nick, Anthony and Sean
Eurail Blog.com
BootsnAll Travel Network
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