Rick Steve's Europe Through

BBest place for travel advice, planning, and travel books to Europe. Rick is a travel legend and expert. more

Being in our mid-twenties, I don't think we're in Rick Steves' target market, but we sure have learned a lot from his company and his books. The books are my favorite travel guides--but I am going to focus this review on the travel store and the events it holds. Once or twice a year they hold a travel festival, with free classes on European travel. Some are even hosted by Mr. Steves himself. We've heard talks there on France, Italy, how to pack, etc. and they have all been entertaining and helpful. They aren't always heavy on details but I find they give you that final oomph to take the plunge and book a trip. In addition, they host a different class every Saturday morning even on non-festival days. The Back Door Store, as they call it, has all sorts of travel gear. They have bags, voltage converters, towels, and everything you might need while you are traveling. Of course they stock all of the Rick Steves guidebooks as well. They even have a rail pass counter where you can ask questions and even purchase your pass. For about $60 an hour, you can schedule a session with a travel consultant, which could be helpful for answering specific questions before you book a trip. Some of the sales staff there are actually tour guides, so we've gotten a lot of our questions answered just by chatting with the staff. You can even rent out the travel guides and dvds if you don't want to buy them right away. A cool place to visit, plus downtown Edmonds is adorable. more

You might consider trying one of the above named tours that Rick Steve's organization puts on. They are a locally based tour company having their main offices in Edmonds. The first time I was introduced to this travel group was about 13 years ago and at the beginning I hadn't known they were local - Rick Steves is well regarded for his attempts to find local flavor in all kinds of European locales rather than doing the typical tour. The majority of his books are focused for the independent traveler but they also do tours of varying lengths. These are wonderful options for those not willing or comfortable traveling alone. Check out the link for their business: http://www.ricksteves.com/ I've used the ETBD books for travel to the following countries myself and found them very useful: Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, UK, Germany, Greece and Austria. Many of these places I've been to more than once and I still would refer back to the ETBD for updates and places I hadn't been able to go to the trip previous. Enjoy and have fun traveling!!!! more

While I always trust Rick Steves' travel books as my first source when globe trotting, I also had a fabulous experience on a "Best of Italy" tour led by his qualified and entertaining guides. This company really knows how to make the travel experience meaningful and "down-home." Staying in the heart of cities or villages, getting to know the locals, eating/shopping where they do, really makes the European experience come to life. If you can attend one of their travel weekends in Edmonds, too, that's a fabulous travel motivator! Great company, all around! more