A few years ago, I backpacked through Europe, dragging along my heavy guide books. If you’ve ever backpacked before, you understand the importance of packing light, and these books don’t help! The days of heavy guide books is coming to an end, thanks to our technological advances and to Rick Steves (AKA: the European travel guru). Recently, I visited Rick Steves’ website and was pleasantly surprised to find a large array of traveling resources. The best part—most of it was free!
Of course my favorite freebie was the podcast of walking tours and videos. Goodbye heavy guide books and hello iPod! Before you head off to Europe, download his latest podcasts and handy companion maps. I’m not sure how long these will be available and for free, so if you’re even considering traveling to Europe, download them now.
Currently, his podcasts cover popular sites in Rome, Florence, Venice and Paris. The podcasts vary in length from 20 to 50 minutes. The museum podcasts are great because many of the museums charge extra to rent headphones and listen to an audio tour. To download these free podcasts, go to his website:
www.ricksteves.com.
Bon Voyage!