Planning Your Trip Online
The Internet is filled with free online travel talk. Various websites offer global weather reports, news, travel advice, visa information, and flight- and hotel-reservation services. Vagabonds between trips hang out in travel forums. I've listed helpful websites throughout www.ricksteves.com, including the ones that my staff and I use the most when we're planning a trip of our own.
Easy-to-use search engines will help you find what you need. Everyone's heard of Google, but Yahoo! Travel can also be helpful for zeroing in on key travel resources.
Google Groups and Topica are directories of newsgroups and email lists with directions on how to jump into the fray. If you have a particular concern, you can get a world of advice through your web browser. Use the many discussion lists to contact a European living in the area you want to visit, or a traveler who has just returned. Sometimes travelers can find a place to stay with European residents through these forums.
Several websites pull up information according to destination and interest. Europe for Visitors, Trip Advisor, Johnny Jet, The Independent Traveler, and Virtual Tourist feature travel tips, city maps, and information on cultural sites for most European destinations. Whatsonwhen.com and Culture Kiosque make it easy to track down live concerts, sporting events, and cultural happenings.
The Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory is a searchable directory of tourist information points, including their phone numbers, websites, and email addresses.
The books The Practical Nomad Guide to the Online Travel Marketplace by Edward Hasbrouck, The Rough Guide to Travel Online by Samantha Cook and Greg Ward, and Internet Travel Planner by Michael Shapiro include information on how to book a flight, stay online while on the road, and find online travel-planning tips and resources — consult their websites for updates. If you're looking for a good guidebook, check out the wide selection at Amazon.com and Books.com.
To keep up with local news, read Europeantimes.com or find the local-area newspaper through Newslink. BBC News Europe offers some of the best coverage of European news. PublicRadioFan.com lets you listen to European public radio (music, commentary, and student-run stations) using a web browser — to make it work, you'll need to have or install RealPlayer and Windows Media Player, which are both free and downloadable.
Get the latest exchange rates with OANDA. For current weather reports, use Weather.com, and for climate information, try Weatherbase.
Find out about the International Student Identity Card and other student-travel opportunities through ISTC or STA Travel. Parents will appreciate the interesting activities for kids at Family Adventure Travel. Women traveling alone will find Journeywoman helpful. Search for senior-friendly travel information through Seniors Travel Guide. Gardeners dig the Garden Visit Guide, while aspiring chefs feast their eyes upon the Guide to Cooking Schools for culinary classes in Europe.
The Hotel Guide and BedandBreakfast.com list hotels, inns, and B&Bs in Europe. You can search a destination, choose a hotel, and book your reservation online. For the traveler on a shoestring budget, Frommer's Budget Travel, Eurotrip, Backpack Europe, EuroCheapo, and Hostelling International offer cheap accommodations and transportation resources on the Internet.
Plan your European train travel with the help of Deutsche Bahn's online timetable search service. The European Railway Server and Budget Travel link you to the websites of the European railway and ferry systems. Find your way around underground with Subway Navigator. Drivers like Motoeuropa. Good map sites include Maporama, ViaMichelin, and Map24. A Ferry is the top site for ferry information.
Travelers can use Yahoo! Mail or Hotmail.com to pick up and send email at any place with web access. These sites offer this free service in order to show you a few advertisements. Simply find the sites on the web, follow their prompts for five minutes, and you'll have your own address with plenty of handy tools for free. Be sure to read the fine print carefully before signing up for these services — for instance, Hotmail will close your account if you don't use it at least once a month and will bounce messages back to senders if you go over your limit — unless you pay an annual fee. Once your email address is set up, tell your friends and you're connected. If you enjoy journaling, write it on Blogger and send a link to your travel journal to your friends.
If you're traveling with a laptop, see if your Internet service provider offers local access numbers to get online in Europe. RoadNews offers tips on necessary hardware and software and where to find an Internet connection. TeleAdapt provides similar know-how as well as information on the adapters and testers you'll need to connect your modem to the various telephone jacks throughout Europe.
Updated for 2006. You'll find more of our favorite European travel websites on our Travel Links page.