Sunday, March 30, 1958

THE MICHIGAN DAILY 'MAGAZI'NE

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Sundy,'arc 30"198"TE MIHIGN DILYMAGZIN

I

Continent-Bound Americans
Travel Books Offer Advice

By DONALD A. YATES
THIS SUMMER millions of
Americans will be on the go. A
good part of these vacationers and
tourists will be going in the direc-
tion of Europe. Travel agents and
the United States Department of
State, which issues passports to
citizens for foreign travel, are pre-
pared to handle a record number
of continent-bound Americans. A
percentage of these tourists, a per-
centage fortunately on the in-
crease, will be students.
This large group of adventuring
young people is a good sign. For-
eign travel provides an experience
which the average perceptive per-'
son will count, with good reason,,
among the most enlightening to be
discovered during his lifetime. Ev-
ery man, at least once in his life,'
should pnetrate beyond the limi-
tations of his national domain and
sample the air of a different cul-
tural climate.
Unfortunately, the typical Amer-
ican is the least qualified of in-
dlividuals to derive the most from
foreign travel. He is, characterist-
ically,nthe product of a vast, cen-
tralized culture with scarcely more
chance of knowing what's over the
horizon than a fish complacently
circulating inside a fishbowl, He
is, almost by definition, poorly
schooled in languages other than
his native tongue.
For such reasons, travel into a
foreign land where a surprisingly
large number of people do not un-
derstand English, takes on for the
American proportions of a chal-
lenging adventure in pioneering
in the Old World. The experience
of foreign travel, therefore, looses
some of the necessary perspective.
The deficiency in languages is
one that cannot be overcome dur-
ing a week of conscientious effort.
It is a learning experience that
must start long before one receives
the standard series of shots in the
arm, many months before one is
faced with the practical problem
of what is to be said to the desk
clerk at the little inexpensive Pari-
sian hotel. The savoir faire in
technical matters, however, is
something that one may stand in
ignorance of on Friday, and on
Sunday possess to a considerable
degree. This remarkable transfer
of knowledge is effected, of course,
through books.
AM LOOKING at three books
that should be of inestimable
value to the tourist striking out
for the Continental trails. These
three are:
1. The Poor Man's Guide to Eu-
rope, by David Dodge, Random
House, 308 pp., $3.50;
2. The Temple Fieldings' Travel
Guide to Europe, Sloane, 895 pp.,
$4.95; and
3. The Temple Fielding's Eelec-
tive Shopping Guide to Europe,
Sloane, 128 pp., $1.50.
These books deserve some com-
ment here.
The object of the David Dodge
compilation is, confessedly, to in-
dicate "how a European trip can
be made more enjoyable and less
expensive"-an admirable double
purpose that makes sense to an
American. A close reading of this
extremely helpful volume will sug-
gest to the reader the subtitle:
"Or, How to Beat the Game While
Touring Europe." The text in ques-
tion is the revised 1958 edition,
brought as nearly up to date as
possible for this season's exodus.
Dodge opens his book with a con-
sideration of the "European mon-
ey-exchange racket," an important
item to the tourist. He points out
the chief distinctions between the
"free money markets" and the "of-
ficial money markets" and thereby
gives the reader a needed back-
ground on a subject probably quite
unfamiliar to him.
Many a would-be traveler with
empty pockets will find his subse-
quent resumd of the "pay-after
you-go-plan" welcome and per-
haps encouraging news. He points
out that Pan American World Air-
ways has established a 10%-dwn,

twenty-months-to-pay plan, and
goes on to discuss the fact that

American Express has gone one
up on them with a no-money-
down, three-years-to-pay program.
Dodge says, "Today, any regularly
employed person with a good cred-
it ratlng can promote a trip to
Europe for himself and his fam-
ily, with transportation, hotels,
meals, sightseeing tours, shopping,
tips, cigarettes and pocket money
all financed on the time-honored
principle of pay-as-you-earn."
The Poor Man's Guide offers
gold-plated advice on every page
from a man who's learned the
ropes, and can labelsall the angles.
His chapter four, for example, is
entitled "Travel Agents and Oth-
er Exploitable Free Natural Re-
sources." Dodge continues with
hints on how to economize on trav-
el costs in Europe, and how to
save by means of intelligent use
of hotel guides, and pension and
hosteling opportunities. There are
further well documented chapters
on eating and drinking, tipping,
customs officials and numerous
other pertinent matters. The
book's style, as one can imagine,
is fresh and informal. Many people

swear by The Poor Man's Guide;
to this reviewer, it looks like a
good investment.
COMPLEMENTING the Dodge
compendium are the two Field-
ing titles.
The Fielding Travel Guide to
Europe opens with a detailed 47-
page chapter on the fundamental
concern of "Getting Ready." It
soon begins its "Guide" section
which is arranged alphabetically
by countries, from Albania "where
neither Mr. Hoxha nor Mr. Krus-
chev are welcoming American
tourists" to Yugoslavia where "you
will see a secenic Valhalla" but in
the better hotels will "tote your
own baggage and wait up to two
and one-half hours to be served
fourth-rate food."
The typical Fielding treatment
of a major European tourist coun-1
try is exhaustive and would ap-
pear hard to beat in the suit of
sheer overpowering general in-
formation and detail. In the 53-
page section on Germany, for ex-
ample, we are offered concise,

disciplined discussions of "Prin-
cipal Cities," "Money and Prices,"
"Customs and Immigration," "Ho-
tels," "Food and Restaurants" and
"Night Clubs" along with con-
siderations of "Wines," "Sports,"
"Laundry" and half a dozen oth-
er topics of interest to the tourist.
THE MATCHING Fielding Guide
to Selective Shopping, a handy
pocket-sized, looseleaf item, is
even more explicit and to the point
-this time on the down-to-earth
subject of exchanging your hard-
earned money for products and
services in the European tourist
havens. An idea of the thorough-
ness of the Fielding investigation
into the pitfalls and particular
pleasures of purchase can be
gained from the two paragraphsj
Donald A. Yates, a frequent
contributor to The Michigan
Daily Magazne, is on the
teaching faculty of Michigan
State University.

offered under the heading of
"Shannon Free Airport"-which is
the hop-off spot for air travelers
crossing the Atlantic.
"Things to Buy: Wines and spir-
its. French perfumes, Swiss
watches, Irish linens, U.S. cigar-
ettes, souvenirs and gifts of all
descriptions-any normally high-
taxed item, because it's all tax-free
in this International Zone. Gil-
bey's 'Crock of Gold' Irish whis-
key, $1.50; American cigarettes,
$1.40 per carton; other prices com-
parable. More than three fourths
of a million travelers load up on
the bargains annually. For fine
Mail Order service catalogues,
write to Manager T. P. O'Mahoney.
Sound merchandise, fantastic sav-
ings."
Books of this type serve a mag-
nificent purpose. They tend to
break down the natural fears of
the American abroad and give him
confidence to face the most valu-
able experiences that foreign trav-
el can provide: that of meeting
and talking humanely with other
people.

~C

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