Tried and True: The Best Travel Experiences in Europe

by Tom Kando

This is to let you know that I have just published a new book, with the following title: Tried and True: The Best Travel Experiences in Europe.

Here is a description:

Tom Kando has visited over thirty European countries and spent many years living in half a dozen of them. He has crossed the Atlantic a hundred times. In this travel guide and travel memoir, he shares eventful and often hilarious experiences in Europe, from Iceland to Russia and from Scotland’s Hebrides Islands to the Riviera and Sicily: Amusing, true stories about staving off pickpockets, braving chaotic Parisian and Roman traffic, dealing with train, airplane and hotel snafus. Secondly, Kando offers a wealth of practical information about errors to avoid, what to do and not to do, and what to see.

The book deals with tipping customs, negotiating roundabouts, what to do about GPS, where to shop, when various stores are open and closed, whether to use ATM cash or to charge, restaurants, museums, hotels (never stay at a hotel in the outskirts). In this book, Kando covers twenty-one countries, including Scandinavia, the Benelux, Eastern Europe, Russia, the British and Irish Isles, the Alpine countries, France, Italy, Spain and more. Whether he is visiting Icelandic glaciers or the prehistoric caves at Lascaux, dining on cheese in Switzerland, or convincing a Soviet agent he's not a spy, Kando will inspire you to follow in his footsteps to discover world cities such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, London, Moscow, Paris, Rome, Venice, Vienna, picturesque villages, natural wonders and magnificent out-of-the-way destinations such as Pompeii, the ramparts of Saint Malo and the Greek temples of Paestum. Kando discusses great natural wonders and other sites, and how to enjoy your travels as much as possible. He reminds the reader that “you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs.” In other words, the enjoyment of a truly authentic travel experience takes some effort, but in the end, it is highly rewarding.

Kando's many years of experience traveling and living in different parts of Europe were spent with the many members of his European family, with countless European friends and colleagues, and on his own as a tourist. When Tom and his wife Anita go to Europe, they almost always include Amsterdam, Paris and Rome. They go to Amsterdam a lot because they have friends and relatives there. Time and again they return to Paris and Rome because they love these two cities, which they consider to be the world’s most beautiful. But they also leave the cities to visit the provinces, for example Tuscany, the Italian Lake District, the Amalfi Coast, the French Riviera, the Dordogne, Normandy and other regions. In recent years they spent a marvelous week in Berlin and another one in Ireland, both of which were new to them. Sometimes they’ll tour some new parts of Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Scandinavia, Scotland and elsewhere. Read about it all in TRIED AND TRUE: THE BEST TRAVEL EXPERIENCES IN EUROPE.

The book is available in print for $11.99 + shipping from Amazon by clicking on the title of the book, above, or for $3.99 as a Kindle e-book by clicking on the following link: Kindle e-book

This is a fun book, not political. It has pictures and maps. It comes out at a time of crisis. Coincidentally, it is about the beauty of something which is now problematic - international travel. However, in time things will get back to normal, and travel in Europe (and elsewhere) will once again be a great experience. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my stories and my guidance.