Cameron Hewitt moved from Ohio to Seattle in 2000 to help Rick Steves research and write Americäs bestselling guidebooks. Cameron has traveled to and written about more than [...]opean countries, coauthoring books on Croatia, Budapest, Iceland, Scotland, Greece, Berlin, and more. Cameron also guides Rick Steves tours in Europe; contributes to Rick¿s television series and radio program; regularly presents travel talks; and blogs about his travels at [...] He writes with a deep passion for travel, keen cultural insight, and a sense of humor. Cameron married his high school sweetheart and favorite travel partner, Shawna, and lives in Seattle, Washington.

I. GETTING STARTED

Foreword by Rick Steves

Preface

About this Book

I¿ve Been in Your Hotel Room: A Day in the Life of a Guidebook Writer

II. THE TEMPORARY EUROPEAN

Hey! I¿m in Europe! | Kraków, Poland

The Permanent Residents of Vacationland | Croatiäs Dalmatian Coast

The Artisanal Life | Tuscany, Italy

My Travel Origin Story | Europe, 1999

Jams Are Fun: When Travel Plans Go Sideways

III. DECONSTRUCTING CLICHÉS

Velkomin til Íslands! | Reykjavík, Iceland

The Soggy, Sunny Highland Games of Taynuilt | Scottish Highlands

D¿oh! A Deer! | Salzburg, Austria

Loving the French (What¿s Not to Love?) | France

That Wonderful Language Barrier | Europe

Jams Are Fun: How to Drive in Sicily: Just Go Numb

Like All Things, This Tour Shall Pass: Confessions of a Tour Guide

IV. FOOD IS CULTURE

Come On, Have Some Guts | Palermo, Sicily

These Pierogi Are Perfect | Kraków, Poland

Seven Markets in Seven Days | Provence, France

The Trouble with Tapas | Spain

Where the World¿s Food Comes to You | London, England

Jams Are Fun: There¿s a (Gastrointestinal) Bomb on the Bus!

V. ALL ALONE; NEVER ALONE

An Introvert in the Land of Extroverts | Italy

High in the Mountains with Tinäs Dad | Slovenian Alps

What Lies Beneath | Dartmoor, England

Waiting for Lucianös Knock | Val d¿Orcia, Italy

Acorns and Corncobs: A Semester Abroad | Salamanca, Spain, 1996

Jams Are Fun: It¿s Gonna Be a Noisy Night | Europe

In Romania, Everything Is (Not) Possible: Making Travel Television

VI. MEANINGFUL HEDONISM

Pistachio Gelato Never Lies | Florence, Italy

Making Hay While the Sun Shines | Above Gimmelwald, Switzerland

Up to My Earlobes in Hot Water | Budapest, Hungary

Ghosts and Skeptics | Great Britain

Jams Are Fun: A Rough Day on the North Sea

The Merry Band of Travelers: The Cult of Rick Steves

VII. CHANGES AND CHALLENGES

The Sublime and the Ridiculous | Cinque Terre, Italy

One Day I Met Some Refugees | Zagreb, Croatia

Blood, Toil, Tears, Sweat, and Surrendering to Brexit | South England

Hallstatt Never Changes...Except When It Does | Hallstatt, Austria

Jams Are Fun: In Rome, You Can Never Get a Taxi When It Rains

EPILOGUE: After the World Changed, a New Hope for Travel; Or: Shutterbugs Miss the Lion

LUMPENSAMMLER: Favorites (and Least Favorites)

Acknowledgments