(4 of 5)
Most prolific of all travel writers—and Fielding's chief competitor—is Eugene Fodor, who grinds out a fat Guide to Europe and individual guidebooks to 17 nations every year. Unlike Fielding, his books cover the full range of tourism, from historical background to such practical tips as how to kick a hangover in Paris (drink Fernet-Branca) and how to gamble in casinos (for the best odds, play trente et quarante). Trouble is, Fodor leaves the actual writing and research of his books to a staff of 100 contributors, and the results are wildly uneven. He is good on France and Austria, far behind on Portugal and Spain.
Really Swinging
Other members of the force de tour are the uninspired paperbacks by Pan Am and TWA, a surprisingly uninformative series by Holiday, a Rand McNally pocket guide. But the one that is making the biggest current splash is a brightly covered paperback called Europe on $5 a Day. Written by Manhattan Attorney Arthur Frommer, its cardinal rule is "Never ask for a private bath with your hotel room"—a stricture that has sent hundreds of thousands of Americans sponging their way through Europe. But the book is deceptive. Its clean family hotels may turn out to be flophouses or cathouses, and its 500 restaurants can be followed by $20 doctor bills. In addition, most of the legitimate establishments have become so overrun with tourists that their prices have soared and they are always full. Its greatest danger, however, is that it is likely to lead the unwary reader into taking a trip he cannot afford—and leave him strapped and stranded when his money doesn't stretch as far as Frommer said it would. Says one disillusioned follower: "Europe on Five Bum Steers a Day."
There are at least two budget guidebooks that are more helpful than Frommer's. Norman D. Ford's All of Europe at Low Cost is a thorough, realistic guide to cutting corners as well as to good inexpensive hotels and restaurants on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Shorter, hipper and absolutely fresh is Let's Go, published by the Harvard Student Agencies. Intended primarily for students, Let's Go really swings through Europe. But in addition to being up on what's in, it offers excellent pointers on such things as wine-tasting tours and how to buy European art, is a remarkably knowledgeable sightseeing guide as well.
Whatever their individual merits, all general guidebooks to Europe share one important fault: they lag far behind in reflecting the major tourist trends. One case in point is an almost generalized failure to report that the Iron Curtain countries have begun to welcome tourists—and are beginning to swing. Hungarian night life and restaurants are just about as gay as they were in the good old days. Bulgaria is plugging a two-week stay on the sunny Black Sea coast for $91, including air fare from Vienna. Another popular Vienna excursion: down the Danube by hydrofoil for a weekend in Budapest. In Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie has become a bustling portal for tourists who want a peek behind the Wall. But of the major writers, only the Hungarian-born Fodor seems to be aware that the Iron Curtain exists; Fielding dropped all his Eastern European sections.