First Big Trip
 

Hi,<BR><BR>I need some advice from seasoned travelers. My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to Amsterdam in the Spring. Being I have never been on a &quot;real trip&quot;, and with economic constraints in mind where can I find information on planning my trip? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!<BR><BR>Thanks!!!

Do a search on this site for &quot;Amsterdam&quot; and you'll be able to view previous threads.<BR><BR>US

I like the Time Out travel book series, which runs right across the board from the upscale to hostels to campgrounds, and the same with entertainment and music.<BR><BR>Good luck!

Amsterdam is a great place to visit and you'll have a wonderful time. There are many inexpensive to moderately-priced places to eat. One hitch with Amsterdam is that you need to plan your hotel accommodations very carefully because it is a city where things book up and rates tend to be high, compared to many other destinations.<BR><BR>One stone that you don't want to leave unturned is a an airfare/hotel package deal. At times, it can provide savings on both of those major cost items for your trip. Others can talk about various neighborhoods they prefer and your search will turn up plenty of commentary. Frankly, I've found most of them to be interesting and relatively safe if you use common sense,including some areas that are not all that far from the much-maligned central rail station area and the infamous Red Light District. For a &quot;First Big Trip&quot;, maybe those are a couple of areas to steer away from as your hotel location. <BR><BR>Whatever you do, be sure to stay somewhere inside the canal zone because that is the Amsterdam that you are there to see. <BR><BR>Happy Contrails! :o)

Welcome to Fodors Travel Talk! You'll find a few cynical amd impatient veteran advice &quot;dispensers&quot; here. Some of what they have to say is good advice, even if it isn't always pitched at you in a friendly manner.<BR><BR>The TimeOut series is a good idea, but even more generically, what you need is a good several hours at the largest public library near you or large chain book store or both. Browse several kinds of guide books for &quot;style&quot;. Perhaps buy one; borrow several from the library, and perhaps read at least one, cover to cover, just like a novel.<BR><BR>Besides this website, I would also encourage the Thorn Tree on www.lonelyplanet.com since it attracts a lot more people in your age and budget bracket.<BR><BR>You are probably going to want to lock in your air travel ASAP. Once you know the cost of that, and the dates, then it's time to make some itinerary decisions, and possibly decide how you will get point A to B. This is true even if you stay in one place in A-dam the whole time, and make day trip visits to other nearby destinations from there.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex Bickers<BR>Westervile, Ohio<BR>

Thanks for the great advice. Looks like I have some research to do!

In addition to the TimeOut books, there is also very good info on the www.timeout.com website.<BR>

Try these as well:<BR>www.BootsnAll.com<BR>www.VirtualTourist.c om<BR>www.simplyamsterdam.nl<BR>www.visitamsterdam .nl<BR><BR>Rex has a good point; it is probably wise to book your flight asap. Don't forget that mid-April to late May is high season in the Netherlands because of the blooming bulbs, so plan accordingly - and rent a bike in Haarlem, Lisse or Sassenheim and ride to the Keukenhof!<BR>

Rick Steves first edition of Amsterdam is due out in Febuary. I know I am buying it for my trip to Amsterdam in Sept.<BR>I have Let's Go guide to Amsterdam that is very good. Look for it at your public library.<BR>We stayed in the Jordaan part of the city at the Hotel Nadia. It was basic yet clean and the people at the front desk were very friendly and helpful.

Hi all,<BR> It's been a while since I was in Amsterdam.<BR> Do they still have the VVV counters at the train station to help you find hotels?