Beard Family Trips & Vacations

Items That Really Helped

When packing for the trip, I had to trim down the number of books and other items that I brought along due to weight levels.  After getting over to Europe, I found that I came to rely on only a couple of items in both cities.

Disneyland Paris:

  Brit Guide - Disneyland Resort Paris 2008/9 by Simon & Susan Veness - can be bought online from amazon.com for $16

This was about the only guide that I could find in English for the Disneyland Resort in Paris. 

Paris:

  The Paris Mapguide by Michael Middleditch - can be bought from bn.com for $10

  Rick Steves' Paris 2008 - can be bought from bn.com for $16

Paris Tourism Map - available free from metro station ticket offices

The free map helps with identifying metro trips, while the mapguide gives detailed street level views and allowing us to find locations that we wanted to find.  We did have some trouble identifying streets while walking around, but this mapguide helped.  The Rick Steves' book helps with descriptions of locations to visit and various things to look at.  There is a metro map in the front of the mapguide.

London:

  The London Mapguide by Michael Middleditch - can be bought from bn.com for $10

  Rick Steves' London 2008 - can be bought from bn.com for $16

  London Tube Map - free in all tube stations (from racks hanging on entrance walls)

The free map helps was easy to pull out and double-check tube stations quickly.  The mapguide gives detailed street level views and allowing us to find locations that we wanted to find.  We really used it in London when walking around.  Note: street names in London are usually on the corner buildings or fences, not on sign posts.  The Rick Steves' book helps with descriptions of locations to visit and various things to look at.  There is a tube map in the front of the mapguide.

Other books help with planning for individual locations and what you want to see, but these items are really worth getting.

This site was last updated 11/02/08