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 35 European 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 cameronhewitt.com. 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 STARTEDForeword by Rick StevesPrefaceAbout this BookI¿ve Been in Your Hotel Room: A Day in the Life of a Guidebook WriterII. THE TEMPORARY EUROPEANHey! I¿m in Europe! | Kraków, PolandThe Permanent Residents of Vacationland | Croatiäs Dalmatian CoastThe Artisanal Life | Tuscany, ItalyMy Travel Origin Story | Europe, 1999Jams Are Fun: When Travel Plans Go SidewaysIII. DECONSTRUCTING CLICHÉSVelkomin til Íslands! | Reykjavík, IcelandThe Soggy, Sunny Highland Games of Taynuilt | Scottish HighlandsD¿oh! A Deer! | Salzburg, AustriaLoving the French (What¿s Not to Love?) | FranceThat Wonderful Language Barrier | EuropeJams Are Fun: How to Drive in Sicily: Just Go NumbLike All Things, This Tour Shall Pass: Confessions of a Tour GuideIV. FOOD IS CULTURECome On, Have Some Guts | Palermo, SicilyThese Pierogi Are Perfect | Kraków, PolandSeven Markets in Seven Days | Provence, FranceThe Trouble with Tapas | SpainWhere the World¿s Food Comes to You | London, EnglandJams Are Fun: There¿s a (Gastrointestinal) Bomb on the Bus!V. ALL ALONE; NEVER ALONEAn Introvert in the Land of Extroverts | ItalyHigh in the Mountains with Tinäs Dad | Slovenian AlpsWhat Lies Beneath | Dartmoor, EnglandWaiting for Lucianös Knock | Val d¿Orcia, ItalyAcorns and Corncobs: A Semester Abroad | Salamanca, Spain, 1996Jams Are Fun: It¿s Gonna Be a Noisy Night | EuropeIn Romania, Everything Is (Not) Possible: Making Travel TelevisionVI. MEANINGFUL HEDONISMPistachio Gelato Never Lies | Florence, ItalyMaking Hay While the Sun Shines | Above Gimmelwald, SwitzerlandUp to My Earlobes in Hot Water | Budapest, HungaryGhosts and Skeptics | Great BritainJams Are Fun: A Rough Day on the North SeaThe Merry Band of Travelers: The Cult of Rick StevesVII. CHANGES AND CHALLENGESThe Sublime and the Ridiculous | Cinque Terre, ItalyOne Day I Met Some Refugees | Zagreb, CroatiaBlood, Toil, Tears, Sweat, and Surrendering to Brexit | South EnglandHallstatt Never Changes...Except When It Does | Hallstatt, AustriaJams Are Fun: In Rome, You Can Never Get a Taxi When It RainsEPILOGUE: After the World Changed, a New Hope for Travel; Or: Shutterbugs Miss the LionLUMPENSAMMLER: Favorites (and Least Favorites)Acknowledgments

Write guidebooks, make travel TV, lead bus tours? Cameron Hewitt has been Rick Steves‿ right hand for more than 20 years, doing just that. The Temporary European is a collection of vivid, entertaining travel tales from across Europe. Cameron zips you into his backpack for engaging and inspiring experiences: sampling spleen sandwiches at a Palermo street market; hiking alone with the cows high in the Swiss Alps; simmering in Budapest‿s thermal baths; trekking across an English moor to a stone circle; hand-rolling pasta at a Tuscan agriturismo; shivering through Highland games in a soggy Scottish village; and much more. Along the way, Cameron introduces us to his favorite Europeans. In Mostar, Alma demonstrates how Bosnian coffee isn‿t just a drink, but a social ritual. In France, Mathilde explains that the true mastery of a fromager isn‿t making cheese, but aging it. In Spain, Fran proudly eats acorns, but never corn on the cob. While personal, the stories also tap into the universal joy of travel. Cameron‿s travel motto (inspired by a globetrotting auntie) is "Jams Are Fun"‿the fondest memories arrive when your best-laid plans go sideways. And he encourages travelers to stow their phones and guidebooks, slow down, and savor those magic moments that arrive between stops on a busy itinerary. The stories are packed with inspiration and insights for your next trip, including how to find the best gelato in Italy, how to select the best produce at a ProvenÃ
al market, how to navigate Spain‿s confusing tapas scene, and how to survive the experience of driving in Sicily (hint: just go numb). And you‿ll get a reality check for every traveler‿s "dream job": researching and writing guidebooks; guiding busloads of Americans on tours around Europe; scouting and producing a travel TV show; and working with Rick Steves and his merry band of travelers. It‿s a candid account of how the sausage gets made in the travel business‿told with warts-and-all honesty and a sense of humor. For Rick Steves fans, or anyone who loves Europe, The Temporary European is inspiring, insightful, and fun.