The United Kingdom – the union name for the countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – is one of the most popular tourists destinations in the world, especially the capital of England, London and the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh.

Traveling through the UK – as it is abbreviated to – is fairly simple given the size of the four countries. Three – England, Scotland and Wales – are connected by land. It is possible to travel from the Northernmost point of the UK – John O’Groats in Scotland – to the Southernmost point – Land’s End in England – in a day. Only Northern Ireland is not on the same island as the other three countries in the Union, but is reachable by a short ferry trip, most commonly from Scotland.

As the countries are small and interlinked, UK travel is a surprisingly easy aspect of a vacation there. It is possible to fly domestically, and rail and motorway networks serve the UK well. However, rail travel is very expensive, as was recently evidenced by the first issuing of a return rail ticket costing over £1,000 (around $1,400). There are discounts available, however, especially for foreign visitors on short-term stays.

Flying by air is much simpler, however, and usually cheaper, too. The UK has several major airports, both international and domestic, and flights between the countries are inexpensive and regular. You do not need to show a passport to travel across the country borders, though some form of ID is recommended for air travel.

It’s safe to say that the vast majority of us book a holiday to a place where we ‘like the sound of’. Destinations tend to be spread by word of mouth, when other people enjoy their vacation and tell their friends – or the entire internet. Yet oddly, when we’ve booked this people-recommended holiday, many of us then go and by a travel guide from a book retailer.

This might not seem that odd, but in reality it is. We take a tip given by a genuine, fellow traveler and then reduce it down to buying a travel guide. A guide which was probably written by a freelance writer who has never even set foot in the country they have visited. The small travel guides you can buy in shops and convenience stores provide little insight and no personal touch of what it is like to visit a place, and what you should do while you’re there. That means you may miss out, and not get the most out of your holiday.

The solution, thankfully, is simple. The genuine, person-to-person or on the grapevine advice is the thing to stick to: you want to know what people like yourself thought of the destination, and where they think you should visit. You don’t want some rehashed advertising literature that makes everything sound wonderful – and that’s mainly what travel guides are.

Thankfully, there are sites on the internet that will provide a genuine experience report and recommendation guide for fellow travelers Run a search engine query for your destination and browse through the pages, and some personal testimonials will inevitably come up. The personal touch is always preferable to some generic content, so give travel guides a miss and get your tips and advice from those who have actually been there and done it.

When traveling a trip to Europe, certain countries naturally suggest themselves to your itinerary Everyone wants to visit the usual places; Italy, Spain, France, England, Holland and the Czech Republic. All of the aforementioned have a city, tourist attraction or night life that is tempting to any possible tourist.

However, if you limit yourself to the well known tourist destinations in Europe, you may miss out on some wonderful places to see and experience. Here’s three European countries to consider adding to you want-to-visit list:

– Ireland

The Republic of Ireland, specifically. The capital city of Dublin has a thriving, bustling lifestyle than will entice any die-hard party goer, while the countryside of Ireland has to be seen to be believed. Flights often connect with one of the English-based airports, though Dublin International Airport is served by some direct routes to and from the United States.

– Germany

Germany doesn’t have the best PR in the world due to its heavy involvement in the World Wars, but visiting the famously industrious country can be a real eye opener. The wine culture here is a treat for any connoisseur, and the art and literature are as good as anywhere else on the continent. For the history buffs, there’s plenty of war-related sights to see and museums to visit. The country is well served by airports, which deal with both domestic and international flights.

– Norway

The capital city, Oslo, is as cosmopolitan as any European city – and has the night life to go with it, as well as historical sights to be enjoyed. The airport is accessible from both overseas and continental Europe, making it easy to visit and enjoy.