Annotated bibliography
Spending a holiday in Europe can be unaffordable for many tourists. This blog will present various ways of saving money in different European countries and will focus on transportation, housing, food, and entertainment. The sources included below aim to contribute to the general understanding of the tourism sector, as well as provide specific ideas and guidelines for experienced travelers.
Batabyal, Debasish, and Dilip Kumar Das. Global Trends, Practices, and Challenges in Contemporary Tourism and Hospitality Management. IGI Global, 2019.
This book focuses on contemporary tourism and its major aspects. The authors provide an insight into the preferences of modern tourists and the concerns of the modern hospitality sphere. An advantage of the source is that it covers various aspects of traveling in different regions, including Europe. Moreover, it presents and discusses in detail trends in tourism that cannot be considered traditional, such as ecotourism. I think that the relevance of this source is expressed in how it presents tourism from a socio-economic perspective, which can be especially informative for tourists interested in budget traveling. Moreover, the target audience of the book includes travel agents, marketers, and consultants, which allows an understanding of how tourists are perceived in the modern tourism sector and how to avoid hard-selling of touristic services. Therefore, the ideas presented in this source may be used for describing the contemporary tourism sector in general and creating an image of a modern tourist.
Oskam, Jeroen A. The Future of Airbnb and the “Sharing Economy”: The Collaborative Consumption of Our Cities. Channel View Publications, 2019.
The book by Oskam is a comprehensive description of Airbnb as one of the most popular vacation rental platforms. The author focuses on the “sharing economy” of this particular online marketplace and discusses its hidden practices and impact on the accommodation sector of business. It can be suggested that the goal of the book is to provide an understanding of how Airbnb functions and warn prospective guests about its disadvantages, such as issues related to social inequality. The source is connected with the topic of budget traveling in Europe because Airbnb is considered one of the affordable platforms for renting accommodation. Some of the chapters cover the peculiarities of the “sharing economy” in the European region in particular. At the same time, not all travelers are aware of the hidden disadvantages of Airbnb accommodation, especially ones related to economy and social sustainability. Moreover, the book was published in 2019 and represents the current reality of the vacation rental sector. To summarize, the book focuses on Airbnb in the broader socio-economic context in different regions, including European.
Plumridge, Nardia. Lost in Florence: An Insider’s Guide to the Best Places to Eat, Drink and Explore. Hardie Grant Travel, 2019.
Plumridge’s book presents her travel experience in Florence from the point of a budget tourist. She does not only describe the major sights of the city but also mentions less well-known places appreciated by local people. A remarkable feature of the book is that the author discusses various aspects of exploring the city, such as eating and drinking, shopping, and visiting tourist destinations. Moreover, she mentions affordable ways of exploring this Italian city. This book can be considered appropriate for the chosen topic because it covers both traditional and cheap ways of traveling in Italy. Even though the author writes about only one European city, the source provides an insight into general aspects of traveling in Europe and includes specific ideas and advice for the travelers. Finally, I think that this book is a trustworthy source because Plumridge is a traveler herself and is familiar with the described city. To conclude, written in the form of a guidebook, this source provides examples and advice connected to cheap and unconventional travel in Florence, based on the author’s personal experience.