Alasdair Vale is a travel addict who had visited all 47 countries in Europe by his 23rd birthday, then someone invented Kosovo. Europe - the Hard Way is the engaging and humourous result of numerous budget trips across the continent. From jumping off bridges in Bosnia, sleeping in Swiss supermarkets, watching Bolton Wanderers in Macedonia and attending a cross-dressing party in Finland. The first book to contain travel stories from every country in the continent, Europe - the Hard Way came from an attempt to travel 'better than (Bill) Bryson and poorer than (Michael) Palin' and the result is a book which moves fluently between humour, romance and, on occasion, serious contemplation of the events which shaped Europe in the 20th Century.