Money

Short distance trade with handicrafts/cooking/sewing/casting for beginner profits (exp/fame not first priority)

1. Very good trade route is Antwerp-Den Helder.
You need at least level 3 cooking and level 3 handicrafts and level 1 sewing.
Let's say we start at Helder, buy all chicken - pluck feathers (sewing1, Fabric Secrets - Hardwares book, bought in Amsterdam for 5000D), buy all sheep - make lamb (cooking3, Livestock secrets - Sheep book, 8000D Amsterdam), sell lamb to market keeper (profit of 40-60k in couple of minutes). Even better if you have cooking level 5 and can make sausages (level 5 recipe from the sheep book). Then make sausages and sell to market keeper - even better profit. After doing that sail to Antwerp, sell feathers (or you can sell feathers in Calais nearby for better exp/fame), buy all wheat and pork (if you have level 5 cooking - then buy pork).
Make Akvavit from wheat ( handicrafts 3, book Brewery Secrets from Hamburg for 10000D) and sausages from pork (cooking 5, book Livestock secrets - Pigs, 8000D from Porto). Sail back to Helder and sell everything. Repeat :) It's quite good early money, can make several 100 000's per hour this way. But it gets boring quickly.

2. Bergen - Oslo if you have Historical Crafts Guide book.
Bergen has Rye and Lumber, while Oslo - Wool and Lumber.
Go to Bergen, buy Rye and Lumber, make Vodka (handicrafts 3, brewery secrets book) or Whiskey (handicrafts 4, same book), and make Wooden figures from Lumber (handicrafts 3, Historical Crafts Guide book, 400000D investment in Cairo). Now sail to Oslo, sell everything there (can make some 80-150k profit easily), buy Lumber and Wool in Oslo (Lumber->Wooden figures). Make woolen cloth (sewing 3, book Fabric secrets - Cloth, 10000D Antwerp/Helder) or knitted cloth (sewing 4, same book), even better flannel (sewing7, Fabric Secrets - Fine Cloth, 240000D invest + 100000D price) or tweed (sewing8, same as flannel).