Do I have a direct line to researchers developing a COVID-19 vaccine? Nope. Do I know something you don’t know about what the outgoing or incoming U.S. federal administration is going to do with regards to vaccine distribution? Nuh-uh. Do I have a crystal ball? (It had to be asked.) No, I do not (we wish!).

Am I nevertheless going to plan my return to Europe for 2021? Yes, I am.

Here are 11 tips I think will make planning your return trip to Europe in 2021 easier, safer, and less expensive than you’ve been imagining it could be.

Related: 11 Tips for Traveling to France in 2021 (Pass Sanitaire, Covid Testing, ete.)

Tips for a safe and Cheapo trip to Europe in 2021

1. Go with a friend

When we get sick or are injured at home, we all need someone who will advocate for us with health care providers when we can’t advocate for ourselves. While we Cheapos do love a great solo adventure, during these times of COVID-19 I’m opting to travel with a buddy. Then, if I get sick or injured, my buddy will be able to make sure I receive the treatment I require and vice versa.

This was already a good point to consider pre-COVID-19, but now planning for the worst is the only sensible way to travel.

Visiting Athen’s Acropolis helps the local economy — and is an open-air attraction. Photo: dariosusanj

2. Plan to visit places that rely on tourism

This has been a crazy hard year for most of us. But for nations whose economies rely primarily on tourism, this year has been especially difficult.

That’s why I’m heading to Greece. Not only has the nation suffered a TKO to its tourism industry, its primary source of income for the great majority of Greeks, but Greece has also provided asylum for more refugees per capita than most other EU nations.

And besides, after the year we’ve had here in the U.S., heading to paradise for my first trip outside the U.S. since the pandemic began seems like a pretty good idea.

3. Go during the off-season… for several reasons

Is there even still an off-season, with so many employees telecommuting and the majority of students studying remotely now? Yes, there most certainly is.

Even if students are attending class virtually, the majority of families who have taken any holidays in 2020 have done so during school breaks. That means the off-season is still when most schools are in session, so avoid planning travel for Thanksgiving week, the winter holidays, or June through August.

Why does off-season travel matter in the first place? That’s when the fewest people will be traveling, so you are less likely to find yourself seated beside a center-seat companion on airplanes, less likely to sit back-to-back with other guests at outdoor restaurants and cafes, less likely to have neighbors in the hotel room across from yours, and so on. Fewer fellow travelers almost always translates into cheaper room rates and flights, too.

Having fewer people to jostle around has always been a treat during the off-season, but during these COVID-19 times having more space to move and sit and eat is more than a bonus. It’s now a health consideration, too.

4. Buy trip insurance for peace of mind

You most likely won’t need to purchase travel insurance to protect you from expenses associated with rescheduling or altogether canceling your flights, because many airlines are including that in their airfares these days (of course, if the ticket you buy doesn’t include it, we always recommend purchasing it).

But medical evacuation and repatriation insurance are a must. Should you become ill or injured overseas, you may need to be evacuated in order to receive proper medical care–especially if you’re hiking or otherwise exploring more remote areas. Repatriation insurance covers the cost of flying your body back home, should you die while traveling abroad.

Of course, we hope you will waste your money on this and never have any need for it, but having it in your pocket is a necessity… just in case of the very worst-case scenario actually happening to you during your trip.

For more information on this topic, read our post on travel insurance.

JFK to Madrid in June… for under $500 nonstop? You could book it now and cancel if need be.

5. Book your airfare now for deals

We have no idea (though some speculate) how airfares will be impacted by COVID-19 or anything else over the course of 2021. We do, however, know how airfares are looking right now, and they’re cheap.

Really cheap.

We found round-trip September airfares from SFO to ATH with only one layover for as low as $687, and round-trip airfares as low as $603 for flights with two layovers. That’s less than we paid to fly to Greece in 2004.

6. Book a window seat to reduce risk

Studies have shown that the greatest risk of contracting COVID-19 during a flight is derived from the people sitting two seats ahead of you, two seats behind you, and two seats to either side of you. So, if you select a window seat, you’ve just reduced your risk by 25% simply because there are no seats to one side of you. According to this article from MIT Medical:

… Whatever your airline’s middle-seat policy may be, when it comes to the risk of contracting an illness in flight, a window seat may be your safest bet. Having a wall on one side automatically reduces your number of close-proximity contacts. A window seat also protects you from the inadvertent close contacts that can occur when other passengers are hoisting bags into overhead bins at the start of a flight or crowding aisles to deplane after landing.

7. Book your accommodations now for deals

As with flights, there is no sure-fire way to know what will happen to hotel room rates in 2021. But many hotels are offering deals to encourage travelers to book now so they can have a sense of how many guests they might expect to serve, so they can entice travelers to take advantage of the lower rates, and quite frankly so they can determine if they can even keep their doors open.

Nevertheless, most of these hotels are still offering complete refunds if you cancel within forty-eight hours of your arrival date, so you win if you go and you win if you don’t. Check the full details before you book.

Search for hotels in Europe on EuroCheapo.

Where will you go when it’s safe to ravel again? Photo: Unsplash

8. Pack these items for extra safety

• A roll or two of toilet paper
• Hand sanitizer
• Disinfectant wipes
• Disposable protective masks
• Cloth face coverings
• Disposable safety gloves
• Ballpoint pens

If you’re in the habit of getting off the beaten path quite often, you have probably long been in the habit of packing your own toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Continue to do that, even if you’re planning to stay primarily in urban areas when you return to Europe. Then, pack disinfectant wipes so you can wipe down high-traffic areas in your hotel rooms and at outdoor cafes, along with a supply of disposable masks that’s double the length of time you plan to be away.

So, if your trip will be for 14 days, pack 28 disposable masks. Here at home you use cloth face coverings and wash them after each use to limit your environmental footprint. Continue that practice by taking a few cloth face coverings with you when you travel, but in case you take one of your cloth face coverings off at a cafe to eat and then one falls onto the ground while you’re affixing it to your sweaty face before entering a shop, you want to have a back-up. (You definitely do not want to get stuck having to stay outside of a place you really want to enter and may not have a chance to return to simply because your mask fell on the ground or you left it behind and now you have no face covering to protect others and yourself.)

Though there’s not much use for disposable gloves if you are able to wash your hands, you may find yourself somewhere where you won’t be able to count on washing your hands before eating. What if you lose your hand sanitizer or it falls out of your bag and there is no sink available to wash your hands? That’s when the disposable gloves will come in handy. Just make sure you are smart about how you remove them.

Finally, bring at least three ballpoint pens with you so you always have your own to sign hotel guest registries and credit card receipts.

9. Take these precautions everywhere you go

Washing your hands often, wearing a protective face covering, and staying 6+ feet away from others isn’t just good advice for when you are around others back home; it’s good advice everywhere. Though you may be enchanted by your surroundings, always remember to keep your mouth and nose covered and keep a safe distance from others as you explore Europe.

And if you feel unwell while overseas, stay in your hotel and avoid potentially exposing others to your illness. If you test positive for COVID-19 while abroad, isolate yourself from others for 10 days, plus three more if your symptoms have not resolved themselves within seven days of starting your 10-day isolation period.

It will be a bummer to have to stay in your hotel room watching local television shows and reading the 99 books you brought with you on your e-reader, but that’s what must be done in order to be a good global citizen during these times of COVID-19.

Driving through Spain. Photo: kentwang

10. Stay safe while renting a car, and riding a train or ferry

Rent a car. Rent a car. Rent a car. (Seriously, rent a car.) Wear your mask when you initially enter it and for the first few hours of driving it, wipe it down with your disinfectant wipes, and drive with the windows down for the first few hours.

Just as you would here at home, wear your protective face covering when you fill your rental car’s tank with petrol, and apply hand sanitizer to your hands before removing your mask or putting your hands on your steering wheel once you’re back in your vehicle.

If you’re going to take the train (who doesn’t love the trains in Europe?), splurge on a couchette/sleeper car. You can wipe it down with your disinfectant wipes, wear a mask for the first few hours you are in it, and if the window opens you can open it up to get air circulating while keeping the door to the couchette closed so as to restrict air flow from the main cabin.

If you’re traveling to a country like Greece where you would typically use ferries to move from one island to another, consider staying on the mainland and solely using your rental car for transport, or fly among islands instead of taking ferries. Even if you can find sufficient space on a ferry to keep yourself and others safe, simply standing in the crowd waiting to board the ferry could be unnecessarily risky.

Search car rentals throughout Europe here.

11. Embrace the outdoors

If you don’t absolutely have to go inside shops, museums, and exhibits, skip them altogether this time around. Instead, enjoy the outdoor offerings of the place you’re visiting. For instance, although the Benaki Museum and Acropolis Museum are brilliant, during my 2021 return to Athens I will focus solely on visiting Lykavittos; the Parthenon; Hephaestus; other archaeological finds and architectural remains that can be enjoyed in open spaces; beaches; mountainous regions where we can hike to our hearts’ content; and the abundance of outdoor markets, cafes, and gardens.

Final thoughts

There’s no reason to fear returning to Europe (assuming those of us with U.S. passports are admitted…!) in 2021. Simply be smart about it and take every reasonable safety precaution, just as you would right here at home. Safe and joyous travels to you!

Your tips?

Planning a trip abroad in 2021? How do you plan to stay safe?

The post 11 Tips for Planning Your Return Trip to Europe in 2021 appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Once you book your hotel, it’s time to figure out what to bring. So should you pack the sandals or the sneakers? Just jeans or slacks, too?

Here are some tips for looking like a local.

1. No socks with sandals… or sandals too early

It’s primavera (springtime) in Spain and this makes it a snap to see who is local and who just landed for spring break. How can I tell? I look at people’s feet.

It is still too cold for most locals to wear sandals, and while they may not be wearing warm, leather boots anymore, we’re still not ready to get the manicure and show off our ankles yet. Sandals make their appearance more in May, and definitely in June. When sandals are firmly on Spanish feet once more, you will never, ever, in a million years, see them worn with socks. There should be a law…

In addition to not wearing sandals yet, locals will also be the ones wearing a coat, perhaps of the light mid-season variety, and scarves… which brings me to tip number two.

2. Pack scarves for color, variety and warmth

When a friend came to visit he told me that “real men don’t wear scarves, or eat quiche, or wear pink.” While this may have been true in his part of the world, it is not so in Madrid.

Scarves are in year-round (especially on women) and will give you Euro-flair and something warm around your neck when the cold spring rain beings to fall (and it will fall). Also, bringing a few scarves in different tones and textures will spice up your wardrobe if you’re traveling light.

If you don’t have any scarves, don’t fret, you’ll find an abundance of them for sale here.

Related: 10-day itinerary for Spain through Barcelona, Madrid and Seville

3. Consider hats and sunglasses.

Every local has at least two pairs of shades. You need them in Madrid for those long strolls through Buen Retiro Park and lunches on sun-drenched plazas.

Hats are also in, but not so much the baseball cap or cowboy hat. I’ve seen many locals donning newsboy hats which work for hiding a bad hair day and keeping the sun off your nose. In the summer months those with sensitive skin should wear a hat, as the Spanish sun is fierce. However, most locals do not.

4. Keeping it casual?

For the most part, people do dress nicely when they go out, and Madrid is not a “sweatpants” culture. This does not mean you need to wear your best dress and high-heels (unless you want to) or a suit. Instead, a pair of ironed jeans or slacks, a button-down shirt, a pair of stylish sneakers (not bright white Nikes), and perhaps a sweater or jacket will work for guys.

More informal? Jeans and a t-shirt will work, too, depending on where you are planning to spend your time. Ladies: Do pack a dress or two for a night out. Jeans and sneakers also work for girls and can be dressed up with the right blouse or sweater. I’d go for flats or sneakers any day over heels simply because there is a lot of walking in Madrid.

Overall, dress up rather than down for this sophisticated city.

Related: Which Madrid neighborhood is right for your visit

5. Accessorize!

I see many visitors on the Madrid Metro wearing their backpack in front of them. While this is a clever way to not get robbed, it makes you look like a tourist. To which you may respond, “But I am a tourist!” And there is nothing wrong with that. I’d sling the backpack over one shoulder and keep a good grip on it. I’d also tuck the camera away if you’re not using it, as nothing screams “I just got off Delta” like a dangling Nikon.

Instead, wear your favorite watch. Spanish men (I’m generalizing) add fashion “bling” with fancy-pants watches and nice belts. If you’re a lady, show your style with a large handbag that has a million zippers (making it impossible for anyone to rob you on the bus).

Your fashion tips for Madrid

Have you been to Madrid? Tell us what you like to wear during your Spanish vacation.

The post Madrid: 5 ways to dress like a local appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Unfortunately, depending on where you’re coming from, a flight to Europe can be cost prohibitive for many travelers. Fear not! Unlock savings and explore these five simple tips to find your lowest airfare to Europe.

1. Buy your ticket in advance (but not too far)

It is intuitive that airline tickets are cheaper far in advance—when you as a consumer have flexibility—and increase steadily the closer you get to the date of the flight. This is true, but only partially.

According to an ARC Study, ticket prices tend to dip to their lowest levels six weeks in advance of a flight. Those who book their tickets at that time save an average of 6%. So be sure to plan your trip in advance… somewhat.

2. Fly mid-week to mid-week

Most people tend to think of a vacation in terms of a typical workweek. For example, flying on a Friday night and coming the back following weekend. Break this cycle or break the bank!

According to a FareCompare study, flying midweek—on a Tuesday or Wednesday—can save you up to 35% because of lower demand.

3. Book on a Tuesday afternoon

People tend to search for airline tickets when they have free time, which is most often in the evenings after school and work or on the weekends. As expected, ticket prices subsequently tend to rise at these times, especially over the weekend.

In fact, according to FareCompare, the cheapest time to buy a ticket is Tuesday afternoon when most airlines release their deals.

4. Travel from hub to hub for cheaper rates

Another great way to unlock savings on your next trip to Europe is to know your airlines and hubs, recognizing that hub to hub travel is often associated with steep discounts.

For example, if you’re planning a trip from New York to Vienna, you could book a direct flight. However, one way to save money would be to book direct to an airline’s hub—like flying from New York to Lufthansa’s hub in Munich—and then buying a regional ticket on a budget airline to Vienna.

5. Think about ALL of your travel costs

Although not technically airfare, to really unlock travel savings to Europe, think beyond just a flight to all of your travel. Many travelers, for instance, forget to research ground transportation when they land and end up spending large sums on cabs and other travel versus inexpensive and available bus and metro systems.

About the Author

David D. Chait is a travel enthusiast and Co-Founder of Travefy, a free group travel planning app.

The post 5 simple tips for finding the lowest airfare to Europe appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

1. Pick the route less traveled

Paris, Vienna and Switzerland are luxury gems worth seeing when you have the budget, but penny pinchers should lean more towards Mediterranean marvels and Eastern European beauties like Dubrovnik, Krakow and Budapest.

2. Avoid travel packages

Seven-day bus tours and vacation packages are carefree ways to roam, but extra costs for meals and side attractions add up fast. Europe can be a traveler’s playground in most cases, so be independent.

3. Couch surf

The hotel industry, even in cheap Euro destinations, knows tourists will easily pay high costs for beds. Couch surfing communities, like couchsurfing.org, provide a network of inviting hosts offering their couches to travelers for free. The wave has notably hit Europe, and the option is a big money saver for the adventurous traveler.

4. Fly

Eurail passes are still good deals for backpackers on an unplanned continental whirlwind. Yet those with a decided destination can search dozens of low-cost airline companies carting passengers for pennies. Long-distance flights, like Istanbul to Morocco and London to Rome can be as cheap as $20 to $60 one way. Visit our flight section for budget airline information, and also check out the Skyscanner Web site.

5. Pack light

Those who’ve traveled in the past five years know that checking in luggage is an annoying extra cost. Strip your pack to less than necessary and throw it on your back. Aim to carry around 10 percent of your body weight. You can buy whatever you need upon arrival.

6. Take photos

The best way to document your journey is not through trinkets and t-shirts. Small digital cameras allow sightseers to capture hundreds of frames (and memories) while saving some precious cash. Plus, photos have a lifetime warranty!

7. No. 1 souvenir: Postcards

Everyone loves postcards because they’re a novelty, collector’s item and personal greeting all in one. The old-fashioned task of sending postcards only highlights the charming surprise one feels when receiving them. Postcards keep the souvenir tab low in cost but high in sincerity.

8. Two’s company

While three’s a crowd and solo style can get pricey, traveling with a buddy sheds cost in unexpected ways. From two-for-ones to special offers for couples, it’s surprising how much you can save when “going Dutch”.

9. Walk

Trams, buses, metros and taxis are a city’s biggest rip-off. Walking has so many advantages—exercise, more photo-ops, and overall a better and more exciting view of a city and its surroundings.

10. Eat light

Munching on smaller meals and going grocery shopping for snacks can keep your energy high all day, plus it keeps you away from big bills at tourist trap bistros. Don’t forget that ordering to go costs less, and eating in a park with a bottle of wine is more romantic than a busy terrace with sub-par service.

Bonus Tip: Avoid summer travel. Europe can be just as fun and beautiful in the spring and fall. Even the winter can make way for romantic wonderlands in the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Scandinavian Mountains.  Traveling during the off-season means cheaper prices—and less crowds.

The post Travel Tips: 10 ways to travel Europe for under $1000 appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

But there’s just one small problem: It’s the summer. And you’re planning on going to, say, Paris, and are freaked out that all the good spots are already booked and your dream vacation is starting to feel a whole lot more stressful. What’s a Cheapo to do?

Don’t worry, we’re here to help! Take a deep breath and follow these five tips to find affordable hotels in any city.

1. Location, location, location.

First, get to know the layout of the city you’re visiting. Do you know where you’ll be spending most of your time? Are most of the sites you’re visiting in the same area or are they spread throughout the city?

While finding a hotel near your favored attractions is an obvious first step, it’s also important to consider neighborhoods that can serve as convenient “hubs” for reaching museums, landmarks and restaurants in disparate areas.

Staying near the Eiffel Tower makes it easy to also visit the Musee d’Orsay, Les Invalides and go cafe hopping in nearby St-Germain-des-Prés. But if you’re more interested in experiencing the Marais, visiting Pere Lachaise (and especially if you happen to be arriving into Gare du Nord), you may wish to consider the budget-friendly Republique neighborhood.

We often hear from travelers who book the cheapest hotel they can find only to realize it’s an inconvenient schlep to the areas they want to visit. This can cause an undue expenditure of both time and money, but fortunately it can be avoided with advance planning.

2. Re-order your schedule

For travelers who plan on visiting more than one city (or those in the midst of some RTW backpacking), flexibility on the sequence of city visits can help save money. For example, hotel rates in Brussels are always higher during the week than on weekends, so why not visit Bruges from Wednesday to Friday and Brussels on Saturday and Sunday? The rates are cheaper and the line to see Mannekin Pis will be shorter.

Likewise, keep an eye out for regional and national holidays or major conferences that can cause rates to spike. Just this past week we noticed hotel rates in Milan were particularly high even for typically lower-cost properties. Digging a little deeper, we realized it was the annual Milan Furniture Fair, which caused most centrally located hotels to sell out… sounds like a perfect time to visit Florence!

3. Go window shopping

Once you’ve narrowed your list down to a handful of hotels that look good, always compare rates. Hotel owners frequently use more than one reservation agency to manage their bookings, but can charge different room rates depending on the commercial terms of their contracts. So shop around, Cheapos, and compare prices to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

An easy way to do this is by using a hotel search engine that receives up to the minute prices from multiple reservation agencies. There are many excellent sites that feature this type of price comparison, including Kayak, Mobissimo and (you guessed it) our very own EuroCheapo.

4. Consider what amenities you really need and skip the ones that are just nice to have.

When is the last time you had a truly delicious breakfast at a hotel? While they do exist, we recommend skipping them altogether and starting your day at the cute café down the street. Breakfast fees at hotels can be notoriously high, yet the quality can be exquisitely sub-par. Skip it, pay less elsewhere and save yourself some euros.

Also, think about the room amenities that you really need to enjoy your visit. Is a satellite TV really a necessity? Do you need air-conditioning in Vienna in early June? The difference in comfort between a one-star and a three-star hotel might be more noticeable in your wallet than anywhere else.

5. Don’t forget about hostels and apartments.

You’ve probably already heard this before but it’s worth restating: Consider booking a private room in a youth hostel to save money. Most hostels offer both private and dorm-style rooms, and many have gone to great lengths to shed their image as a lair exclusively for round-the-world backpackers (editor’s note: not that there’s anything at all wrong with RTW backpacking, of course).

Hostels also add an extra dose of convenience, frequently offering on-site laundry facilities and kitchens to guests. There’s also the undeniable social element that’s hard to find elsewhere.

Similarly, you might wish to consider booking an apartment that includes some of the same cooking and washing benefits beyond what is offered at a standard hotel. A wide selection of short-term rental apartments can be found on sites like Roomorama, airbnb and, of course, Craigslist.

Tell us what you think! Do you have any special tips for finding cheap hotels to share with your fellow Cheapos? Leave a comment below!

The post Travel Planning: Five tips for finding a cheap hotel during summer appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Defy the travel canon

If we had a month to spare in Paris, we would surely hit the Louvre, but it is not compulsory for a first-time visit. We must confess to having skipped the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, the Kremlin in Moscow and the Tower in London.

Of course, it does take a bit of courage to miss those big sights, the multi-starred attractions that have acquired legendary status as keystones in the travel canon. The art of being away from home does not come easily, but after years of practice, we think we have it sussed. It is, essentially, to live as the locals do. Parisians do not spend their weekends in long lines waiting to see the Mona Lisa, and nor should you.

Opt for an alternative

This strategy takes a bit of nerve to begin with. We returned home and confessed to elderly relatives that we went to the Vatican, but skipped the Raphaels and Michelangelos, preferring instead to go and see the Vatican railway station (yes, there is one!).

But slowly we grew into the role, realizing that it was possible to travel through Bavaria without including Neuschwanstein Castle in our itinerary. We became ever bolder with every journey. We missed the Edinburgh Festival, slept by accident through Tuscany, and said “No, thanks” when offered free tickets to the Alhambra.

“What barbarians,” we hear you say. “How can they visit Athens and skip the Acropolis?” Our retort will always be, “Because there are too many more interesting things to do instead.” In Paris, there are cafés to linger in, parks to savor, backstreets to explore. And, in truth, once you have traveled through Europe as much as we have, one Renaissance crucifixion begins to look much like another.

Tell us what you think

Do you agree that your travel experience can be enriched by skipping the big-name draws? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

The post Travel Confessions: Paris without the Louvre appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.