Europe is going bananas. Travel to the Old Country is up, way up, and even with the traditionally slower fall and winter seasons approaching, Americans can’t seem to quench their thirst for a European fling.
“We thought the high euro $1.23 would’ve been more damaging, but it was not. Some tour operators are reporting bookings at the same level as 2000, a record year,” said Eugenio Magmani, chairman for North America of the European Travel Commission.
It’s a pent-up demand finally taking hold, tourism officials say. After the damming effect Sept. 11 had on travel in 2001, a flood of get-up-and-go seems to have galvanized Americans this year. Summer has seen Europe awash with visitors, and the deluge continues.
“Reservations for September are ahead of 2003 by more than double,” said Beth Kaplan, director of marketing for Europe for GoGo Worldwide Vacations. And www.cheaptickets.com’s Kathleen Gonzalez said her company’s international bookings out of Miami for the fall also are up more than 100 percent.
Forget Iraq, forget Bush and Kerry, forget the sluggish economy, forget the high exchange rate for the euro, Americans seem to be saying. They’re tired of waiting to see Europe; the time is now.
Although torrid tourism may mean fewer bargains, some quite attractive deals are still on the table. You may have to dig a little deeper to find them and travel a little later in the year to cash in on them, but the deals are there.
As always, the cost of travel to Europe starts decreasing in fall, a time when the crowds thin out at hotels and cafes but the climate often remains pleasant.
Prices bottom out Nov. 1–the start of the “winter” low season that runs to the end of March.
GoGo Worldwide Vacations, for example, has put up some attractive trans-Atlantic packages for November travel: Four nights in London for $499 per person double occupancy, or in Paris for $599, or in Madrid for $629, or in Seville for $695. Prices include round-trip air from Miami, midweek departures, lodging, and the package must be booked and ticketed by Sept. 30 (800-276-3140 or www.libertytravel.com).
All prices quoted in this article, unless otherwise stated, are per person, double occupancy, based on availability (meaning they can change from day to day), and most do not include government taxes and other fees that may add up to more than $100 additional.
Here’s another pair of wallet-savers, these from Miami (or Orlando) to Amsterdam. One $499 deal includes round-trip air and two nights of lodging in Amsterdam. The other, at the same price, includes the flights and a four-day car rental. Double occupancy, and good Nov. 1 to Dec. 12 and Jan. 4 to March 31 (800-790-4682 or www.imtc-travel.com).
A Roman holiday can be yours for just $650 on another deal from Miami through TourCrafters. Available Nov. 1 to Dec. 9 and after New Year’s to March 15, the package includes four nights in a city-center hotel in the Italian capital as well as Miami-Rome flights (800-482-5995, www.tourcrafters.com).
Delta Vacations is offering three nights in Barcelona or Zurich at $749 per person, or three nights in Moscow for $999, including round-trip air from Miami. And if three romantic nights in the City of Love is your dream, Delta Vacations will get you to Paris from Miami for $770 (800-755-4224, www.deltavacations.com).
Czech it out
Eastern Europe has become not only one of Europe’s hottest destinations, but also among its least expensive. Tatra Travel offers six-night vacations wholly in Prague or combined with other Eastern European cities. Six nights in Prague (or Budapest, if that’s your preference) are priced from $529 for travel Nov. 1 to Dec. 12 and Jan. 2 to March 23 or $799 from Sept. 1 to Oct. 30, with round-trip air from New York. City combinations (three nights in each and travel between) are priced from $649 for Prague and Budapest, $659 for Prague and Krakow or $749 for Prague and Vienna (800-321-2999, www.czechvacations.com).–KRT.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Kris Karnopp (kkarnopp@tribune.com)
