What European Lockdowns Mean For Travel
Europe is heading back into lockdown, with Belgium, France, Germany and the UK already there.
LOCKDOWN
Spain, Italy and Greece have imposed select measures.
Just as travel was beginning a safe, testing based reboot, the consequences couldn't be any more severe. Here's how it will impact your trips.
While many countries in Europe are locked down, not all are.
Countries including Greece and Portugal offer winter sun, with only limited restrictions and depend on tourism to survive.
Lockdowns across European countries are scheduled to end in early December, with the main hope of returning some normalcy or freedom of movement in time for December holidays.
If your trip is planned for 2021, it should still be a go, for now...
Fewer Flights
With all but essential travel and necessary work trips banned, airlines are slashing schedules, which means many direct flights between European cities will disappear for most of 2020.
With more lockdowns likely, it's important to understand the risks of getting stranded in another country, if flights were to halt.
It's not just air travel. Restrictions in a variety of countries mean hotels cannot welcome any tourists, and even staycations are banned.
Bars, restaurants, and non essential shops are closed too. Takeout and delivery is still ok though.
Still thinking about a trip? Non essential travel in places like France could be met with serious penalty in November.
France requires a form just to leave the house! The UK and others discourage any domestic travel.
For restaurants in cities across Europe, the second wave of lockdowns presents a crisis.
Restaurants and other businesses rely on a steady flow of travelers, and without them, many may not make it through winter.
It's not all bad news though. A erestuarant in Budapest is serving Michelin starred meals on a ferris wheel to keep business going.
Talk about fun!
If your flight, or package trip is cancelled or moved by more than 6 hours, you're eligible for a full refund to your initial form of payment.
With travel firms in crisis, anyone willing and or able to postpone a trip rather than refund is helping the travel industry.
There have been record flight and hotel deals in recent years, but without competition, they're unlikely to last.
Travel firms only offer low deals when they compete with each other, so letting hotels or airlines go bust now could mean you'll pay more for trips later.
Keeping up with travel restrictions isn't as hard as it used to be.
Planning a future trip?
Booking future trips create something exciting to look forward to, but you don't want any extra hassle.
Be sure to book with companies offering great flexibility and easy refunds if things go wrong. Travel in Europe may be different, but it can still be worth it, and safe.