Crazy to book a trip in December?

dmm82

Hi all, have been planning for months to book a trip to Budapest and Vienna for December this year. The flights are still up and fairly reasonable at the minute. Have the accommodation booked since early this year on booking.com so dont need to pay for that until we arrive.
I'm unsure whether to book the flights and hope for the best or hold off until later in the year and hope the prices dont go up.
Am I mad to even consider booking it?

Muahahaha

I dont think anyone can answer your question with any certainty. As things stand Ryanair and others *should* be back up running by July and you'll be fine for flying in December. What isnt known is the chance of a second wave of this virus hitting in winter alongside the usual flu, that could shut things down again.

Not sure what price the flights are but if I were in your position I would book but only on the basis that they could be later cancelled or some event happens and you cant travel. Chances are you'll be fine but there is a risk there.

Whatever you do get a European Health Insurance Card before travel, they are free and they cover you for treatment in public hospitals in any EU country.

CBear1993

Great time to bag a bargain. I done the same and got flights from dublin - new york for €317 return. Take their new american deposit offer - I only paid less than half now, remainder doesn't have to be paid until October 2020. Worst case scenario I'm out a few pound - best case - Beginning of december in new york. :D

Ger Roe

What will you be flying in to?

Possibly tourist attractions closed, or so heavily restricted that it won't be worth the effort. Restricted public transport options, restricted restaurant services and experiences?. Potential quarantine procedure on arrival?

Personally, I would hold off until I had some idea of what experience I might have, versus what I might usually expect, and then see if the cheap flights are actually worth it.

I would view future foreign travel as the same risk as investing on the stock exchange at the moment - it's a gamble on future performance that you have to consider carefully.

krissovo

Vienna is such a beautiful and walk-able city that it would not disappoint even if there are restrictions in place. Just walking around and eating a street vend Käsekrainer while walking past some of the stunning architecture would be worth it alone. Vienna also has a lot of beer gardens with table service so I expect these should be operational by then and the zoo so easily enough entertainment for a weekend. Austrians also typically follow rules so any social distancing restrictions would be adhered too.

If the flights are cheap then that is the maximum risk as you can cancel the hotel up to the day before, treat it like making a bet.

Kerry25x

I'd hold off for awhile OP and see how things are looking in another month or two. Don't think there needs to be any urgency in booking flights for the end of the year now, just keep an eye on the prices and the situation.

CBear1993 wrote: »

Great time to bag a bargain. I done the same and got flights from dublin - new york for €317 return.

Well that's hardly a great bargain to be fair, you can get a similar price to New York anytime when you're booking that far in advance.

pauliebdub

I'd hang on for a couple of months and see if there is a bit more certainly before booking anything. I'd like to head away in November or December but will wait until August before making any decisions.

Muahahaha

Kerry25x wrote: »

I'd hold off for awhile OP and see how things are looking in another month or two. Don't think there needs to be any urgency in booking flights for the end of the year now, just keep an eye on the prices and the situation.
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I think thats good advice. Right now we dont know what restrictions there will be on flying again. Ryanair aiming to get 40% of their routes back up and running by July. But I think its best to wait to see what it looks like, for all we know the EU could come up with some rule that says you have to be tested for the virus pre-flight. The passenger would have to pay for that, how much is it going to cost, etc. You could have a bargain flight but then have to pay a further 100 euro for a test. Then you might have to pay for another one before you fly home again. Its really all up in the air right now and theres no clarity about how this will work.

Id hold off booking for now and see what things look like at the end of June/start of July. That would be still six months out so there should still be good prices available at that point.