What to consider before traveling to Europe
Recently, I was interviewed by The Washington Post about my upcoming plans to travel to Europe. What are your thoughts/ takeaways? Are you planning a trip to Europe or have you been recently?
Here’s the article and a link to its full text below:
The Russia-Ukraine conflict threatens travel far beyond Eastern Europe. Gas prices are rising, and there’s a growing sense of unease about the upcoming travel season. So how do you protect your vacation from a distant war?
That’s what travelers such as Dawn Pick Benson are trying to figure out. She’s planning to visit Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and maybe Montenegro this summer. And she’s keeping a watchful eye on events in Eastern Europe.
Benson, a marketing strategist from Grand Rapids, Mich., monitors official sources, such as State Department travel advisories and news reports, and relies on an unofficial network of friends and contacts at her destinations. She’s already crossed Romania off the list, because it’s too close to the conflict.
“I would reconsider my trip if contacts in the region advised me to do so and if unrest spreads to areas closer to the locations I plan to be,” she says. “As of today, I'm still planning to travel.”
Many Americans are doing the same thing. A little less than half of U.S. travelers (47 percent) are holding off on their travel plans to Europe because they want to see how the war in Ukraine evolves, according to a survey by MMGY Global, a marketing agency that specializes in travel. Roughly the same amount of people (50 percent) say they’re concerned about possible delays and cancellations of flights, trains and cruises, as well as the potential for border closures.
Amy Boyle, a photographer from Chicago, started planning her trip by doing a deep dive on her destination, as well as by checking State Department advisories, local media and social media posts. Like Benson, she prefers going somewhere that she knows people on the ground. For her, that meant a trip starting in England this spring. So far, all of her research suggests her vacation will be safe.
Is European Travel Safe Amid War in Ukraine?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/03/16/travel-vacation-europe-ukraine/