Turns out the Covid-19 vaccine could be your ticket to travel to Europe this summer: On April 25, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, announced that Americans who have been fully vaccinated might be allowed to visit. In response, the travel app Hopper saw a 47% spike in airfare searches from the U.S. to Europe for summer travel. So what does that mean when it comes to prices? Will Europe be more expensive than ever, given the surge in interest? Or are there deals to be had for Europe travel?
Following von der Leyen’s announcement, the research team at Hopper took a look at search demand for travel to Europe and analyzed what the news could mean for airfare prices this summer—honing in on the cheapest places to go in Europe. Adit Damodaran, economist at Hopper, says the results were surprising.
“You’d think that with more demand, prices would go up,” says Damodaran. “What we’ve seen is that airfare is going down and we’re expecting it to fall even further going into May.”
Portugal is the cheapest place to travel in summer 2021, according to a new report from Hopper. … [+]
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According to Hopper, a good deal price for round-trip airfare to Europe will be around $760 for summer 2021, down 11% from the beginning of April. And it’s considerably cheaper than a year ago: Heading into March 2020, that same trip would have cost $852. And usually, the cost of trans-Atlantic flights keeps rising as we head into the summer. But Hopper estimates airfare to Europe will keep getting cheaper, bottoming out around May 25 at $700 for a roundtrip flight, before rising toward $775 in mid-June.
Where to Save Money in Europe
So where can you go to save the most money? Here are the five top spots, according to Hopper:
Portugal: “Lisbon has cropped up on our list with the absolute cheapest flights,” says Damodaran. Hopper’s estimate for good-deal airfare to Lisbon: $482. According to Damodaran, one thing driving the low price is that “it’s closer to the U.S. geographically, so the jet fuel costs less.” Portugal is also seeing a surge in popularity. Following an announcement in the first week of March that it hoped to welcome back tourists from the U.K. starting in mid-May, Portugal saw a 77% spike in interest with Hopper users. Travel Tips: As it reopens, Portugal is promising to do tourism better: more responsible, more resilient, more sustainable. Sheree Mitchell of the boutique agency Immersa Global told Forbes that some of the top spots to visit when the country reopens include Fortaleza de Sagres (a three-sided fort on the southern tip of the Algarve’s Sagres peninsula) and Ponta da Piedade (a series of natural caves and grottoes in Lagos).
Iceland was the second cheapest place for summer flights to Europe, based on a new report. Pictured … [+]
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Iceland: Next up is Iceland, where there are also good deals to be found. Since Iceland announced its reopening plans on March 17, roundtrip airfare from the U.S. dropped 21% from $697 to $550. Similarly, Iceland saw a 93% spike in searches after announcing on March 17 that it would fully reopen to all vaccinated travelers (including U.S. travelers). According to Hopper, it was the biggest surge in search traffic seen to-date in 2021 for reopening internationally. Damodaran says that Reykjavik’s close geographic location to the United States also helps keeps the airfare prices down. Travel Tips: There are many reasons to be dreaming about Iceland right now, from Sky Lagoon (a new manmade geothermal spa with views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Northern Lights) to Hidden Iceland (a tour operator that runs small group trips).
Ireland: Irish eyes will be smiling over the cost of good-deal airfare to Dublin at $623. And the country has a lot going for it, too. In a recent ranking of bucket-list destinations, Ireland ranked in the top 10, thanks to its hot food scene, castles and historic sites. Where to go in a place full of attractions? West Cork (which is rich with history), Kinsale (the gourmet capital of Ireland) and The Guinness Storehouse, one of the world’s best brewery tours.
Madrid, Spain: The Spanish capital also came in low on the list at $623 for a roundtrip good-deal flight.
Barcelona, Spain: Besides looking at airfare, Hopper’s report analyzed the destinations Americans are most interested in this year (read on for more). Barcelona was the second most popular destination on the list, and its airfare was among the lowest at $636.
Paris is the most popular destination with Americans, according to Hopper research.
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Most Popular Places in Europe
As mentioned above, Barcelona was second on the list of destinations popular with Americans. The top most-searched European destination was Paris. Rounding out the list of top five most popular destinations were Frankfurt, Germany; Athens, Greece and Amsterdam, Netherlands. Meanwhile, the top five destinations seeing the largest spikes in flight searches following Sunday’s news include Denmark (up 84% since April 25), Poland (up 72%), Portugal (up 60%), the Netherlands (up 59%) and France (up 57%). Another popular spot: Greece, which saw a big increase (42%) in roundtrip searches from the U.S. following the country’s April 19 announcement that it plans to reopen to U.S travelers.
Europe Travel Tips
Besides knowing where to go and booking before the last week of May to score the best deals on flights, Hopper has some other tips and advice for travelers heading to Europe this summer.
• “Follow the CDC guidelines, depending on which country you’re traveling to,” says Damodaran.
• “The situation can change pretty rapidly nowadays—even in a matter of weeks—so look into flexible booking options, in case you need to postpone the dates of your trip,” says Damodaran. Hopper has a flexible dates booking plan that allows travelers to change the dates of their trip.
• “With your outbound flight to Europe, you might not need a to show a negative Covid test if you have proof of vaccination, depending on the country. But returning to the U.S., you’ll need to show a negative Covid test,” says Damodaran. “So the general tip is to make sure that you’re able to secure that wherever you’re traveling to.”
READ MORE:
• The 20 Happiest Countries In The World In 2021 (Guess Where The U.S. Ranked?)
