With the COVID-19 vaccines rolling out worldwide, people everywhere are ready to rise from the 2-year long lockdown slumber. Everyone is busy making travel arrangements and staycation plans vowing to make up for last year’s lost summer. With their eyes on the beach and the long balmy summer nights on their minds, many people have their hearts set on Europe. Basking under the Cote D’Azur sun and promenading along the Amalfi coast isn’t such a shabby way to spend your summer vacation. The best thing about Europe is the proximity of some of the most beautiful cities in the world to each other. You can start the week in Paris then hop on a train and end it in Brussels. Although this might be a bit of a challenge this year, it’s still worth the try. Now, if you’re starting to warm up to the idea of a Eurotrip this summer, then you’ve come to the right place. Continue reading to find out how you can plan an amazing trip to Europe in 2021.

Set Your Budget

This is the first step in planning your Europe trip. Before wasting your time drawing up an itinerary for a 2-week trip to Spain, you need to make sure you can actually afford it. Setting your budget will narrow down your options and allow you to focus only on the potential destinations. There’s also a common misconception that you need to spend some serious cash if you want to vacation in Europe. However, that’s not completely true. You can find budget-friendly seasonal tickets and low-key boutique hotels and spend an amazing trip in Europe without breaking the bank. But, you need to put in the effort to dig up the best deals, especially that the offers might be limited this year as travel agencies are trying to recover from last year’s slump.

Plan Your Itinerary

European countries are packed with fun tourist activities. From museums to beaches and amusement parks, there’s always something to do every single minute of the day. Unless you pre-plan your vacation and draw up a detailed itinerary, you’ll be so overwhelmed that you may end up missing out on some of the key places that you’ve always wanted to visit. Work out all the details, including transportation arrangements. You can find many useful links online to the essential guide to commuting in Europe to know when and if you’ll be needing to rent a car or if public transportation would suffice you can buy tickets ahead. The important thing is to start long before your travel date. Ask your friends for recommendations and consult online forums regarding the must-see spots at your destination.

Get Your Bookings Sorted ASAP

Many travellers are already claiming their 2020 cancelled bookings, not to mention the high demand for flight tickets and hotels from other eager travellers. It would be best to manage your bookings as soon as you decide on your travel dates. This will give you the time to learn all about the applied COVID-19 restrictions and take care of any necessary tests or vaccinations. In addition, you need to make sure that your country of origin is not listed on a travel ban list in the European countries you’re targeting. In all cases, given the uncertainty of the pandemic situation, you’ll be better off booking refundable tickets, otherwise, you might end up losing a lot of money.

Make Sure You Have Travel Insurance

Insuring your trip is extremely important if you want peace of mind to be able to enjoy your time in Europe. Just knowing that you’re covered in case of flight or hotel cancellations, or worse, in case of a medical emergency, will allow you to relax and get into that vacation mode that you’ve been looking forward to. Many airlines and travel agencies offer insurance packages along with air tickets. However, before you commit to any, make sure you understand all of the applied terms and conditions. You should also take the time to compare deals provided by different insurance companies to find the one that suits your specific needs.

Take Care of Last-Minute Details

As your travel date approaches, you should make a list of the things you want to take care of before you go. Calling your bank is perhaps one of the urgent things that you’ll need to do to confirm that your credit cards will work in Europe. It might also be a good idea to exchange a couple of hundred Euros in case you need cash once you arrive and still can’t find your way around the country. Before you travel, you should also remember to contact your cell phone provider to inquire about the roaming call rates in Europe and check if there are special packages that you can make use of while abroad.

Pack Smart

Traveling to Europe means that there’s a big chance you’ll be moving a lot from one city to the other and-if possible- from one country to another. Carrying around heavy luggage is going to limit your movement and will force you to make special transportation arrangements. Not only will this be a physical burden, but it will also cost you some extra charges that you may have not included in your budget. Other than the quantity, you should also think about the appropriate clothing. Make sure you check the weather before you travel so you can pack the right clothes. If you’re planning a summer Eurotrip, you’ll need breathable clothes because it can get really hot, especially during the day. However, you’ll still need to pack a light jacket for the occasional chilly nights. Alternatively, if you’re traveling to Europe during the fall or winter seasons, you will require some special garments since it can get extremely cold and your whole trip may be ruined if you aren’t well-prepared.

Europe is one of the most favoured destinations among travellers. The diversity it offers makes it the perfect choice for those looking to enjoy a variety of activities whether traveling within a group or solo. Follow the above and you’ll be able to plan an amazing trip to Europe in 2021 and create some amazing memories with your loved ones.