Airport connections, Prague & Budapest. How difficult?

Prague and Budapest are very touristy now and get lots of American tourists, so they aren't much different from traveling in Western Europe. You can use taxi from or to each airport if you like or use public transportation. When I flew into Prague in 2005 I took the bus + subway into Prague and when I flew out of Budapest ten days later I took the bus to the airport. I had no problems.

You will probably want at least a little local currency in both Czech Republic and Hungary. Use your ATM card to obtain the cash. Credit cards should be accepted in most places, though.

Never been to the budapest airport, but recently flew out of prague. the airport is not big, very easy to navigate. there are public transportation from/to the airport, but the 3 of us with bags we took a uber. it's pretty cheap, so if you don't want to exchange money and figure out public transportation from airport uber is great. you do need to get some local money when you're in prague, there are plenty atms you can find them very easily, never exchange money on the street with strangers.

I am in and out of Prague several times a year ,very easy to get to and from the airport to anywhere in the city by public transport , taxi or private shuttle, if you know where you are going to be staying I can help with how to get there from the airport.
http://www.praguetransport.com/
this is the shuttle company I use quite often run by an American and his Czech Wife, highly reliable.
you will need some cash in Prague but for most things you can pay with credit cards.
sorry can't help with Budapest

Always good to have local currency on hand, both cities readily accept credit cards but there's always going to be times that you just need cash. These 2 capital cities of Central Europe still use their own currency and that makes them a bit of a lovely travel bargain. Both airports are efficiently run, I've encountered no difficulties with either in recent trips.

I was in Prague in 2015 and from the airport into town and back I took a taxi, not more than about 20 minutes and cheap. I paid in korunas.

I've taken the 6 am flight home from Budapest 3 times now in the past 3 years (it's my most favorite place on earth!) and just call City Taxi +36 1 211 1111 right as I'm leaving my hotel room at 3:30 am and by the time I get downstairs they're waiting. At that hour it's maybe 20-30 minutes to the airport and the cost is about $26 US, though I pay in forints they do take credit cards. City Taxi has always been great for me, honest and helpful and they do not gouge.

"Prague and Budapest are very touristy now and get lots of American tourists, so they aren't much different from traveling in Western Europe."

I just want to emphasize this. I found it to be true in Prague in 2007 and Budapest in 2008, so, ten years later, I assume it's even more true. I was mentally prepared to find these places very "foreign" and "different," and they weren't. Of course, they're quite different from Western Europe as well as from each other, but if they were ever "hardship destinations" with poor transit and food shortages, those days are long gone.

Do you have Rick's books for these places, or will you be getting them before your tour? He has all the options for getting to and from the airports, at a range of travel times, ease, and prices; you can then decide which works best for you. One thing that is different is that cabs hailed in the street in both cities are often rip-offs; you can call for a reliable cab if you're going to the airport, as posted above.

As for currency, again, it's the same as in Paris or London. Lots of places will take credit cards - and lots won't, so you'll need cash forints (Budapest) and koruni (Prague). Get them from an ATM as you would anywhere else.

Thanks everyone. I'm not planning on going until September 2018. I have ordered RS books on Prague & Budapest, so I have lots of time to do the research.
PS: It's my 70th birthday present to myself.

http://www.prague.net/
https://livingprague.com/
couple of websites to help you plan the Prague part of your Trip. The first one has a huge amount of info opn what to see and do and also has a section on Itineraries which might be of use to you.
The second one is actually run by a friend of mine ,I knew him long before he went full time tour guide and website manager.
he does small group tours which have superb reviews on Trip Advisor and the prices are very reasonable.
other parts of the website gives lot of great info.

I have recently (last couple of years) few into and out of the Budapest airport. It was such a non event that I don’t remember anything about it! Note, I read an article somewhere that Hungary has the largest of percentage of speakers of English of any country in which English is not an official language.