Hello. We are considering the Prague/Budapest tour and am wondering if anyone who went on the tour in 2022 can provide feedback about being so close to Ukraine and concerns about the nuclear threats made and other war-related issues. Would be curious as to discussions and experiences around that topic during the tour. Thanks so much.
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
17908 posts
Okay, I wasn't on the tour, but you might find some peace of mind knowing that the prevailing winds are towards Belarus.
The distances are close, a great part of Europe is close, it's part of why it's such a big deal. Budapest is closest, and it's only about 150 miles to the Ukraine border and maybe 200 miles from where missiles have fallen.
But I don't think the Russians want a direct confrontation with NATO just yet, so I would suspect the Czech Republic and Hungary are very safe.
And I spend an awful lot of time in Budapest and the locals aren't worried at this point. They live with it on a daily basis so I trust that.
Great tour from what I read about it. But add a couple of days at each end if you can.
Posted by
TX, USA
4075 posts
Maybe someone who took - or didn’t take - the tour will chime in. I will just add I spent a month in Poland in Sept., followed by 2 weeks in Budapest. And my departure came just as things were beginning to be in the news ramping up about the Zaporizhzhia power plant. That, not the war, did make me pause, but not cancel.
But at no time did anything ever affect my solo 6 week trip in that area. It was a wonderful trip and in hindsight it would have been foolish to cancel it. Part of my reasoning was that I knew, from research, only a nuclear incident would affect my trip. And with a nuclear incident, I figured the effects would be fairly significant worldwide - not just there. Maybe no safety anywhere at that point.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8141 posts
Go and enjoy your tour. Rick wouldn't be risking any tours taking them anywhere close to any military action. As you will find, the countries you're visiting are large and you'll be perfectly safe.
Budapest remains one of my favorite cities and it's on the western side of the country. We also enjoyed Prague.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thanks to all who replied. I have some heritage there so hoping to go.
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
17908 posts
Then you should definitely go.
Here is a link that explains the scale a little bit.
The link will only be good for a couple days.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ai7Zk-szxfTJiv9ivnD3FQnIfv9G1w?e=5X2fTH
Posted by
Utah via SF Bay Area
311 posts
We were on BOEE in fall 2022. Ukraine did not impact the tour. I was concerned about the conflict too and RS Tours would not put tour groups in danger. The tour is great.