NEW YORK, May 2 ― If you’ve ever dreamed of renting a villa in Tuscany, hiking under Iceland’s midnight sun or vacationing practically anywhere else in Europe, the time is now. From Reykjavik to Rome, lower airfares and a strong dollar are making for some of the best bargains in years for Americans.

Round-trip airfares from the US to popular destinations, including Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid and Prague, are down between 20 per cent and 35 per cent for travel from April through the start of September, compared with the same time last year, according to Kayak.com.

The decline is largely because of increased competition from budget carriers. Reykjavik, Iceland, where fares have come down nearly 27 per cent, is a good example, said David Solomito, the vice president for North American marketing at Kayak.com. "In the last couple of years, Reykjavik has seen new flights open to several cities, including Boston, Baltimore and Newark, and continues to expand,” he said. "This spring, nonstop routes to Philadelphia will be available.”

Norwegian began flying to Paris from Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles and New York last year and plans to begin service in June to Barcelona from Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Newark and Oakland. In Reykjavik, Icelandic low-cost carrier WOW Air has been expanding rapidly, contributing to lower fares. And Zurich-based Edelweiss announced that beginning in June it would be flying nonstop twice a week from San Diego to Zurich, where Kayak noted the biggest drop in fares, down 42 per cent.

At the same time, the strong dollar, which has been hovering at near parity with the euro, means more buying power when you land. "Europe is the bargain of the decade,” said Karen Malone, a travel agent with Travel Leaders in Woodbury, Minnesota. "I am encouraging all customers who are thinking about Europe or are on the fence to go now.”

Rental prices are down 10 per cent to 20 per cent in Ibiza, Spain; Mykonos, Greece; and Tuscany, Italy, this summer, on Villaway.com, with about 1,000 rentals across Europe. A six-bedroom, six-bath villa with an infinity pool overlooking the Aegean Sea in Mykonos, for example, is listed for US$1,509 (RM6,549) a night this June, or US$246 a night less than last June.

Last year, Valerie Lederle, an agent at Travel Leaders in Colleyville, Texas, booked a deluxe room with breakfast at the Splendide Royal in Rome for some clients. "They paid €957 for two nights,” she said. This year — thanks in part to a deal through her agency — she would be able to book it for her clients for €781, or about US$838.

While Italy and England continue to be top destinations, travel agents say interest is growing in Germany, Ireland, Norway and Portugal, and tour operators are responding. This summer, Globus is offering a new nine-day tour from Dublin to Limerick, Ireland, from US$1,709 a person; Cosmos has a new eight-day tour of Andalusia, Spain, from US$939 a person; and Monograms has a four-day Lisbon getaway starting at US$657 a person.

Travellers on a budget will find plenty of options in Lisbon and Berlin, said Tom Meyers, the editor of EuroCheapo.com, which reviews inexpensive hotels in dozens of cities. "Lisbon offers sunshine, friendly locals, great food and the chance to stay in four-star hotels for the price you’d pay in a two-star hotel in other European capital cities,” he said. "Meanwhile Berlin has recently experienced a flurry of construction of trendy hotels, nearly all of which offer rooms for under €125 a night.” For example, Motel One, a stylish budget chain, just opened a hotel in western Berlin near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church with rates as low as €83, or US$89 a night.

Copenhagen is also getting new hotels this year, including Hotel Danmark, an 88-room boutique hotel from Brochner Hotels, with a rooftop terrace scheduled to open in May. Rates will begin at 1,250 Danish krone per room per night, or about US$180, and will include organic breakfast, high-speed Wi-Fi and a glass of wine or port during a "wine hour.”

The bargains seem to be outweighing the hesitancy that had grown over vacationing in Europe after a spate of terrorist attacks over the past 16 months, including a deadly one in London last month when a man driving a sport utility vehicle mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, then stabbed and killed a police officer outside Parliament.

"Decreased demand for certain countries in Europe has meant dramatic growth for others,” said Jean Fawcett, a spokeswoman for Abercrombie & Kent. "Interest in France is slightly lower, but Spain and Portugal are booming, as are Scandinavia and Germany. Turkey is down, but Greece has roared back.”

The decision by British voters to leave the European Union and the resulting weakened pound have created renewed interest in travel to the United Kingdom, with some travellers taking advantage of the lower rates to splurge. While the pound rose after Prime Minister Theresa May called for a snap election June 8, the value remains lower than last summer. "A room that cost US$750 last year is now approximately US$625 for the same room,” said Philip Morris, the corporate director of revenue management at the Dorchester Collection. "Americans are astounded at the value their money currently has in the UK”

"I have many clients who travel to London and other cities in Europe and this summer they are staying at more luxurious hotels, staying in suites and dining in finer restaurants,” said Eric Hrubant, the president of CIRE Travel, a division of Tzell Travel Group in New York City. He noted that clients who stay at the Savoy Hotel in London every July upgraded from a king room to a suite with a view of the River Thames for US$1,991 a night — including a fourth-night-free promotion for booking through Tzell — a saving of US$1,554 a night compared with last year’s rates for the suite.

Travellers looking to upgrade will also find bargains in business class and first-class. La Compagnie, an all-business-class carrier that flies from Newark to Paris, is offering seats for US$1,300 round trip this summer. Meridiana, which flies nonstop from New York to Naples and Palermo, Sicily, is offering round-trip flights as low as US$575 in coach and US$1,550 in business class, with the best deals in April, May and October, said Joe Brancatelli, publisher of the travel site JoeSentMe.com, who alerts members to such sales. "Finnair is offering great deals in business class over its Helsinki hub to Russia and other European destinations,” he wrote in a recent newsletter, pointing out that travellers must book 90 days in advance and stay at least 10 days to score the round-trip deals, which range from US$2,289 to Moscow to US$2,849 to Helsinki from New York.

But don’t wait too long to make your booking. Some deals, like a flash sale to Iceland with flights as low as US$269 from Boston, have already expired. And as summer gets underway, the best bargains will dry up fast. ― The New York Times