So after weeks of almost doing it, then not doing it and constantly talking about doing it, I finally did it: I booked blind with Eurowings and it was… good. This is my experience of blind booking.
So after all the build up and excitement, I can officially announce that I will be heading to…
Destination unveiled
MILAN
So how did I feel? I’ll be honest; I was a little disappointed. But after what happened when we tried to book, that was probably inevitable.
The process
When we sat down to book, the dates we had originally picked from Düsseldorf were unavailable, presumably due to increased demand since the last time we’d checked. So instead, we checked our options from Cologne/Bonn airport for the same dates; less convenient but far more appealing destinations: Budapest, Prague, Warsaw, Lisbon, Rome… However, after crossing off the cities we had already been to, the price starting to stack up…
In the end, we opted for a later weekend so we could fly from Düsseldorf and we got Milan.
The disappointment
With the destinations from Cologne fresh in my mind, Milan felt like a bit of an anticlimax: as I’ve said before, I am far more at home in Eastern Europe than Western Europe. My friend felt the same – she was hoping for Lyon or Barcelona. Admittedly, this is the risk that blind booking carries.
I knew (and still know) very little about Milan, but knew enough to know it was no Budapest.
But then I realised that this is a fantastic opportunity.
Sure, Prague or Warsaw would have been great, but these are destinations I know I will go to one day, because they are places I will make sure to visit. In contrast, Milan isn’t in my top 10 – not even close. It’s possible without blind booking I’d never have made it there.
In fact, the more I thought about it, the more the situation reminded me of my first trip to Italy, when I headed to Venice – a city I had never thought much about. And it turned out, I loved it.
Venice: a city I fell in love with
Of course Blind Booking is risky, and of course there is an element of disappointment, but in the end I do think it worked out perfectly – I will now be heading off to a city I otherwise would’ve have seen, and to a country I might not have gone back to this year.
Most importantly, this gives me a great chance to throw myself into some research (#planning)! And as always, suggestions are more than welcome.
Over to you: any tips, comments or things to avoid?
Comment below!