But these are not typical times, as the spread of the new coronavirus pummels demand for travel around the world and pushes prices for flights, hotels and cruises down.

That’s how Hribar found himself with round-trip plane tickets for this spring to Miami, where he intends to “kind of quarantine myself on the beach,” for about $100 and to Los Angles for about $200.

“I took a look and I liked what I saw, so I booked,” he says.

Travel industry observers think there will be a lot for bargain hunters to like in the coming days, especially as they consider the typically expensive summer vacation season. But those travelers will have to navigate a rising number of cancellations, travel restrictions and public-health warnings as they plan vacations.

“What’s going to happen is, the hotels and airlines and especially the cruise lines, when they think they’re going to lose some business, they start offering deals,” Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said in an interview this month. He cautioned that he doesn’t think the low-price stretch will last too long. “I think there is going to be an opportunity for Americans to get some good deals as the marketplace reacts and says: We’re going to price to increase occupancy.”

Health experts have said travelers should heed specific travel warnings from the U.S. State Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when planning any trip, and prepare in case they get caught up in restrictions or an unexpected quarantine. And they should be cognizant of their own risk factors – especially age and underlying health issues – before traveling.

Late Wednesday, President Trump announced a ban on foreign travelers from most of Europe – excluding the United Kingdom – to the United States for 30 days starting Friday. The U.S. State Department advised U.S. citizens to reconsider travel abroad altogether, in part because of the potential for quarantines and border restrictions. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned against all nonessential travel to most of Europe.

The result of so much upheaval: Travel companies have gotten desperate for customers.

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Cruises: Bob Levinstein, CEO of the cruise shopping site CruiseCompete, says that based on the business he’s doing, cancellations in March are way up and bookings are “through the floor” – down 68.5%. As a result, he says he’s never seen lower prices or better offers. That included a balcony room for a week-long Caribbean cruise for $250 and another cruise for $599 that includes $400 in onboard credit. Two cruise companies, Viking Cruises and Princess Cruises, have suspended voyages altogether for the near future.

“Basically in the cruise business, rule number one is always fill the ship. And that’s because empty cabins don’t spend money at the bar, they don’t buy alcohol, they don’t gamble at the casino, they don’t buy shore excursions,” Levinstein said. “The ships keep sailing and they just have to keep reducing the prices, and that’s what’s going on. They’ve never been lower, and I suspect over the next couple of months, they will continue to go lower.”

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Hotels: Travel data firm STR said in a report Wednesday that U.S. hotel occupancy in the first week of March dropped 7.3% compared with about the same time last year, and average daily rates were down 4.6%. The biggest drop in rates came from the San Francisco area, where average prices per night fell 30% to more than $212.

“This is quite likely the beginning of a bad run that will get worse before it gets better,” Jan Freitag, the company’s senior vice president of lodging insights, said in a statement.

Tim Hentschel, CEO and co-founder of the bookings site HotelPlanner, said Europe has seen 50% price drops in the past week, and the U.S. has seen prices go down by 30% in major cities.

He said in an email that travelers looking for the biggest discounts should look in a city where big citywide events have just announced cancellations. If the Summer Olympics are canceled or postponed, he said, that could be a time to find a great deal in Tokyo. The CDC has recommended that travelers “practice enhanced precautions” in Japan due to the virus.

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Airlines: Airline prices typically rise this time of year. But the airfare booking app Hopper says domestic fares dropped an average of 14% between March 4 and Saturday, though some routes are seeing rates 70 percent lower than average. International fares are down, too, but the company has seen a surge in searches for domestic travel.

“Not only are we seeing prices are down, but they’re also down across the board,” says Hayley Berg, the company’s economist. “So these fare sales, they’re not limited to one or two routes. We’re seeing a significant impact across many, many major routes.”

Scott’s Cheap Flights regularly flags flight deals to global destinations, but founder and CEO Scott Keyes says that what stands out now are the typically rare summer deals. He said he’s found round-trip deals from U.S. airports for $260 to London, $500 to Japan, $200 to Vancouver and about $650 to Fiji.

“That’s kind of the airlines’ cash cow is the summer travel months – everybody’s out of school, … the weather’s nice, everybody wants to travel then, that’s when great deals are least likely to pop up,” he says. “And yet, because bookings are down so much, they’re available now.”

He says airlines’ “peace-of-mind” offerings – more leeway for cancellations and rescheduling – make it easier for passengers to pull the trigger when they see a good deal.

“It’s a privilege that is never afforded to travelers, especially on the cheapest fares, to be able to have that kind of flexibility,” he says.

Jack Ezon, founder and managing partner of the travel agency Embark Beyond, said in an email that he is urging clients to book travel for spring and summer now knowing that they can easily change plans if necessary.

“With so many people around the globe reacting strongly to the developments, prime space at hotels all over the world is suddenly available,” he said in an email. “Airline costs have plummeted. Any good buyer knows to buy when a market is weak – as we like to say, ‘Don’t waste this crisis.'”

Joe DeSimone, 30, of Austin, saw stories about empty flights and figured airlines would be eagerly searching for people to fill some of those seats. So he took advantage of lower prices within the past month to book flights to Toronto two weeks from now, for a little over $200, and London two months from now, for slightly more than $400. Both trips are for upcoming conventions, but, he says, even if the conventions get canceled, he’ll be happy to spend time in both cities.

“These were things that I knew I was going to want to do, but was on the fence about,” says DeSimone, who runs an after-school program that teaches game design to high school students and works in food service at Alamo Drafthouse. Plus, friends in London said he could stay with them for up to three months.

He says he wouldn’t book a flight anywhere that has severe travel restrictions in place, because that wouldn’t make for a great vacation.

“Otherwise, if the government’s not on lockdown, and I don’t see like photos that make it look like something out of the Black Plague, … I’m probably OK,” DeSimone says.

The St. Patrick’s parade scheduled for March 17 in Dublin has been shelved, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told reporters Monday in Dublin. About half a million people attended Ireland’s national day celebrations last year, with thousands traveling from overseas.

“It is possible we are facing events unprecedented in modern times,” Varadkar said. The virus “can’t be stopped, but it can be slowed.”

The government plans a raft of measures for sick pay and other benefits as part of its response to the coronavirus, at a cost of about 2.4 billion euros, it said in a statement.

Cork, Ireland’s second-biggest city, canceled its event on Monday, because city leaders said they couldn’t provide the “necessary assurances” to guarantee the safety of participants and spectators.

The festival is the latest in a string of events across the globe halted as the virus spread. Geneva’s International Motor Show has been canceled, as has the world’s biggest property conference in France. Technology conference South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, was also abandoned, while Ireland’s Six Nations rugby match against France, scheduled for this weekend, is off.

In Ireland, the cancellation of the St. Patrick’s Day parade will be a blow to hotels, bars and restaurants. In recent years, authorities have increasingly promoted the festivities as a lure for tourists, with global landmarks, such as the Empire State Building and London Eye, floodlit green around March 17.

Organizers put the economic benefit of the festival at more than $83 million (73 million euros). On Monday, Irish hotel operator Dalata Hotel Group Plc said it has seen a “significant reduction in bookings” and “a significant increase in cancellations” since last month.

Ireland had 21 cases of coronavirus confirmed by late Sunday.

Nowhere will the blow back be felt more acutely than Florida, the home base for many of the industry’s heaviest hitters and a tourism hot spot. In Florida alone, the sector supports more than 154,000 jobs and generates nearly $8.5 billion in direct spending, according to the Cruise Lines International Association. Employees take home nearly $7.7 billion in wages.

Coronavirus’ economic fallout has ricocheted through supply chains, global markets and oil prices. Now the travel and tourism industries face their worst crisis since the 2001 terrorist attacks, and economists worldwide are bracing for months of havoc. On Monday, White House advisers plan to present President Trump with a list of potential policy changes, including deferring taxes on specific industries hit by the coronavirus downturn, such as the hospitality and travel sectors.

Florida in particular would gain from that kind of boost. Major cruise lines have their headquarters in the Sunshine State, including Carnival Corp., Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises (USA) and Disney Cruise Line.

In 2018, over 7.5 million passengers boarded ships from one of Florida’s five cruise ports in Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale and Brevard County, where Cape Canaveral is located. Almost 2.3 million of Florida’s residents cruised in 2018, according to CLIA.

But in a matter of weeks, coronavirus threatens years of industry growth. Nationwide, spending by cruise lines, their passengers and crew rose to almost $24 billion in 2018. That’s 33 percent higher than it was in 2010.

The State Department’s announcement followed mounting pressure on the industry after American passengers aboard two Princess Cruises ships became infected with covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, within the past two months. Hundreds of travelers have been turned away at multiple ports and subject to lengthy quarantine periods.

The advisory came as a shock to some industry experts, who expected additional precautions on ships rather than a blanket advisory against cruise travel. Previously, U.S. officials had only gone as far as saying that senior citizens and people with health conditions should avoid cruising. Vice President Mike Pence, who is heading up the Trump administration’s response to the virus, met with industry leaders Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to determine “what more we can do together to protect the American people.”

“American people value our cruise line industry; it brings great joy and great entertainment value for Americans,” he said, according to the Miami Herald. “We want to ensure Americans can continue to enjoy the opportunities of the cruise line industry.”

Katie Miller, a spokeswoman for Pence, told The Washington Post on Sunday that the new guidance was “a recommendation made by health professionals that the White House of course adopted.”

On Sunday, about an hour before the State Department tweeted out its advisory, the cruise association added in a tweet that it has “committed to do even more to protect our guests, our crew and the communities where we sail,” adding “more stringent boarding procedures,” more medical resources on board and screening people’s temperatures as they embark.

The State Department directive, posted on Twitter just before 4 p.m., warned Americans of the risks of taking cruises amid the outbreak, noting that other countries with strict screening procedures had stopped passengers from disembarking or quarantined them. Three hundred twenty-eight Americans aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in January and February were evacuated and isolated for two weeks after being stranded on it for weeks. Seven-hundred passengers became infected in a ship-wide pandemic; seven died.

Another Princess Cruises ship, the Grand Princess, was being held in waters off San Francisco on Sunday, with the coronavirus detected among nearly half of the passengers initially tested. Those results raised concerns that, as had happened on the Diamond Princess, the virus could be spreading among the 3,533 people aboard.

“While the U.S. government has evacuated some cruise ship passengers in recent weeks, repatriation flights should not be relied upon as an option for U.S. citizens under the potential risk of quarantine by local authorities,” said the announcement from the State Department, which did immediately not respond to The Washington Post’s requests for further information.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a similar directive Sunday, recommending that travelers – particularly those with underlying health issues – “defer all cruise ship travel worldwide.” The agency added that cruise passengers are at a higher risk of person-to-person spread of the coronavirus.

A spokesman for Carnival Corp., which owns Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and others, noted in a statement to The Post on Sunday that the company’s brands had “enhanced their health screening protocols,” including conducting thermal scans and temperature checks prior to boarding and on board.

“We are currently in discussions with the CDC, World Health Organization and other health officials, and we met as a cruise industry Saturday, March 7, with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on an aggressive industry-wide response plan,” wrote the spokesman, Roger Frizzell. “The health and safety of our guests and crew is our highest priority, and cruising remains one of the most attractive vacation options available.”

He added: “While advisories have been issued, no restrictions are in place for those who choose to take a cruise.”

CLIA said in a statement that it was “staying focused on the development of an aggressive, responsive plan as agreed to during the meeting with the Vice President yesterday, which will go beyond the significantly enhanced protocols already in place.”

Stewart Chiron, an industry expert who bills himself as “The Cruise Guy” and offers cruise discounts and tips, said he hadn’t seen anything like the advisory in 30 years of observing and talking about the cruise business. After the meeting with Pence, he had anticipated changes on ships, such as increased coronavirus kits on board or denial of travel for people from certain areas heavily affected by the virus.

But Sunday’s recommendation against an entire form of travel has stunned the industry as a dramatic escalation, he said. He accused officials of “trying to make the uninformed public feel better that the government is doing something” and pointed to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s struggle to roll out widespread testing for coronavirus.

Mike Driscoll, the editor-in-chief of Cruise Week, said he too was taken aback by Sunday’s news, noting that company leaders were set to meet again with government officials on Tuesday to discuss ways they could address concerns.

“It’s just a little jarring to have that on the heels of something that’s saying it’s okay. . . we’re working on something,” Driscoll told The Post.

He’s confident some will keep cruising. But people pay attention when, say, the State Department issues a warning against visiting a certain country, he said. Travel agents he talked to Sunday all had the same message about the advisory: “This is huge.”

– At the Eiffel Tower, you’ll find long lines and a packed, narrow observation deck

Whether masters such as Van Gogh or Camille Pissarro, or smartphone users fiddling with filters, visitors to Paris long to capture it visually. There is a wealth of seductive locations in the City of Light from which to snag that iconic Instagram image, such as the winding streets of Montmartre or the rising glass pyramid at the Louvre. One place, though, will always attract more photographers than the rest.

The Eiffel Tower has a magnetism that few other sites can match. If you exit at Bir-Hakeim metro station and turn right along the Quai Branly, it reveals itself slowly, rising above a line of trees. A grandiose, wrought-iron relic of the Belle Epoque, it looks like no other world landmark. (Tickets to climb the tower can top out around $29.)

That’s just one reason the tower attracts almost 7 million visitors annually. Every day, thousands of people form snaking queues at the base of its four legs so they can ride an elevator (or walk, for those who like a challenge) to the 906-foot-high summit for the famous view across Paris, with the River Seine bending away to the east while the Arc de Triomphe stands proudly in the near distance.

But the top-floor observation deck is narrow and perpetually crammed with tourists. If you want to get your own Parisian memory, be patient and be prepared to hustle for the popular spots with the best views. Even at night, when the tower lights up and the city changes complexion, the masses are still reluctant to stay away. For visitors who are time-constrained or simply don’t like crowds, it isn’t a hugely enjoyable way to see one of the world’s iconic cities. Less than two miles away, however, is a superb alternative.

Location: Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France.

– At Tower Montparnasse, two viewpoints and a fraction of the visitors

The neighborhood of Montparnasse holds a mystique of its own. The bars, cafes and restaurants were frequent haunts of the “Lost Generation” of American writers and artists who moved to Paris in the 1920s. Visitors still come to retrace the Les Années folles footsteps (and drinking habits) of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Somewhat less romantic is the imposing specter of the Tower Montparnasse, a 689-foot-tall monolith that looks out of sync with the rest of the Parisian cityscape. Completed in 1973, its dark, rectangular, glass facade rises up from the Montparnasse-Bienvenüe metro station and dwarfs everything else in the area. You don’t visit for its architecture though.

Its 56th floor panoramic observation deck offers arguably the finest view of Paris with a fraction of the visitors that the Eiffel Tower receives. Entry is $20 per adult, and Europe’s fastest elevator whisks you to the top in a breezy 38 seconds. What really separates Tower Montparnasse, though, is the vast roof terrace, where there’s ample room see the city from any angle you like. Admire the distant byzantine curves of Sacré-Coeur Basilica without having to wait or be in anyone’s way. Watch the sun descend behind the Eiffel Tower as the city lights begin to flicker on. It’s a beautiful, stress-free way to capture your own Paris at your own pace.

– Location: 33 Avenue du Maine, 75015 Paris, France.