Travelers say they won't let attacks in Europe deter them

For the second time in five months, terrorist attacks rocked a major European city Tuesday.

Two explosions at the Brussels airport and another at a metro station nearby killed at least 31 and injured dozens. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

At North Carolina State University, junior Elisabeth Reklau kept up with the news from Brussels on her iPad. She said she won’t let the attacks change her summer plans of going to London for a study abroad program.

“My mom, if she had her way, would chain me to my house and let me stay there, but opportunities like this only come around once in a lifetime,” she said of traveling to Europe.

Kim Meymandi said she feels similarly even though her daughter Maggie, a sophomore at Cary Academy, is going to France this spring as part of an exchange trip.

“Terrorism isn’t the first thing I think about when I think about traveling,” she said. “I think about the new and exciting experiences that come with traveling. So, I’m excited for her.”

Several travel agents told WRAL News that terror attacks haven’t stopped people from traveling to Europe. Some travelers had had more questions.

“I think it’s important to be aware and be objective, but you’ve got to go,” Reklau said.

Meymandi agrees.

“They want us to stop our lives, and they want our lives to revolve around them,” she said. “We cannot give in to that type of bullying.”

French officials said tourism slumped immediately following the Paris attacks in November, but hotel and airline bookings returned to normal within a few weeks.