If you really want to get great deals when you travel, be a contrarian traveler and do the opposite of what the sheep are doing.

Right now the sheep are watching sensationalist TV news stories about a toxic sludge in Hungary, added to the vague U.S. State Department warning about avoiding Europe because of possible terrorist attacks. The sum of all that is canceled or postponed trips to Europe, especially Hungary.

If you were planning a river cruise down the Danube or were visiting a place where the sludge is moving through, you may have a good reason to postpone or divert your journey. Otherwise, not much has changed in Budapest, Eger, or the Hungarian countryside around Villany. Autumn is a beautiful time to visit (harvest time for vineyards, colorful forests), plus flight and hotel prices fall off quite a bit from the summer high season. I found multiple flights for $800 or less from East Coast airports using this airfare comparison tool. If you packed light and took a budget connecting flight from another European city on sale you could probably do even better.

At times like this, business owners toss out deals like confetti and are very willing to negotiate or toss in freebies to keep the cash flow going. When tourism falls off a cliff, the battle to get your business heats up proportionally.

Hungary is a bargain and will be an even better deal in the near future. Go take advantage of it.