October 9, 2024 • 29 mins
Ready to transform your travel experience? Discover how Europe and the UK are redefining border security and streamlining processes with groundbreaking measures. Get the inside scoop on Europe's Entry and Exit System (EES) launching this November, and prepare for the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) coming in 2025. Plus, learn about the UK's upcoming Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) that will affect non-European travelers by early 2025. While these innovations promise enhanced security and smoother journeys, anticipate some hiccups as these digital systems take flight.
But that's not all—our latest episode covers crucial shifts in travel policies that could impact your next adventure. From Germany's temporary border controls to the impending Real ID requirements for U.S. domestic flights, staying informed is key. We also explore the growing trend of tourist taxes in hotspots like Greece and Amsterdam, which could stretch your travel budget further than expected. As a bonus, find out how to renew your U.S. passport online and save on meals with the "Too Good To Go" app, your new ally in affordable dining. Whether you're planning a European getaway or a domestic escape, we've got the essential tips to keep you ahead of the curve.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to the Traveling Fool.
I'm your host, bob Bales, andtoday we are talking about some
big changes coming to the travelindustry that affect the way
you travel and could ruin yourtravel plans if you don't plan
ahead.
As always, stay tuned to theend, and I'm going to give you a
tip on how to save money whendining out when you're traveling
, and you can also use this oneat home.
(00:21):
So don't forget to follow.
Hit that subscribe button andwe'll be right back.
Hello and welcome back to theTraveling Fool.
(00:48):
I'm your host, bob Bales, andtoday we are talking about
changes coming up in the travelindustry that affects you,
whether you're traveling abroador just here domestically.
First thing, if you areplanning a trip to Europe
anytime soon, whether you areheading there for business or
leisure, there are two veryimportant changes you need to
(01:11):
know about.
The first one is the Entry andExit System, and the second is
the European Travel Informationand Authorization System.
Now, both of these new programsare going to significantly
impact how non-EU nationalsenter and travel within Europe,
so we're going to delve a littledeeper into what they are,
(01:32):
who's affected and how you canprepare the first one, the EES,
the Entry and Exit System.
Well, they're planning onlaunching this 10 November of
this year, so in about a monthit's going to go live.
The EES is a digital systemthat will replace manual
(02:02):
passport stamping nationalstraveling to any of those 29
participating countries forshort stays.
That means you're going therefor up to 90 days during any
six-month period.
This includes tourists,business travelers and those
people that are just over therevisiting friends and family.
Now, once this new system islive, when you go through
(02:25):
passport control on your arrivalto or departure from your
destination, as well asproviding your passport, you
will also need to have a photoof your face taken and your
fingerprints scanned.
Biometrics is coming to the EUFor airline passengers arriving
at EES destinations.
(02:46):
It will vary depending on thesize of the airport.
At some of the larger airports,arrivals will be directed to
little kiosks, kind of like theones you see at the US airports,
to answer a series of questionsof multiple choice.
Then you get your fingerprintscaptured to have a photo taken
(03:06):
multiple choice.
Then you get your fingerprintscaptured to have a photo taken.
Then they will proceed to theborder check as usual.
Get everything done there andbe on your way.
Now, at the smaller airports.
The pictures and fingerprintswill be taken at the border
control booth and questions willbe asked by the official there.
So be prepared for it to takesome additional time to clear
(03:27):
customs and immigration whenthis thing first starts rolling
out, because there will be abacklog Now.
The second one is the EuropeanTravel Information and
Authorization System, or theETIAS Boy.
They come up with some longnames for this stuff, don't they
?
The ETIAS is Europe's new visawaiver program, and it is
(03:54):
designed to prescreen travelersfrom visa-exempt countries
before they arrive in Europe, toensure a higher level of
security.
They arrive in Europe to ensurea higher level of security.
The ETIAS will apply tovisa-exempt travelers from over
60 different countries whocurrently do not need a visa to
enter Europe for short stays,which means every US passport
(04:19):
holder.
If you currently need a visa totravel to Europe, if you
currently need a visa to travelto Europe, the ETIAS system will
not change anything for you.
This is only for people whopreviously did not need a visa
in order to travel there forshort stays.
Now, to get this, you're goingto have to complete an online
(04:42):
application providing all yourpersonal and travel details.
A 7 euro fee will be chargedfor each application.
Now, that fee is waived and isfree for people under the age of
18 and over the age of 70.
Now, once approved, the ETIASauthorization will be valid for
(05:05):
three years or until yourpassport expires, whichever
comes first, and theauthorization allows multiple
entries to any of the 30participating European countries
for short stays.
Now, this program is scheduledto take effect in the spring of
(05:27):
2025.
Be prepared.
If you're a visa-exempttraveler, now ensure you apply
for this ETIAS well in advanceWhoa, what happened to my voice
Well in advance of your tripstarting in the spring of 2025.
There's going to be a backlogwhen people start applying for
(05:48):
this.
So if you're planning ontraveling to Europe anytime next
year after, I would say,january or February, you need to
start applying for this,probably now.
Now, in theory, this program isgoing to enhance security.
It'll enable authorities toidentify potential security
(06:09):
risks before they reach Europe'sborders.
Now they say it's going tostreamline travel.
If you have these approvedETIAS, man, they've got to come
up with better names,authorizations.
In theory, you can expectfaster and more efficient border
crossings, but we all know thatthat is not going to happen
(06:31):
when they first roll this out.
The good thing is that theauthorization does allow
multiple entries to numerousEuropean countries during that
three-year period.
European countries during thatthree-year period.
Now, remember the UK, greatBritain, is not part of the EU,
but they have their ownrequirements.
(06:52):
They didn't want to be left outof this little game.
So all non-Europeans travelingto the UK will need what they
call an ETA for UK travel, andthat begins January, the 8th of
next year, 2025.
The Electronic TravelAuthorization, or ETA, is
(07:15):
required for anyone planning tovisit to the UK, except British
and Irish citizens.
Now, travelers are going toneed to apply and be approved
for this ETA prior to their trip, and the document is going to
be linked to your passport andthey say it will ensure more
(07:36):
robust security checks.
The ETA is going to cost you alittle over $13, and they will
permit multiple trips into theUK for stays of up to six months
at a time over any two-yearperiod or until your passport
expires, whichever is sooner.
(07:57):
The aim of the program is todigitize the UK border and
immigration system.
So why are they doing all thisstuff?
Well, they say it'll modernizeborder control procedures,
enhance security and streamlinethe travel experience for the
millions of visitors that comeover there every year.
But one of the biggest reasons,if you really look into this,
(08:22):
is, like the US, they're havinga terrible problem with illegal
immigration and there's a lot oftravelers arriving in the UK
and all over the EU withfraudulent passports and
fraudulent documents or going inthere with no documents at all.
So at one time several yearsago, a lot of these European
(08:46):
countries were inviting people.
They were saying look, if youcan make a tire country, we're
not going to make you leave.
We'll give you all these socialservices and welcome to the
country and we hope you have agreat life.
Well, that's starting tobackfire on them.
They're finding out that theycan't support millions and
millions of people coming intotheir country and a lot of them
(09:10):
not all of them, but a lot ofthem are criminals in their
country and they're just movingcriminal gangs into Europe.
So a lot of these tolerantcountries two or three years ago
are now struggling to try andfigure out a way to get rid of
all these illegals and criminalsthat are swarming into Europe.
(09:33):
In fact, switzerland is nowoffering to pay illegal
immigrants to leave the countryand go back home.
The Schengen area, which covers27 countries in Europe used to
be.
You could enter one of thosecountries and just freely pass
through all of the othercountries.
But that is probably coming toan end.
(09:54):
It's already showing signs ofcracking.
Just last month, the GermanFederal Ministry of the Interior
notified the EU that they aretemporarily mind you,
temporarily reintroducing bordercontrols at all of their land
borders.
Now that's between them andFrance, luxembourg, the
(10:16):
Netherlands, belgium, denmarkand a couple of others, and they
are trying to do it to crackdown on illegal immigration and
crime.
So now, if you are in the EU,you cannot just freely cross
into Germany anymore.
You're going to have to showyour passport, and a lot of
other countries are consideringdoing the same Now.
(10:38):
Germany had already beencarrying out these checks at its
borders with Poland and theCzech Republic, austria and
Switzerland since last year, andthis initiative expands it to
all of the border crossings inthe country.
They aren't the only countrythat's trying to stop criminal
gangs and illegal migrants fromentering the EU is considering
(11:00):
building detention centers incountries such as Serbia or
Albania that have applied formembership into the EU, as a
place to put all their illegalmigrants in one place to
facilitate their return to theirhome and you say well, why do
they have to do that?
Well, they're trying to getthem out of their country
(11:22):
because they have no documents.
They don't even know who theyare in a lot of cases, and the
problem is is when you try todeport them, you have to send
them back to their home country.
So if you don't know their realname and actually where they
originally came from, it's alittle difficult to get them
back to their home country.
So they're trying to move theminto one area so they have
(11:46):
control of them until they candeport them.
One high-ranking official fromthe EU has said that it is vital
for those with no right to stayin the EU that they are
returned swiftly, and thisincludes transferring people who
have been ordered to leave toreturn to these hub mechanisms
while they await for finalremoval.
(12:09):
So things are changing.
When you go to Europe and thetakeaway is anytime you are
planning to travel from the USabroad, you really should start
checking a few months ahead ofyour travels to see what the
requirements are, because thingsare changing all of the time
and just because your next doorneighbor said well, all I had to
(12:32):
do was fill out an arrival cardwhen I got there.
That doesn't mean that thingshaven't changed.
Now.
If you're travelingdomestically in the United
States and you are a US citizen,change is coming for you too.
The Real ID is a state-issueddriver's license or ID card and
(12:55):
it has a little gold star in theupper right-hand corner.
You will need this Real ID ifyou don't have a passport or one
of the other acceptable IDs inorder to get past TSA and all
those acceptable other thingsare listed on the TSA website.
(13:15):
So where you used to be able towalk up to the check-in counter
at Delta in Dallas or wherever,or American in Dallas and use
your driver's license as anidentification American and
Dallas and use your driver'slicense as an identification it
now needs to be Real IDcompliant with this star.
This takes effect in May of2025.
(13:38):
So you still have a little timeto get one, and all 50 states
are now doing this, and eventhough they've been telling
people this for the last coupleof years that the Real ID is
coming, well, I expect somepeople to show up with non-Real
ID compliant driver's licenseand no other acceptable document
(13:58):
, only to get turned away andcause a huge scene at the
airport.
It'd be one of those YouTubemoments where they have an epic
meltdown.
You know it might be withbuying some popcorn, grabbing a
chair and just watching the TSAlines on the day that one's
implemented.
But other than changes in theway you travel, there's other
(14:19):
changes coming, and most of them, or a lot of them, are already
here.
It is costing more to visit somecountries and cities, and I'm
not talking about just inflation.
More, more and more cities andcountries that have high tourism
numbers are charging peoplejust to visit.
(14:40):
In most cases, these placesspend a lot of money on tourism,
trying to attract people tovisit, and many businesses
restaurants, shops, tour guidesand more depend on tourism for
their livelihood.
Yet they charge you to visit,saying that they need the money
to offset the impact of all thetourists.
(15:02):
Now, I understand that having alot of tourists in an area, it
disrupts the everyday life ofthe regular guy that's just
going about his business andgoing to work and in many cases
it can negatively impact thearea.
But to me it seems kind of likea restaurant spending thousands
(15:22):
of dollars on advertising toget customers and then have
somebody stand outside andcharge them an entrance fee to
walk in the door, but the listappears to be growing, with more
cities and countries addingfees every couple of months.
I mean, here's just a partiallist of places that are going to
charge you just to visit, andrates run from as little as 60
(15:47):
cents a day if you're going totravel to Greece to as much as
$180 a day if you're travelingto Bhutan.
Other places include Venice,rome, paris, majorca, lisbon,
prague, switzerland, bali, japan, new Zealand and Barcelona.
(16:11):
Some places charge you apercentage of the room rate that
you pay for lodging and othershave a flat fee.
So Vienna, for example, theycharge you 3.2% of the cost that
you're paying for the roomyou're staying at.
You stay in a higher rent or ahigher rate of a room, a nicer
(16:34):
hotel?
Well, you're going to pay more.
Berlin charges you 5% of yourroom rate and Amsterdam charges
you 12.5%.
Now, these are tourist taxes.
Basically, they're saying well,we want you to come here, we
want you to look at all thisstuff and look at our beautiful,
(16:55):
luxurious hotel.
It's $200 a night.
Oh, by the way, there's a 12.5%tax just for you being here.
Now some places are evenconsidering adding fees to visit
their little iconic touristsites.
Rome is getting ready to chargepeople to visit the Tevi
(17:15):
Fountains.
You know those famous fountainsthat's in every movie about
Rome, every little selfie.
Everybody that ever visits Romehas their picture taken in
front of these fountains.
Everybody that ever visits Romehas their picture taken in
front of these fountains.
Well, rome wants to chargetourists $2.50 just to go to the
fountains and see them, whichis a public fountain.
(17:36):
Other places are consideringdoing it and some already have.
So on one hand, they say comeand visit us, look at all of our
history and architecture andour beautiful country.
Spend your money to bookflights, hotels, don't forget to
bring lots of cash to spend,but when you get here, we're
(17:57):
going to charge you a fee justto see what you came here to see
.
Now proponents of this will saywell, just look at all the
damage some tourists have doneto our sites and landmarks by
graffiti and disrespectfulbehavior.
Well, I'm not real sure thatcharging people a daily tax is
(18:17):
going to stop some idiot fromcommitting vandalism.
Maybe just arrest those thatare committing crimes and
desecrating your iconiclandmarks.
You know, recently there was aguy that made a big scene on an
aircraft.
You know, I had one of theselittle YouTube meltdowns.
Well, he was arrested.
(18:38):
They had to divert the airplane, take it somewhere.
They got on the ground, theyarrested the guy and he had to
wind up paying the cost of thefuel for the airline when they
diverted the plane.
Thousands of dollars in fuelcosts is what they charged this
guy.
So maybe that's what some ofthese countries need to do.
(19:01):
You damage a statue that'shundreds of years old in Rome.
Well, sentence them to fiveyears year old in Rome.
Well, sentence him to fiveyears.
If it costs $150,000 to repairthe damage, that's what his fine
should be.
Maybe that will deter the nextidiot from defacing one of your
(19:21):
landmarks.
But I'm not sure that making mepay between $5 and $15 a day to
visit your country is going tostop that guy from doing
something stupid.
But let me know what yourthoughts are on this.
Drop me an email at the editor,or editor at
thetravelingfoolcom, and justtell me do you agree with all
(19:42):
these fees that these cities andcountries are charging or not?
I'd like to hear your thoughtson this.
So you ready for some good news?
Here's some good news.
This one is already in effect.
You can now renew your USpassport online.
No more having to mail it off.
But, like everything else, youhave to meet certain criteria.
(20:06):
Like everything else, you haveto meet certain criteria.
One of those is that yourpassport that you are renewing
is currently or was valid for 10years and you are over the age
of 25.
The passport that was issuedmust have been issued over 9
years ago, but less than 15years ago from the date you plan
(20:27):
on submitting your application.
All of this is listed ontravelstategov.
One of the other requirementsis that you're not changing your
name, your date of birth, placeof birth or your gender, which
I'm not changing my gender, soit doesn't apply to me You're
(20:48):
not traveling for at least sixweeks from the date you will
submit your application, and itonly offers routine service, in
other words, no expeditedservice.
And there's a couple of otherrequirements.
Like, you have to be applyingfor a regular passport, a
tourist passport, not anofficial one or diplomatic one.
(21:09):
Here's a big one, though youmust live in the United States.
You do not qualify for renewalonline if you live in a foreign
country.
Now, this means all theseservice members who have APO
addresses or fleet post officeaddresses, or you work at an
(21:30):
embassy somewhere and you have adiplomatic post office address
post office address you do notqualify for online renewal.
You must live in the UnitedStates at the time you submit
this application.
You also have to have yourpassport with you when you
submit it.
It can't be damaged ormutilated, you can't have
(21:52):
reported lost or stolen and youcan pay for your passport
renewal with a credit or debitcard.
You'll have to upload a digitalpassport photo and as soon as
you hit that submit button, theyare canceling your current
passport.
As soon as you hit that renew,you cannot use your current
passport for any internationaltravel.
(22:14):
It's not going to be validanymore Now.
They say the turnaround timefor this when you submit the
application is between six toeight weeks, but I did a little
research and there have beenpeople reporting that they have
been receiving them in as littleas 10 days.
That's got to be a fluke.
(22:34):
Expect to wait six to eightweeks and since the procedure to
renew online is fairly new,they can only accommodate so
many people at one time, andsome people have reported
they've had difficulty gettingon the application page.
So just keep trying and it'llopen up for you.
(22:55):
Finally, and once it fullyrolls out, I expect that'll
change and you won't have anyproblems accessing the site and,
like I said, it may change inthe future, but as of now,
expedited or urgent travelservice is not supported in the
online application.
So those are just some of thechanges that have come or are
(23:18):
coming to travel in the very,very near future.
Now, like I said when I firststarted, I'm going to give you a
travel tip for when you're onthe road.
You can also use this whenyou're just at home.
This is a good one.
There is an app I know the lasttwo or three episodes I told
you about apps.
This is another good app.
(23:40):
By the way, I'm not gettingpaid off any of these apps, so
these are just ones that I findreally, really useful.
This app is called Too Good ToGo and it's a really cool app
that will save you money when itcomes to dining, and the
premise of this app is that alot of food from retail stores
(24:03):
and restaurants get wasted atthe end of the day, when they
have to throw it out because itwasn't sold.
So, instead of wasting it andto try and salvage some profit
from their goods and to try andsalvage some profit from their
goods, they sell it to you at ahuge discount.
Now there are currently over160,000 businesses around the
United States, ranging fromretail to restaurants, that are
(24:29):
on this app.
They have what they callsurprise bags that are sold to
customers for anywhere from 25%to 50% off retail prices and the
app will tell you, when youopen it up, how many bags are
left in each location and whenyou have to pick it up.
It shows you a little 10-milearea in the search function and
(24:52):
you can move the map around tovarious areas and it'll search
within that little 10-milesection and whatever location
you put in there, you're goingto see all these restaurants and
other places that are usingthis service.
So I did a little messing aroundwith it when I first got it and
(25:14):
in my area, just for example,there's donut shops, there's
four to five restaurants,there's a place that sells
specialty produce, there's aplace that sells breakfast tacos
and an artisan bakery.
If you don't know what abreakfast taco is, it's a
Southern thing, especially aTexas thing, probably out in
(25:36):
California too.
If you're ever in the South, orin Texas or California,
southern California, try abreakfast taco.
You'll be glad you did, trustme, you know, when I was looking
around, I also found a gourmetcookie bakery.
I tried to scroll past that onereal fast.
I mean, I've had their cookies.
They're really, really good,but I can't eat them all the
(25:57):
time.
The offerings vary daily so younever really know what you might
find, but it will show you.
Okay, this restaurant has sixbags available and I mean the
prices I saw were like $5 and $6for one of these bags at
restaurants or a donut shop waslike $4, and I think you were
(26:22):
getting a dozen donuts.
And it will tell you you haveto pick it up between 11.30 and
1 pm or between 7 pm and 9 pm ifit's a dinner thing.
So you get how many bags areavailable, the times that you
can pick them up and what thecost is.
And it's available right nowmainly in larger areas, but
(26:45):
there are some in small towns.
Like I said, I moved the littlemap around and I looked all over
the US and I found places.
I found one place in Arizona, atown that had one place that
was offering the service.
But if you're driving throughthat small town, hey, use it.
So the nice thing about this isis if you're on a road trip.
(27:09):
You can check out the app andmaybe pick up a late breakfast
or a lunch, instead of grabbingsome kind of little rubbery
breakfast sandwich that youfound at the gas station last
time you stopped for gas and youget it at a big discount.
Or you're at your destinationand, after a day of walking
around and looking at all thesites, just grab a dinner from
(27:32):
one of the restaurants on theapp listed and have a relaxing
meal in your hotel room and winddown.
I mean, it's great for whenyou're on a trip.
Of course, you don't have to beon a trip to use it.
You can use the thing anytime,and I'll tell you how I found
out about this thing.
My daughter uses it and I wasvisiting her the other day and
(27:55):
she said I've got to run out andget dinner for tonight.
I asked what you're having.
She goes I don't know, it's asurprise bag.
And she told me all about thisapp.
She's been using it for a while, she loves it, and so I started
using it and they have somereally, really good offerings.
So check it out.
It is called Too Good To Go.
(28:15):
It is called Too Good to Go andit's available for Apple or
Android.
You can use it on either one ofyour phones.
Just download it from GooglePlay Store, the Apple Store,
whatever they call that one.
I don't know.
I'm an Android user, but I canjust tell you they have it for
both.
I think you'll like it.
It's a great little app.
So that's it for this week.
(28:37):
I hope you got something out ofit.
As always, if you have anyquestions, suggestions,
something you'd just like tohear on a future podcast, drop
me a line at editor.
At the Traveling Fool.
Don't forget to subscribe andhit that like button, and until
next time, safe travels.
Thank you.
Hello and welcome to the Traveling Fool.
I'm your host, bob Bales, andtoday we are talking about some
big changes coming to the travelindustry that affect the way
you travel and could ruin yourtravel plans if you don't plan
ahead.
As always, stay tuned to theend, and I'm going to give you a
tip on how to save money whendining out when you're traveling
, and you can also use this oneat home.
(00:21):
So don't forget to follow.
Hit that subscribe button andwe'll be right back.
Hello and welcome back to theTraveling Fool.
(00:48):
I'm your host, bob Bales, andtoday we are talking about
changes coming up in the travelindustry that affects you,
whether you're traveling abroador just here domestically.
First thing, if you areplanning a trip to Europe
anytime soon, whether you areheading there for business or
leisure, there are two veryimportant changes you need to
(01:11):
know about.
The first one is the Entry andExit System, and the second is
the European Travel Informationand Authorization System.
Now, both of these new programsare going to significantly
impact how non-EU nationalsenter and travel within Europe,
so we're going to delve a littledeeper into what they are,
(01:32):
who's affected and how you canprepare the first one, the EES,
the Entry and Exit System.
Well, they're planning onlaunching this 10 November of
this year, so in about a monthit's going to go live.
The EES is a digital systemthat will replace manual
(02:02):
passport stamping nationalstraveling to any of those 29
participating countries forshort stays.
That means you're going therefor up to 90 days during any
six-month period.
This includes tourists,business travelers and those
people that are just over therevisiting friends and family.
Now, once this new system islive, when you go through
(02:25):
passport control on your arrivalto or departure from your
destination, as well asproviding your passport, you
will also need to have a photoof your face taken and your
fingerprints scanned.
Biometrics is coming to the EUFor airline passengers arriving
at EES destinations.
(02:46):
It will vary depending on thesize of the airport.
At some of the larger airports,arrivals will be directed to
little kiosks, kind of like theones you see at the US airports,
to answer a series of questionsof multiple choice.
Then you get your fingerprintscaptured to have a photo taken
(03:06):
multiple choice.
Then you get your fingerprintscaptured to have a photo taken.
Then they will proceed to theborder check as usual.
Get everything done there andbe on your way.
Now, at the smaller airports.
The pictures and fingerprintswill be taken at the border
control booth and questions willbe asked by the official there.
So be prepared for it to takesome additional time to clear
(03:27):
customs and immigration whenthis thing first starts rolling
out, because there will be abacklog Now.
The second one is the EuropeanTravel Information and
Authorization System, or theETIAS Boy.
They come up with some longnames for this stuff, don't they
?
The ETIAS is Europe's new visawaiver program, and it is
(03:54):
designed to prescreen travelersfrom visa-exempt countries
before they arrive in Europe, toensure a higher level of
security.
They arrive in Europe to ensurea higher level of security.
The ETIAS will apply tovisa-exempt travelers from over
60 different countries whocurrently do not need a visa to
enter Europe for short stays,which means every US passport
(04:19):
holder.
If you currently need a visa totravel to Europe, if you
currently need a visa to travelto Europe, the ETIAS system will
not change anything for you.
This is only for people whopreviously did not need a visa
in order to travel there forshort stays.
Now, to get this, you're goingto have to complete an online
(04:42):
application providing all yourpersonal and travel details.
A 7 euro fee will be chargedfor each application.
Now, that fee is waived and isfree for people under the age of
18 and over the age of 70.
Now, once approved, the ETIASauthorization will be valid for
(05:05):
three years or until yourpassport expires, whichever
comes first, and theauthorization allows multiple
entries to any of the 30participating European countries
for short stays.
Now, this program is scheduledto take effect in the spring of
(05:27):
2025.
Be prepared.
If you're a visa-exempttraveler, now ensure you apply
for this ETIAS well in advanceWhoa, what happened to my voice
Well in advance of your tripstarting in the spring of 2025.
There's going to be a backlogwhen people start applying for
(05:48):
this.
So if you're planning ontraveling to Europe anytime next
year after, I would say,january or February, you need to
start applying for this,probably now.
Now, in theory, this program isgoing to enhance security.
It'll enable authorities toidentify potential security
(06:09):
risks before they reach Europe'sborders.
Now they say it's going tostreamline travel.
If you have these approvedETIAS, man, they've got to come
up with better names,authorizations.
In theory, you can expectfaster and more efficient border
crossings, but we all know thatthat is not going to happen
(06:31):
when they first roll this out.
The good thing is that theauthorization does allow
multiple entries to numerousEuropean countries during that
three-year period.
European countries during thatthree-year period.
Now, remember the UK, greatBritain, is not part of the EU,
but they have their ownrequirements.
(06:52):
They didn't want to be left outof this little game.
So all non-Europeans travelingto the UK will need what they
call an ETA for UK travel, andthat begins January, the 8th of
next year, 2025.
The Electronic TravelAuthorization, or ETA, is
(07:15):
required for anyone planning tovisit to the UK, except British
and Irish citizens.
Now, travelers are going toneed to apply and be approved
for this ETA prior to their trip, and the document is going to
be linked to your passport andthey say it will ensure more
(07:36):
robust security checks.
The ETA is going to cost you alittle over $13, and they will
permit multiple trips into theUK for stays of up to six months
at a time over any two-yearperiod or until your passport
expires, whichever is sooner.
(07:57):
The aim of the program is todigitize the UK border and
immigration system.
So why are they doing all thisstuff?
Well, they say it'll modernizeborder control procedures,
enhance security and streamlinethe travel experience for the
millions of visitors that comeover there every year.
But one of the biggest reasons,if you really look into this,
(08:22):
is, like the US, they're havinga terrible problem with illegal
immigration and there's a lot oftravelers arriving in the UK
and all over the EU withfraudulent passports and
fraudulent documents or going inthere with no documents at all.
So at one time several yearsago, a lot of these European
(08:46):
countries were inviting people.
They were saying look, if youcan make a tire country, we're
not going to make you leave.
We'll give you all these socialservices and welcome to the
country and we hope you have agreat life.
Well, that's starting tobackfire on them.
They're finding out that theycan't support millions and
millions of people coming intotheir country and a lot of them
(09:10):
not all of them, but a lot ofthem are criminals in their
country and they're just movingcriminal gangs into Europe.
So a lot of these tolerantcountries two or three years ago
are now struggling to try andfigure out a way to get rid of
all these illegals and criminalsthat are swarming into Europe.
(09:33):
In fact, switzerland is nowoffering to pay illegal
immigrants to leave the countryand go back home.
The Schengen area, which covers27 countries in Europe used to
be.
You could enter one of thosecountries and just freely pass
through all of the othercountries.
But that is probably coming toan end.
(09:54):
It's already showing signs ofcracking.
Just last month, the GermanFederal Ministry of the Interior
notified the EU that they aretemporarily mind you,
temporarily reintroducing bordercontrols at all of their land
borders.
Now that's between them andFrance, luxembourg, the
(10:16):
Netherlands, belgium, denmarkand a couple of others, and they
are trying to do it to crackdown on illegal immigration and
crime.
So now, if you are in the EU,you cannot just freely cross
into Germany anymore.
You're going to have to showyour passport, and a lot of
other countries are consideringdoing the same Now.
(10:38):
Germany had already beencarrying out these checks at its
borders with Poland and theCzech Republic, austria and
Switzerland since last year, andthis initiative expands it to
all of the border crossings inthe country.
They aren't the only countrythat's trying to stop criminal
gangs and illegal migrants fromentering the EU is considering
(11:00):
building detention centers incountries such as Serbia or
Albania that have applied formembership into the EU, as a
place to put all their illegalmigrants in one place to
facilitate their return to theirhome and you say well, why do
they have to do that?
Well, they're trying to getthem out of their country
(11:22):
because they have no documents.
They don't even know who theyare in a lot of cases, and the
problem is is when you try todeport them, you have to send
them back to their home country.
So if you don't know their realname and actually where they
originally came from, it's alittle difficult to get them
back to their home country.
So they're trying to move theminto one area so they have
(11:46):
control of them until they candeport them.
One high-ranking official fromthe EU has said that it is vital
for those with no right to stayin the EU that they are
returned swiftly, and thisincludes transferring people who
have been ordered to leave toreturn to these hub mechanisms
while they await for finalremoval.
(12:09):
So things are changing.
When you go to Europe and thetakeaway is anytime you are
planning to travel from the USabroad, you really should start
checking a few months ahead ofyour travels to see what the
requirements are, because thingsare changing all of the time
and just because your next doorneighbor said well, all I had to
(12:32):
do was fill out an arrival cardwhen I got there.
That doesn't mean that thingshaven't changed.
Now.
If you're travelingdomestically in the United
States and you are a US citizen,change is coming for you too.
The Real ID is a state-issueddriver's license or ID card and
(12:55):
it has a little gold star in theupper right-hand corner.
You will need this Real ID ifyou don't have a passport or one
of the other acceptable IDs inorder to get past TSA and all
those acceptable other thingsare listed on the TSA website.
(13:15):
So where you used to be able towalk up to the check-in counter
at Delta in Dallas or wherever,or American in Dallas and use
your driver's license as anidentification American and
Dallas and use your driver'slicense as an identification it
now needs to be Real IDcompliant with this star.
This takes effect in May of2025.
(13:38):
So you still have a little timeto get one, and all 50 states
are now doing this, and eventhough they've been telling
people this for the last coupleof years that the Real ID is
coming, well, I expect somepeople to show up with non-Real
ID compliant driver's licenseand no other acceptable document
(13:58):
, only to get turned away andcause a huge scene at the
airport.
It'd be one of those YouTubemoments where they have an epic
meltdown.
You know it might be withbuying some popcorn, grabbing a
chair and just watching the TSAlines on the day that one's
implemented.
But other than changes in theway you travel, there's other
(14:19):
changes coming, and most of them, or a lot of them, are already
here.
It is costing more to visit somecountries and cities, and I'm
not talking about just inflation.
More, more and more cities andcountries that have high tourism
numbers are charging peoplejust to visit.
(14:40):
In most cases, these placesspend a lot of money on tourism,
trying to attract people tovisit, and many businesses
restaurants, shops, tour guidesand more depend on tourism for
their livelihood.
Yet they charge you to visit,saying that they need the money
to offset the impact of all thetourists.
(15:02):
Now, I understand that having alot of tourists in an area, it
disrupts the everyday life ofthe regular guy that's just
going about his business andgoing to work and in many cases
it can negatively impact thearea.
But to me it seems kind of likea restaurant spending thousands
(15:22):
of dollars on advertising toget customers and then have
somebody stand outside andcharge them an entrance fee to
walk in the door, but the listappears to be growing, with more
cities and countries addingfees every couple of months.
I mean, here's just a partiallist of places that are going to
charge you just to visit, andrates run from as little as 60
(15:47):
cents a day if you're going totravel to Greece to as much as
$180 a day if you're travelingto Bhutan.
Other places include Venice,rome, paris, majorca, lisbon,
prague, switzerland, bali, japan, new Zealand and Barcelona.
(16:11):
Some places charge you apercentage of the room rate that
you pay for lodging and othershave a flat fee.
So Vienna, for example, theycharge you 3.2% of the cost that
you're paying for the roomyou're staying at.
You stay in a higher rent or ahigher rate of a room, a nicer
(16:34):
hotel?
Well, you're going to pay more.
Berlin charges you 5% of yourroom rate and Amsterdam charges
you 12.5%.
Now, these are tourist taxes.
Basically, they're saying well,we want you to come here, we
want you to look at all thisstuff and look at our beautiful,
(16:55):
luxurious hotel.
It's $200 a night.
Oh, by the way, there's a 12.5%tax just for you being here.
Now some places are evenconsidering adding fees to visit
their little iconic touristsites.
Rome is getting ready to chargepeople to visit the Tevi
(17:15):
Fountains.
You know those famous fountainsthat's in every movie about
Rome, every little selfie.
Everybody that ever visits Romehas their picture taken in
front of these fountains.
Everybody that ever visits Romehas their picture taken in
front of these fountains.
Well, rome wants to chargetourists $2.50 just to go to the
fountains and see them, whichis a public fountain.
(17:36):
Other places are consideringdoing it and some already have.
So on one hand, they say comeand visit us, look at all of our
history and architecture andour beautiful country.
Spend your money to bookflights, hotels, don't forget to
bring lots of cash to spend,but when you get here, we're
(17:57):
going to charge you a fee justto see what you came here to see
.
Now proponents of this will saywell, just look at all the
damage some tourists have doneto our sites and landmarks by
graffiti and disrespectfulbehavior.
Well, I'm not real sure thatcharging people a daily tax is
(18:17):
going to stop some idiot fromcommitting vandalism.
Maybe just arrest those thatare committing crimes and
desecrating your iconiclandmarks.
You know, recently there was aguy that made a big scene on an
aircraft.
You know, I had one of theselittle YouTube meltdowns.
Well, he was arrested.
(18:38):
They had to divert the airplane, take it somewhere.
They got on the ground, theyarrested the guy and he had to
wind up paying the cost of thefuel for the airline when they
diverted the plane.
Thousands of dollars in fuelcosts is what they charged this
guy.
So maybe that's what some ofthese countries need to do.
(19:01):
You damage a statue that'shundreds of years old in Rome.
Well, sentence them to fiveyears year old in Rome.
Well, sentence him to fiveyears.
If it costs $150,000 to repairthe damage, that's what his fine
should be.
Maybe that will deter the nextidiot from defacing one of your
(19:21):
landmarks.
But I'm not sure that making mepay between $5 and $15 a day to
visit your country is going tostop that guy from doing
something stupid.
But let me know what yourthoughts are on this.
Drop me an email at the editor,or editor at
thetravelingfoolcom, and justtell me do you agree with all
(19:42):
these fees that these cities andcountries are charging or not?
I'd like to hear your thoughtson this.
So you ready for some good news?
Here's some good news.
This one is already in effect.
You can now renew your USpassport online.
No more having to mail it off.
But, like everything else, youhave to meet certain criteria.
(20:06):
Like everything else, you haveto meet certain criteria.
One of those is that yourpassport that you are renewing
is currently or was valid for 10years and you are over the age
of 25.
The passport that was issuedmust have been issued over 9
years ago, but less than 15years ago from the date you plan
(20:27):
on submitting your application.
All of this is listed ontravelstategov.
One of the other requirementsis that you're not changing your
name, your date of birth, placeof birth or your gender, which
I'm not changing my gender, soit doesn't apply to me You're
(20:48):
not traveling for at least sixweeks from the date you will
submit your application, and itonly offers routine service, in
other words, no expeditedservice.
And there's a couple of otherrequirements.
Like, you have to be applyingfor a regular passport, a
tourist passport, not anofficial one or diplomatic one.
(21:09):
Here's a big one, though youmust live in the United States.
You do not qualify for renewalonline if you live in a foreign
country.
Now, this means all theseservice members who have APO
addresses or fleet post officeaddresses, or you work at an
(21:30):
embassy somewhere and you have adiplomatic post office address
post office address you do notqualify for online renewal.
You must live in the UnitedStates at the time you submit
this application.
You also have to have yourpassport with you when you
submit it.
It can't be damaged ormutilated, you can't have
(21:52):
reported lost or stolen and youcan pay for your passport
renewal with a credit or debitcard.
You'll have to upload a digitalpassport photo and as soon as
you hit that submit button, theyare canceling your current
passport.
As soon as you hit that renew,you cannot use your current
passport for any internationaltravel.
(22:14):
It's not going to be validanymore Now.
They say the turnaround timefor this when you submit the
application is between six toeight weeks, but I did a little
research and there have beenpeople reporting that they have
been receiving them in as littleas 10 days.
That's got to be a fluke.
(22:34):
Expect to wait six to eightweeks and since the procedure to
renew online is fairly new,they can only accommodate so
many people at one time, andsome people have reported
they've had difficulty gettingon the application page.
So just keep trying and it'llopen up for you.
(22:55):
Finally, and once it fullyrolls out, I expect that'll
change and you won't have anyproblems accessing the site and,
like I said, it may change inthe future, but as of now,
expedited or urgent travelservice is not supported in the
online application.
So those are just some of thechanges that have come or are
(23:18):
coming to travel in the very,very near future.
Now, like I said when I firststarted, I'm going to give you a
travel tip for when you're onthe road.
You can also use this whenyou're just at home.
This is a good one.
There is an app I know the lasttwo or three episodes I told
you about apps.
This is another good app.
(23:40):
By the way, I'm not gettingpaid off any of these apps, so
these are just ones that I findreally, really useful.
This app is called Too Good ToGo and it's a really cool app
that will save you money when itcomes to dining, and the
premise of this app is that alot of food from retail stores
(24:03):
and restaurants get wasted atthe end of the day, when they
have to throw it out because itwasn't sold.
So, instead of wasting it andto try and salvage some profit
from their goods and to try andsalvage some profit from their
goods, they sell it to you at ahuge discount.
Now there are currently over160,000 businesses around the
United States, ranging fromretail to restaurants, that are
(24:29):
on this app.
They have what they callsurprise bags that are sold to
customers for anywhere from 25%to 50% off retail prices and the
app will tell you, when youopen it up, how many bags are
left in each location and whenyou have to pick it up.
It shows you a little 10-milearea in the search function and
(24:52):
you can move the map around tovarious areas and it'll search
within that little 10-milesection and whatever location
you put in there, you're goingto see all these restaurants and
other places that are usingthis service.
So I did a little messing aroundwith it when I first got it and
(25:14):
in my area, just for example,there's donut shops, there's
four to five restaurants,there's a place that sells
specialty produce, there's aplace that sells breakfast tacos
and an artisan bakery.
If you don't know what abreakfast taco is, it's a
Southern thing, especially aTexas thing, probably out in
(25:36):
California too.
If you're ever in the South, orin Texas or California,
southern California, try abreakfast taco.
You'll be glad you did, trustme, you know, when I was looking
around, I also found a gourmetcookie bakery.
I tried to scroll past that onereal fast.
I mean, I've had their cookies.
They're really, really good,but I can't eat them all the
(25:57):
time.
The offerings vary daily so younever really know what you might
find, but it will show you.
Okay, this restaurant has sixbags available and I mean the
prices I saw were like $5 and $6for one of these bags at
restaurants or a donut shop waslike $4, and I think you were
(26:22):
getting a dozen donuts.
And it will tell you you haveto pick it up between 11.30 and
1 pm or between 7 pm and 9 pm ifit's a dinner thing.
So you get how many bags areavailable, the times that you
can pick them up and what thecost is.
And it's available right nowmainly in larger areas, but
(26:45):
there are some in small towns.
Like I said, I moved the littlemap around and I looked all over
the US and I found places.
I found one place in Arizona, atown that had one place that
was offering the service.
But if you're driving throughthat small town, hey, use it.
So the nice thing about this isis if you're on a road trip.
(27:09):
You can check out the app andmaybe pick up a late breakfast
or a lunch, instead of grabbingsome kind of little rubbery
breakfast sandwich that youfound at the gas station last
time you stopped for gas and youget it at a big discount.
Or you're at your destinationand, after a day of walking
around and looking at all thesites, just grab a dinner from
(27:32):
one of the restaurants on theapp listed and have a relaxing
meal in your hotel room and winddown.
I mean, it's great for whenyou're on a trip.
Of course, you don't have to beon a trip to use it.
You can use the thing anytime,and I'll tell you how I found
out about this thing.
My daughter uses it and I wasvisiting her the other day and
(27:55):
she said I've got to run out andget dinner for tonight.
I asked what you're having.
She goes I don't know, it's asurprise bag.
And she told me all about thisapp.
She's been using it for a while, she loves it, and so I started
using it and they have somereally, really good offerings.
So check it out.
It is called Too Good To Go.
(28:15):
It is called Too Good to Go andit's available for Apple or
Android.
You can use it on either one ofyour phones.
Just download it from GooglePlay Store, the Apple Store,
whatever they call that one.
I don't know.
I'm an Android user, but I canjust tell you they have it for
both.
I think you'll like it.
It's a great little app.
So that's it for this week.
(28:37):
I hope you got something out ofit.
As always, if you have anyquestions, suggestions,
something you'd just like tohear on a future podcast, drop
me a line at editor.
At the Traveling Fool.
Don't forget to subscribe andhit that like button, and until
next time, safe travels.
Thank you.
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