End of an era: The big change coming to European travel in November
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In travel news this week: an accidental megadeal on first-class tickets, the world’s best-connected airport and why now is a good time to plan a trip to Europe. Plus a bit of relief for those of you traveling this Labor Day weekend.
Goodbye to EU passport stamps
Paper mementoes of our travels, from boarding cards to even passports themselves, are fast moving into obsolescence.
The inky, smudgy joy of a fresh passport stamp will be a thing of the past for visitors to the 29 countries of the European Union Schengen Area starting November 10. That’s when the new automated Entry/Exit System (EES) comes into effect.
It’s separate from the delayed ETIAS visa waiver program, which is due to start in the first half of 2025 and will mean travelers from outside the EU will be charged a €7 entry fee that is valid for three years.
Destination inspiration
Get your stamps while you can with these European vacation picks.
Il dolce far niente – “the sweetness of doing nothing” – has been perfected by Italians on their vacations in southern sweet spots such as Naples, Ischia, Puglia, the Amalfi Coast and Capri. These remarkable photographs by UK photographer Lucy Laucht show how to relax the Italian way.
In Hungary, the Gresham Palace is the grandest Budapest hotel of them all, having sat in its prime position overlooking the River Danube for more than a century. Here’s how this architectural gem looks in its current incarnation.
Finally, if you’re considering a longer stay, an idyllic Swedish town is selling off land with prices so low you might think they’re mistakes. But Gotene, 320 kilometers (200 miles) southwest of Stockholm, is indeed selling plots with prices starting at just 1 krona, or 9 US cents, per square meter (11 square feet).
Aviation news
An airline accidentally offered a megadeal on first-class tickets, with 300 lucky customers getting savings of 85% off. Here’s what happened next.
The staff at Australian flag carrier Qantas must have been flat-out like a lizard drinking sorting that mess out. And if you don’t understand that lingo, it’s time to check out our guide to Aussie slang.
An airport on the edge of southeast Europe has been named the best connected in the world, with more than 300 direct flights to unique destinations. It’s been networking fast, too; it only opened in 2018.
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