Travel by Lynda

10/01/2025

Americans traveling to Europe will soon have their fingerprints scanned and picture taken when they arrive in countries like France, Italy and Spain under new regulations being rolled out across the continent starting next month.

The change comes as the European Union rolls out its new Entry/Exit System for not just Americans but all visitors from outside Europe's Schengen Area, a group of countries that allows people in the zone to travel across borders freely without going through customs checks.

The new system will be introduced gradually over a roughly six-month period starting Oct. 12. It will eventually replace passport stamps, according to the EU.

In addition to the fingerprint scan and being photographed, Americans will have to provide details from their passports like their full name and date of birth. The system will also collect when and where they're entering and leaving the Schengen Area.

"U.S. citizens traveling to most European countries should expect new automated border checks and to have their biodata digitally collected upon arrival and departure," the State Department said in a social media post.

Travelers who refuse to provide their biometric data through the Entry/Exit System will be denied entry to the region. The system will also keep track of people who were denied entry. As of now, fingerprints of children younger than 12 years old will not be collected, authorities said.

The new system will be introduced gradually over a roughly six-month period starting Oct. 12. It will eventually replace passport stamps, according to the EU.

The changes aim to increase security in the Schengen Area, according to the EU. The system will help authorities track who enters and leaves the area and crack down on people who stay longer than they're allowed.

Files containing people's personal data will be kept for about three years after their departure, according to the EU. If no exit was recorded, the data will be kept for five years. Exemptions are available to family members of EU citizens and some non-EU nationals.

Here's a complete list of the countries that will use the new system:

Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czechia
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland

01/15/2025

Real IDs for travel are really real this time! After years of proposed start dates, TSA has announced that May 7, 2025 is the date they will require Real IDs for boarding domestic flights. Valid passports are still required for international travel and can be used for domestic flights also. However, if you use for driver's license for flying domestically and haven't updated it to a Real ID, you will be denied boarding as of May 7, 2025.

06/30/2022

River cruises include awesome food at every stop. What I like best is that they serve local food on board, so you don’t miss out on the cuisine of the area. Travel by Lynda

06/29/2022

Biking with Viking! River cruises aren’t just for your grandparents anymore. There are lots of active excursions to choose from (biking, hiking, kayaking, etc.) We took a biking excursion up into the Black Forest. That’s 30 km on an e-assist bike with stops for tasty treats. We started out along the Rhine River, before turning in land through farm land, cute little towns and then up into the Black Forest. We stopped for Black Forest Cake, then about a hour later stopped for lunch and finished with shots of Schnapps and homemade bread at a local home. Hopefully, we burned off all the calories we ate on this biking food tour.

07/24/2021

Don't leave your favorite bottle of Merlot behind. Click for our comprehensive guide to traveling with wine.
https://tinyurl.com/yfqn2m46/

07/23/2021

04/29/2020

The other Bellagio :-)

04/28/2020

Put golfing in Punta Cana on your wish list. Simply excellent!