Freedom of Movement: Some Updates of Note

United States Customs & Border Patrol (CBP) will simplify pricing across all of its Trusted Traveler programs.

CBP announced that it will now match all three of its programs, Global Entry, Sentri, and Nexus, in terms of application fees, starting Oct. 1st.

From that date, Global Entry, Nexus, and Sentri will each have the same application fee of $120, while currently the fees are $100, $50, and $122.25, respectively.

CBP said that these changes will allow it to cover the costs associated with application processing. The fees for these programs haven't been updated for 15 years, and CBP said that as these programs have grown and developed, it is important to update the fee structures. 

Each of the three programs has a membership period of five years, and members must go through a series of background checks and interviews before enrolling. 

Under the new fee restructuring, applications for minors who are already enrolled in one of the programs, or who are enrolling at the same time, will be free.

For Mon Voyage clients, Global Entry is usually the program of choice. Keep in mind that it also includes TSA Pre √ at the same time, so it's a valuable addition to your travel wallet, even for domestic flights.

So if you've been thinking of applying, do it now and save yourself twenty bucks! Click here to visit the CBP info page.

The Schengen Area grows.

What's the Schengen Area, you may ask? One of the biggest success stories in the European project has been the Schengen zone. It was established in 1985 as a cooperation among five European Union (EU) countries – France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The zone now includes 23 of the 27 EU member states, along with all four members of the European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).

As part of the Schengen Area, countries are not required to carry out traditional border checks, except in the case of specific threats. Instead, they are required to carry out harmonized checks at the external borders of their countries, based on well-defined criteria. 

Romania and Bulgaria joined Europe's Schengen area on Sunday, after many years of negotiations to become part of the free travel zone. The move marks a major step forward in the two countries' integration with the European Union, after Austria blocked their bid in late 2022 due to migration concerns. 

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the change "a huge success for both countries" and a "historical moment" for what is now the largest free travel zone in the world. 

For those of you traveling with me on the Gems of Southeast Europe river cruise aboard the AmaMagna in June of 2025, this should simplify even more of our border crossings during the cruise. Of course, the cruise manager and ship staff will shepherd guests through any of these formalities. We did the same in Cambodia and it was all very smooth. 

Not booked on that Mon Voyage Small Group Trip on the Lower Danube, to Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, and Hungary? Read more here and contact me for current pricing. I do still have a few of the 5% discount coupons that I purchased in conjunction with my last AmaWaterways cruise. (Please note that we are sailing on a "hidden week" and you will not see our June 22nd date on the public website.)

What about that ETIAS thing? 

Well, after repeated delays in implementation, ETIAS is...now scheduled to come into play in 2025. I devoted most of a newsletter to this topic a few years ago, and not much has changed. Here's a link to that newsletter. Just substitute the year 2025 and you'll get the gist of it!  For a preview of the process, visit the ETIAS website.

What else is happening on the Mon Voyage front?

Of Myths and Moussaka: Reservations for the fabulous fortnight in Greece will close in a few short weeks! If you've been toying with the idea of joining this September 2024 trip, the final deadline is approaching. There are TWO ROOMS LEFT and they will be released at the end of April. Click here for the brochure and claim one of those last two rooms before it's too late.

Berlin vs Vienna Smackdown: Based on the instant survey results, it looks like we will offer a City Break in Berlin next March, possibly preceded by a few days in Vienna as well, for those who would like to visit both. Stay tuned for more details in the months to come, but pencil this into your calendar for mid-March 2025.

Irish Country Idyll, the Sequel: Next May, we will return to Ireland, this time in the company of Texas artist Dalynn Montgomery. We'll be launching this trip TONIGHT at her presentation to the Visual Art Society of Texas! But you're the first to have access to the brochure, and you have the opportunity to book your place before I head to Denton this afternoon for the meeting. 

My next newsletter will focus on the practice of casual travel sketching and will feature an interview with Montgomery. Even if you don't think you have an artistic bone in your body, I can tell you from personal experience watching a client sketch on a trip that it's a joy just to see someone else's impressions of a beautiful destination come to life on paper, and I look forward to that experience in Ireland next spring.