Visas, entry forms, passport rules and the paperwork you have to sort before you fly. Every claim checked against the issuing government.
14 posts
US citizens need no visa and no eTA for Canada, and no six-month passport rule applies. The things that do stop people at the Canadian border are a decades-old conviction and a health insurance assumption.
There is no single passport validity rule. Some countries want six months, some want three, some only want it unexpired. Here is what each rule actually says, and how to work out your own renewal deadline.
US, UK, Canadian and Australian passport holders need no visa for Croatia for stays up to 90 days. The rule that actually catches people out is which other countries those 90 days are shared with.
Greece is a full Schengen member, so Athens is inside the zone and your 90 days start counting there. Albania sits outside it, which is useful if you are trying to stretch a long trip through Europe.
Three different schemes with confusingly similar names, and only two of them exist right now. ETIAS is still not operating. The EU's biometric border system went live in April 2026. The UK ETA is real and costs 20 pounds.
In some countries leaving your passport in the hotel safe is the sensible choice. In others it is against the law. Here is which is which, sourced country by country, and how to carry it without losing it.
German law does not require you to carry your passport at all times. It requires you to produce it on demand. Here is what that means in practice, including where police can stop you without any reason at all.
Italian law is stricter than most of Europe on this. Failing to produce a passport when an officer asks is a criminal offence, not a parking ticket, and the courts read the rule as meaning you need the document on you.
Albania is visa-free for US citizens, cash-heavy, and has no Uber. Here is what to sort before you land, from entry rules to the local ride apps that actually work.
What US travelers actually need for Germany in 2026, from Schengen entry and the new EES border system to the cash culture that catches visitors off guard and the cards that often get declined.
Greece is part of the Schengen Area, so most visitors from the US, UK, Canada and Australia need only a valid passport for stays up to 90 days. Here is exactly what to carry, what changed in 2026, and what to expect at the border.
Croatia joined Schengen and switched to the euro in January 2023. Most advice online is out of date. Here is what you actually need to travel there now.
Passport rules, visas, embassy registration, and the money moves that save your trip before you even land. The international half of your pre-trip checklist.
The E-Ticket is free, required, and you need to fill it in twice. Here is that, plus the passport rule that expires on 31 December 2026 and the return-ticket check airlines now run at the counter.