Solo Travel Adventures: Safe Travel for Women, Preparing for a Trip, Overcoming Fear, Travel Tips
Equipping Women over 50 to Safely Travel in Confidence
Is fear holding you back from traveling because you don’t have anyone to go with? Are you concerned about being a woman traveling alone? Not sure how to prepare for a solo trip? Do family and friends think you are crazy for even considering solo travel in this day and age?
In this podcast, you will become equipped to travel safely by yourself. You’ll learn things like tactical travel tips and how to prepare for a trip, and how to overcome the fear so you can discover the transformation that travel can bring. My mission is to see more women over 50, empty-nesters, discover how travel can empower them. If you want to enjoy your next travel adventure solo, then start your journey here.
Hi Sister Travelers, I’m Cheryl, solo travel advocate and coach. I spent nearly 20 years putting my family/children first and felt guilty about even considering solo travel at the time. After my divorce and transitioning to an empty nest, I began to rediscover my passion for travel, built confidence in myself, and started to explore again. I have experienced life-changing adventures through travel and I want the same for you.
If you are ready to find freedom through travel and build your confidence while safely navigating new places, then this podcast is for you!
Pack your bags, grab your plane tickets and check one more time for that passport. It’s time to explore the world!
Email: hello@cherylbeckesch.com
Solo Travel Adventures: Safe Travel for Women, Preparing for a Trip, Overcoming Fear, Travel Tips
Navigating New Travel Rules: Tourist Fees, Digital Entry Systems, and Essential Updates for 2025
Ever wondered about the latest travel updates that could make or break your next adventure? Don't miss out on crucial news that could affect your plans, from new tourist fees to digital entry systems in Europe. This episode is packed with insights that will help you navigate these upcoming changes seamlessly and keep your travel experiences hassle-free.
We'll cover everything from the EU's newly postponed tourist fee and Italy's highly anticipated Year of Jubilee in 2025, to New Zealand's significant hike in tourist tax and visa fees. Say goodbye to traditional passport stamps as Europe transitions to a mandatory digital entry system next year. Stay ahead of the curve with our top travel tips and essential updates, ensuring you're fully prepared for your next international journey!
Follow me on the Camino for the next 2 weeks on Instagram @solotraveladventures50
Facebook community: Solo Travel for Women Over 50
Send me a message or share your solo travel story with me.
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Hello, sister travelers. Well, being involved in the travel industry, I get a lot of news that come across through email, whether it's something I subscribe to or I follow different travel news media outlets. I came across a few travel news topics that might be of interest to you and, since maybe you don't follow those kind of newsletters or networks, I thought I would share some the top four that just came across this last week or so that are some changes that might affect your future travel and I wanted to share them with you. So the first one you might have already heard about, but the EU is imposing a tourist fee and originally it was supposed to start in May of 2023, but it keeps getting delayed and pushed back again and again and once again, it was supposed to go into effect this year as well, but it has been delayed till the second half or the first half of 2025. Just listen for that possibility if you're traveling to the EU, it's not a huge deal. It's $7 for those that don't need a visa to enter Now countries that still require a visa to enter any of the EU countries. You still need to get a visa and that will last. The tourist fee that they're charging will last three years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. So something if you're planning to go to Europe next year, just count on that little extra fee to be added and it will be an online sort of application that they'll have you do.
Speaker 1:Number two something that I was finding kind of interesting is that Italy is celebrating its year of Jubilee in 2025. Now, I want you to be aware of this, because if you're planning to go to Italy next year, you need to be booking out really early, because there's going to be crowds, it's going to be busy and what this is, year of Jubilee is a holy year in Rome and the Vatican city particularly. There's going to be higher cost of accommodations, flights, maybe even less available accommodations, so that's why you want to book pretty far in advance if you're planning a trip to Italy in 2025. Number three it will be more expensive to travel to this beautiful country. Starting October 1st of this year, new Zealand will be nearly tripling its tourist tax. They already have one, and it's going from $22 to $62. The tax is to support efforts of conservation, infrastructure and environmental protection. Please also note if you need a visa to get into New Zealand, the visa costs have also increased as well. So something to plan when you're planning your budget for your trip.
Speaker 1:And then, finally, number four. This one made me really sad to hear and there's a lot of mixed emotions. And for those that are travelers and you like to collect stamps on your passports, well, there will be no more passport stamps in Europe. So they are imposing a new entry and exit system which is all digital, so you will no longer get a stamp on your passport. It's called EES. They intend to implement it in November 10th of 2024.
Speaker 1:Now, I am hesitant, since this tourist fee also has taken Europe a while to implement, that that date might likely get pushed later, because there's an app that they're wanting you to, of course, download and start that whole process of entering and exiting through that digital system, but the app has not been released yet, so I'm kind of thinking it might not happen on November 10th of 2024. But again, if you're planning any travel after that point, it may be something worth researching. Now, what do they do? Well, they're going to be doing a facial recognition scan of your face, digital fingerprints, and these scans will actually be mandatory. So right now, for example, in the US, in a lot of the bigger airports, they have started implementing, through TSA, the facial recognition. Now, at this point, at least in the US, you can decline having your face scanned and just have them use your document, whether it's your driver's license or your passport, to confirm your identity. But it sounds like in Europe, because they're getting rid of the passport stamping, that these, they, they are saying this is mandatory, so just be prepared for that.
Speaker 1:Keep your pulse on this possibility happening after November 10th. There there's lots to keep up when it comes to the travel industry and different rules and things that apply for all of us that travel. So I'm hoping these four points kind of help prepare you for any future travel you might have in those areas. Keep safe, but get out there and have an adventure. Speaking of adventure, I'd like you to follow me as I go walk the Camino. By the time you listen to this episode, I am on my way there. So if you want to see live and what is happening on my trip, please follow me at solotraveladventures50 on Instagram, and that's where I'm going to be posting pictures, stories, reels, all that stuff, so that you can come along with me on the Camino.
