When I was 15, my dad and I took a trip to Los Angeles that changed my life. We didn't have a set agenda, and since we were staying down the road from the University of California, we took a campus tour.
31.01.2025 - 12:35 / insider.com
My wife and I have been living as full-time nomads since 2019 and have already visited more than 43 different countries.
Our lifestyle seems dreamy, but we've experienced numerous issues along the way — and many of the biggest have been related to visas.
As Americans, we're fortunate to have one of the strongest passports in the world, and many countries have not required us to present a visa upon entry.
However, I wish I'd known before we began our journey that there are some especially strict travel limitations in Europe that could complicate our plans.
As Americans, we knew we could not spend more than 90 days in a row visiting countries like Italy or Germany. However, we soon learned that simply hopping from one European country to another in 90-day stints wasn't an option or workaround to that rule, either.
This is, in part, due to Schengen rules: Non-European Union citizens can only stay in the Schengen zone for up to 90 days within a 180-day period
The Schengen zone consists of mostly European Union countries that share similar criteria for visitors. Citizens within those countries can freely travel across others in the zone without being subject to border checks.
The Schengen zone includes 29 European countries, including France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
For many travelers staying in Europe for less than 90 days, these rules are pretty irrelevant. However, for us, this meant a lot of European countries were off-limits for long trips.
We knew that if we wanted to stay in Europe long-term, we'd need a residency permit.
Many countries offer multiple variations of residency permits, like digital-nomad visas or retirement visas. However, visa applications can be complicated and take months (or even years) to get approved.
At one point, we attempted to get retirement visas in Spain. After months of preparing and filing paperwork and spending a fair amount of money, our application has still not been approved.
Eventually, we decided to stop waiting for a visa. Instead, we would do the "Schengen shuffle," a common strategy among expats that involves strategically entering and leaving the Schengen zone without overstaying your welcome.
For example, if we've been exploring Spain and Italy for almost 90 days, we'd then spend months traveling to places outside the Schengen zone, like Malaysia or Bosnia, before returning to any country in it.
Fortunately, as nomads, we're very flexible — and we've gotten good at doing the "shuffle."
However, it's worth noting that the "shuffle" comes with risks, and violating Schengen rules can have severe legal consequences ranging from jail time and deportation to bans and fines.
Until we get a residency permit in Europe, we'll continue to
When I was 15, my dad and I took a trip to Los Angeles that changed my life. We didn't have a set agenda, and since we were staying down the road from the University of California, we took a campus tour.
Once a bohemian enclave popular among surfers and backpackers, the Oaxacan town of Brisas de Zicatela (or “La Punta,” as locals call it), just south of Puerto Escondido, has evolved into a buzzing tourist spot, its big waves and boisterous mezcal bars now attracting a still young but decidedly less countercultural crowd. Hotel Humano, the latest offering from Mexico City-based Grupo Habita, both embraces the area’s lively ambience and offers a refined respite from it. The 39-room, three-level property opened in late December on a busy street that becomes a party strip every evening, but its striking design creates an elegant barrier between the action outside and the considered details within (while an enforced municipal ordinance also requires loud music to stop at 11 p.m.). The building, designed by Jorge Hernández de la Garza, follows the current fad, in local architecture, of disguising heavy concrete structures with earthy textures meant to evoke vernacular constructions; here, breeze walls made of pale clay bricks provide privacy and shade, allowing air to sweep through. Linen lampshades, toffee-hued glazed tiles and big stainless steel sinks by Madrid-based Plantea Estudio add a lighter, contemporary touch, most effectively in eight suites featuring terraces with soaking pools. Guests and visitors alike can enjoy Humano’s casual cafe and juice bar in the double-height lobby, French fare by the self-taught chef Marion Chateau served in the palapa-covered poolside restaurant and the rooftop bar’s concrete bleachers — La Punta’s best spot to take in the sky at dusk.
The European Union's failure to support international telecoms growth is hindering economic expansion, Vodafone's head of EU affairs has said.
The airline industry prides itself on safety and security and rightfully so.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Stephen and Joanna Vargha, a married couple who moved from North Carolina to Cuenca, Ecuador, in 2020 after retiring early. Cuenca is located in the Andes mountains and has a population of about 600,000 people. Their interview has been edited for length and clarity.
In the minutes before an American Airlines flight crashed into the Potomac River in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, an air traffic controller requested a last-minute runway change.
Small-business credit cards can help you carefully manage your company's expenses while earning valuable cash back or travel rewards. As your profits and employee headcount increase, you may start to outgrow the cards you originally started with.
Jan 30, 2025 • 8 min read
A tragic crash of an American Airlines regional jet Wednesday night at Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), which ended a long accident-free run in domestic aviation, drew shocked reactions from safety experts and the flying public.
Jan 30, 2025 • 5 min read
American Eagle Flight 5342 collided midair Wednesday evening with an Army Black Hawk helicopter on its approach to Reagan National Airport (DCA), with 60 passengers and four crew members onboard. Officials believe that there were no survivors, making this the deadliest U.S. air crash in nearly 24 years.
An American Airlines regional jet was involved in a midair collision late Wednesday night near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed.