Podcast: The Liberation Route Europe

Even though it seems like the summer travel season is flying by, those still looking to book a European getaway have some cheap options for a last-minute trip, according to a new report.

From major European cities to small US ports, coastal communities around the world are attempting to curb the number (and size) of massive cruise ships looming over their shores. 

If you haven’t heard about the U.K.’s heated debate on cutting ties with the European Union—dubbed a “Brexit”—you certainly will this week. Britons headed to the ballot box on Thursday and made the historic decision to leave the European Union.

As any seasoned traveler knows, your dollar goes much further in some places than it does in others. I’ll never forget reviewing my credit card account after my first trip to Copenhagen and realizing all those to-go cups of coffee came to $6 each. Or, conversely, how affordable a beer is in Berlin.

Travel to Europe is going to get slightly more complicated in 2021. Starting that year, visitors from the U.S. will need to get an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) approval before entering countries in the Schengen zone. According to the delegation of the European Union to the U.S., the measure is not a Europe visa, but an authorization that “will enable us to get more comprehensive information from travelers coming from visa-exempt, third-country [nations] arriving at the Schengen external borders.”

The cost of a typical day in one of Europe’s most visited cities ranges from $47 in Prague to $132 in London. A new report from the hotel booking agency AlphaRooms breaks down the costs per city.

Calling Europe a “hot” destination this year has little to do with trends; when Paris hit 109 degrees in July, it marked the city’s hottest day on record—shattering the previous record by five degrees. And the worst may not be over: August could be even hotter, and heat waves in Europe, where fewer than five percent of homes have air conditioning, seem to be getting more common overall.

Traveling to Europe is often as easy as simply booking a plane ticket but starting next year, a fee and a visa will be required to visit.

If traveling to Europe is on your bucket list for next year, you better make a checklist too. 

At least once a year, I fly from my home in Edinburgh to visit my in-laws in Berlin. But all of these plane rides have increased my climate guilt and decreased my bank-account balance.

Endless miles of scenic highways that wind coast to coast and meander around breathtaking natural wonders and ever-changing landscapes make hitting the open road second nature in the US. When it comes to the Midwest there’s often a misconception that it’s all about flyover states and repetitive countryside. But away from the big cities, industrial centers, and sprawling farmland, you can stumble upon some of the most European cities in America.

For Americans traveling abroad, few countries are easier to navigate than Germany. Though not technically an English-speaking nation, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone working in tourism who doesn’t speak English. The country has plenty of amazing places to visit, the cities are clean, and travel within the country is blissfully easy. Much of this is thanks to the system of German trains known as Deutsche Bahn: Germany national railway that connects visitors to pretty much anywhere in the country from anywhere else in the country.