Spain flip-flops on Golden Visa ban as applications continue to flood in

Is your New Year's resolution to travel more, but you're in need of a passport? Well, securing the most necessary part of planning a dream international trip may have just gotten a bit easier.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Emily San José , co-founder of Mother Euro , a community for moms moving abroad. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Shortly after moving into their home in St. Petersburg, Fla., Meghan Martin and her husband noticed a drawback to their new neighborhood. The quiet streets of Shore Acres, a leafy community bisected by canals, occasionally flooded. On some days it was easiest for Dr. Martin, a pediatric E.R. doctor, to reach the hospital by paddle board — a feat she once demonstrated in a widely viewed TikTok.

The writing was on the wall - literally. Last year, graffiti appeared in Barcelona telling tourists, “We spit in your beer. Cheers!” Another message read: “Your luxury trip - my daily misery”. 

There's only one air travel debate that's as divisive as window or aisle, and that's the issue of reclining. 

I've traveled around the world and to 15 countries in Europe, but I've yet to come across a place as special as Estonia.

A wave of vandalism struck two popular beaches in Los Cristianos, Tenerife, last week. More than 230 sunbeds were defaced and sprayed with anti-tourism graffiti such as "Canarias se defiende" (The Canary Islands defend themselves) and "Canarias no se vende" (The Canary Islands are not for sale).

It’s finally happening: the end of resort fees as we know them.  In a landmark announcement on Tuesday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will now prohibit “junk fees,” an overarching term for hidden and misrepresented prices in the hotel, and short-term rental, and live-event ticketing, industries. For travelers, that includes all hotel booking websites and vacation rental platforms like Airbnb or Vrbo.  The rule will require companies to disclose total prices upfront. Search results on an online travel agency, for instance, must include the maximum total of all mandatory fees or charges people will have to pay. With this move, consumers searching for hotels or vacation rentals should no longer be surprised by “resort,” “city,” or “service” fees inflating the advertised price.  By requiring up-front disclosure of total price including fees, the FTC says comparison shopping will be easier, “resulting in savings for consumers and leveling the competitive playing field.”  “People deserve to know up-front what they’re being asked to pay—without worrying that they’ll later be saddled with mysterious fees that they haven’t budgeted for and can’t avoid,” FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said in a statement. “The FTC’s rule will put an end to junk fees around live event tickets, hotels, and vacation rentals, saving Americans billions of dollars and millions of hours in wasted time. The “junk fee” FTC investigation was first launched in 2022 with two rounds of public input and over 70,000 comments. This feedback was then taken into consideration before the final ruling announced today. Expect this to take effect in 120 days. However, it’s not yet clear exactly how the FTC will enforce these mandates. 

If you have China on your travel Bingo card for 2025, I have good news for you. Effective immediately, Americans will be able to visit the country for up to 10 days without a visa.

China’s government opened its country’s doors a little wider this week by extending the period that tourists visiting the country can stay without a visa to up to ten days.

Dec 13, 2024 • 5 min read

JetBlue Airways is redrawing its route network — and there is some good news for Europe-bound flyers.