Breaking Travel News: Mexico Walks Back Charging Tourists Hefty Duties for Multiple Electronic Devices
That was fast. Just a month after a wave of media stories about arriving travelers being dinged with hundreds of dollars in duties for their devices, Mexican authorities say they have eliminated the controversial – and dated - rules. As you likely read here in September 2024, Mexican customs regulations stipulated that anyone arriving in the country was allowed one ‘portable computing device.’ Customs officers – especially at the Cancun airport, Mexico’s busiest - were apparently interpreting that to mean one...
New Digital Border Forms and Airport Hall Transform Travel to St. Maarten
New digital border processing and hall at SXM airport mean arriving for your next trip to the Caribbean’s famous twin-nation island will be faster, easier, and better than ever before. But you do have to get online and fill out the new forms before you check in to your flight to St. Maarten.Mandatory Digital Forms for Travel to St. MaartenSt. Maarten has implemented a new Digital Embarkation/ Disembarkation (ED) Form. As of October 8, 2024, all visitors arriving at Princess Juliana...
Planning a Trip to Mexico? Don’t Get Burned by Hefty Taxes on Digital Devices
Stop and think before you nonchalantly pack all your digital devices on your next trip to Mexico. A growing number of reports warn tourists that Mexican border officials are increasingly enforcing old laws about entering the country with electronic items – and it’s costing unsuspecting travelers hundreds of dollars in import duties. In our increasingly digital world, the number of devices many people travel with is exploding. One report says the average American now travels with four gadgets! If you’re in the...
Beginning This Summer, Traveling Into the U.S. With Your Dog Will be Harder
It’s a dog’s life when it comes to traveling with man’s best friend. More and more people consider their canine companions something they can’t leave home without – even when traveling internationally. But new rules for both American pooches returning home, AND pets of visitors coming into the U.S. will mean dog owners have more hoops to jump through. The new rules could affect your summer vacation plans. Effective August 1, 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is implementing new...
Travel Tips as World-First Tourist Toll Takes Effect: Venice Visitors Must Now Pay to Enter City
It’s historic travel news: in what the country’s tourism board is calling a “unique experiment,” the famous canal city of Venice, Italy, is implementing what it labels “a daily access fee.” The controversial ‘visitor’s tax’ takes effect April 25 after years of debate and delay. The move is a pilot project that officials hope will ease the pressures of “over-tourism” in one of the most popular and vulnerable historic city destinations in the world. If successful, supporters hope the tourist toll...
Beach Vacation Tip: What You Need to Know About Reef-Safe Sunscreen
Most of us are pretty careful about sun exposure when we travel on beach vacations these days. It’s hats and sunscreen all the way to protect our skin from the sun’s rays. But how about protecting the ocean we love to visit from the chemicals in our sunscreens? The rise of "reef-safe" or "reef-friendly" or “ocean-friendly” sunscreen claims has a lot of travelers puzzled about what sunscreen to pack that protects skin without harming the aquatic environment. The Origin of Reef-Safe SunscreensA...
Social Media Safety Tips for Spring Break and Beyond
Spring Break is high season for family travel, and with every member of the family more digitally connected than ever at home and away, that means posting about good times on vacation. Not so fast, warns one insurance company, which is advising travelers of the risks of ‘over-sharing.’ A new survey commissioned by the Allstate insurance company revealed that almost one-third of social media users post content about their vacation plans online. That’s before AND during, not just afterwards, and...
The Safest Countries for Solo Women Travelers - Plus Other Top Tips
Never before have more women been traveling solo! Singletons of all ages and stages in life: never-been-married, divorced, widowed… all kinds of women are deciding not to wait to be paired up or until a friend can be a travel companion to embark on dream journeys. They’re making plans to travel now. Does that sound like you? If so, you’re part of one of the top travel trends, and the great news is that the world has never been more accessible...
Your First Decision to Travel Solo: Should You Stay or Should You Go?
11/11 is Single's Day, highlighting the solo lifestyle that applies to more and more uncoupled people. The decision to travel solo is among the biggest decisions a singleton makes. This year will mark the first time many people decide to travel solo. They'll be deciding whether they should stay home or go it alone. Janice Waugh of Solo Travelers explains why more and more people are taking the solo travel plunge:It’s true that the trend for solo travel has been...
Tips for Traveling with Your Pet
A survey by a North American hospitality company reveals that over half of pet owners say they plan to travel with Fido or Fluffy in the coming year.And while a surprising one-third of respondents say they have a special music playlist for their beloved animals, less than 10% have prepared for their trip by doing online research about traveling with their pets.Well, we’ve come to the rescue.If you just can’t bear to leave your animal companion at home while you...