Hi Guys, hope all is well with each of you, and we hope you're getting excited about your upcoming Adventure to France! We've recently received a couple different questions from guests on our upcoming Provence Tours this June and we'll talk about them here...
First, someone has reached out about the new Schengen Area Entry/Exit System known as EES. As the European Union works to get immigration under control, they're ruling out a couple new programs to keep track of who is entering, how long they stay, and when they leave. The new EES system has been in the works for years and has been delayed several times already. They're now estimating that it will be ready to be put in place "Autumn 2024". Travelers will need to scan their passports at a self-service kiosk each time they enter or cross an EU external border. The system will register the traveler’s name, biometric data, and the date and place of entry and exit. Facial scans and fingerprint data will be retained for three years after each trip.
We don't think this will be in place when you travel in June, (based on our experience, we highly doubt it will be ready) but even if it is, there's nothing you need to do in advance of traveling. (unless you're an international jewel thief). You'll just scan your passport at the arrival airport and the kiosk will snap a facial photo and you'll put your fingers on a digital scanner for fingerprints.
The other new program that's also still being touted is The New European Travel Information and Authorization Services (ETIAS). This program has just been delayed for the third time in 3 years until 2025, so you won't need to worry about it on this trip. It's been characterized as a "money grab" by the travel media as it will require travelers entering Europe to register online and pay a 7 Euro fee for a digital visa-like document that will be valid for 3 years. But again, it won't be in place until 2025, so there's no need to worry about it. But we always take the opportunity to remind you that the French government requires you to have a US Passport that's valid for at least 3 months after your scheduled return date from France, and many airlines require you to have a Passport that's valid for at least 6 months. If you need a passport or if you need to renew your passport, we strongly urge you to work on it now. It takes upwards of 3 - 4 months to get a new one or renew.
And lastly, someone has asked again: "Do I really need Travel Insurance... I've paid my final balance and I don't plan to cancel..." So again, the sort answer is: "no, we don't require you to buy travel insurance." But we do highly recommend it. No one ever plans to cancel their trip... But over our now 23 years of organizing Tour Groups multiple times each year, we have had people cancel their trips for a variety of reasons from broken legs, job loss, heart attacks, car accidents, broken marriages, etc... It was never, ever planned... it was always regretted, and it was sometimes very costly for those that didn't have insurance coverage... But keep in mind, comprehensive travel insurance covers a lot more than just trip cancellation... Most comprehensive Travel Insurance policies also cover a variety of health, medical, dental, trip interruption, baggage loss, baggage delay and more. And many domestic health/medical insurances including Medicare provides no or very limited coverage when out of the country... As a practical application, when guests contact us to tell us they need to cancel, we refer them to their Travel Insurance provider for refunds.
there are many renditions of this song that are better recordings, but Grahm Nash telling the story behind the song makes this very special... if you're old enough to have been a CSNY fan, you'll appreciate this!
