What Do Americans Need to Visit Europe in 2025?
Sometime this year in 2025, us Americans will need to apply for an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) before visiting most European countries. So what does this mean…
ETIAS - WHAT IS IT?
For starter’s, this is not a visa but rather an electronic authorization to enter the country. The goal is to enhance security and streamline travel within the Schengen Area.
The ETIAS authorization will be valid for 3 years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. It will allow Americans to visit the 27 EU member states for up to 90 days within a 180-day period, just like the current visa waiver system.
Tip: Be sure to keep track of your passport’s expiration date, as ETIAS approval is tied to it.
WHO SHOULD APPLY?
If you are a citizen of the United States and are visiting the below countries for 90 days or less, you will need to apply to for an ETIAS travel authorization:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
If you are staying in Europe for more than 90 days, you will need a Visa.
HOW TO APPLY
I spent hours planning this trip. I wrote everything in a Word doc by the hour and emailed it to every single one of my friends and family, who were understandably worried. I included every single phone number for each hotel, private transfer, and tour company. The works.
Many people said to me “You shouldn’t go by yourself, that’s so dangerous” so I didn’t tell a lot of people what I was doing. I only wanted positivity, I didn’t need to be made more anxious by negative comments like this. I was already nervous AF!!
I really thought about what I wanted out of this trip. It was simple: If I didn’t have fun, I didn’t have to take any more solo trips. I wanted this to be about getting to know myself, embracing the discomfort, navigating travel solo, and the hope was to make friends around the world so that eventually I wouldn’t necessarily need to travel alone.
And guess what? That’s exactly what happened! I met a group of guys from San Francisco who loved to travel, one in particular (shoutout Ajay!!) And a year later, we met up at Oktoberfest together. In addition, I have met so many friends from other countries like Switzerland, Brazil, Croatia, some who I still talk to. It’s a great way to connect with people! I have also been connected with strangers through mutual friends where they ask for travel advice and recs. It’s really connected me to so many people which I love.
I loved this trip so much, it brought a side of me to life that I felt like I was missing. It felt so authentic to who I am: independent, outgoing, adventurous, social.
Not to mention solo traveling allows me to see the places I dream of, the freedom, the flexibility, and of course, meeting new people. After this trip, I made it a goal to do 5 solo trips in my lifetime.
WHERE I’M AT NOW
People ask me all the time “don’t you ever feel alone?” And wow writing this, I am realizing that people have a lot of opinions haha. But the answer is no, I am never alone. I meet people every single place I go. It’s refreshing not to be “on” 24/7 and just be me. It’s also taught me so much about myself like how to handle travel mishaps, relying on myself to problem solve and remain calm when things go wrong, patience, being humble and asking for help, and most importantly, it pushes me out of my comfort zone.
Now, it’s become such a fun tradition: every year for my birthday, I take myself on a solo trip. It’s turned into this exciting inside joke where people ask “so where’s the trip this year?” It makes me feel like everyone is along this ride with me.
To date, I have gone on 6 solo trips, visiting 7 countries. My new goal is now 10 solo trips! I hope to continue to make so many friends around the world. In fact, I just went to Spain with a girl I was introduced to by a mutual friend - check out the story here.
LITTLE BIT OF ADVICE
So if you are wanting to do things, go on that trip, go to a concert, see the world, even as simple as seeing a movie and no one will go with you — GO WITH YOURSELF. You can do it. Change your perspective - it’s not going alone, it’s going solo. It will be scary, nerve-wracking, exciting but it will also be fun, you’ll learn a lot, and you will be happy you did it. If you wait for someone to do things with, you’ll never do anything.
