ETA: Electronic Travel Authorization

If you're a U.S. citizen traveling to the United Kingdom for tourism, visiting family, business meetings, conferences, or short-term study (up to six months), you'll need to secure an ETA before you arrive. The application currently costs £20, and while approval is often quick, it can take a few days — so it's best to apply well before your trip.

EES: Entry/Exit System

Traveling to a country in the Schengen Area, like France, Greece, or Italy? You'll go through the EES process when you arrive. This system records your passport information along with biometric data, like your fingerprints and a facial image. There's nothing to apply for ahead of time — just know that your first border crossing may take a little longer than you're used to. As of this year, EES is up and running at Schengen borders, so this is officially part of the entry routine now, not a "someday" thing.

ETIAS: European Travel Information & Authorisation System

This one's been making headlines for what feels like forever, mostly because it keeps getting pushed back. Once it launches, travelers from visa-exempt countries — including the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the U.K. — will need to apply for authorization before visiting many European destinations.

Here's the current state of play: ETIAS had been targeting the last quarter of 2026, but that date was recently pulled from the official EU site, and a 2027 launch now looks like the most realistic outcome. Nothing is confirmed yet, and the EU has said it will announce a firm date several months before the system actually goes live.

The upshot? You don't need to do anything about ETIAS today. But if you've got European travel on the calendar, it's worth keeping an eye on — and it's exactly the kind of detail we track for our clients so you don't have to.

Have a trip coming up and want someone to handle the fine print? That's what I'm here for. Let's start planning! 

So, are you ready to snuggle up with your sweetheart in a haunted castle, toast martinis in a ghostly bar, or chase legends around the world? I’ll help you plan the perfect blend of spooky and swoony—whether that’s a haunted European castle stay or a Halloween-weekend escape in the U.S.

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Barcelona Day 2

We started the morning early as we had a 9AM ticket to Sagrada Familia. In my opinion, this is a must do tourist attraction in Barcelona. We took the metro there from the hotel. It’s extremely easy to navigate, especially if you’ve been on any sort of metro before. You can buy single or multi pass tickets at the kiosks. 

A little bit of background on Segrada- the church started construction in 1882 with the guidance of Antoni Gaudi (a famous architect in the area). It’s become the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world as they are still working on it to this day. Gaudi is buried there in the crypt and worked on the project until he passed. The project is funded by ticket sales. 

Segrada was way more grand than I imagined. I’ve seen some beautiful churches while traveling, but I got off the Metro stop, looked up, and was like damn. What a site! I purchased the audio tour ticket which explained how every element was done with purpose. Everything was symbolic. My favorite part was the stained glass windows. On the side where the sun rose, the stained glass was done in cool colors which illuminated the church in hues of blues in the morning. The other side, where the sun sets, was done in warm colors which illuminated the church in oranges. 

We purchased the optional add on to go up one of the towers. I chose the Passion Tower because it’s a bit taller than the Nativity Tower. They take you up in an elevator, but you have to walk down. It was very narrow, but overall not too bad (coming from someone who’s super clumsy and out of shape). The only part that made me a little out of breath was the last set of stairs which was a spiral staircase. Accessibility wise, the church was wheelchair friendly, but there is no way to go up the towers. 

Next we walked over to the Corgi Cafe- there’s four of them around the city. I’m a dog mom to a Corgi, so of course this was on my list to visit! It was so cute, and the food and drinks were actually delicious. I ordered the corgi pancakes which were pink with berries on top. Seriously, the raspberries on top were the best I ever tasted. There was a sleepy corgi there who I got to pet. 

After that, we took the Metro down to the beach area Barceloneta because I wanted to check out the area. We walked from the station down the promenade to the beach. I wasn’t super impressed with the neighborhood- it’s definitely a tourist hot spot. The beach area looked decent but wasn’t huge. I could see this area as a good half or full day trip from the city if you’re looking to get in the water, but I wouldn’t want to stay there. 

We took the bus back to the hotel. The buses weren’t as easy as the metro to navigate, but we figured it out. We used Google Maps and the Citymapper app all throughout the trip which were super helpful. You can use your card or phone to pay for the trip, but you have to go in the front door. The card readers in the back of the bus only work for Travel Cards. You can buy these ahead of time on the TMB website if you’d like. They offer single tickets, multi day passes, and multiple journey passes.

At the hotel, we got cleaned up and ready for a flamenco show in the Eixample neighborhood. Side note- this is the most popular gay neighborhood in the area. I really enjoyed this neighborhood overall and would consider staying there if I travel to Barcelona in the future. 

The flamenco show was at Casa Sors. I bought my tickets off of Viator, but it looks like you can get them direct for a few euros cheaper. There are ticket options that include drinks and food, but I recommend just paying a la carte the night of the show. I can’t speak for the food, but the drinks were great. The show was really fantastic. The flamenco is such a powerful dance, and this venue is intimate with about 20 seats. The cast are extremely talented dancers and musicians. Highly recommend checking this show out if you’re in the area. 

Casa Sors is also a guitar museum and hosts space for education. I wasn’t really sure what to expect for this part, but I really enjoyed this as well. The guide discussed the history of the guitar with different examples and would play samples for us. After the educational portion, he put on a mini performance for our group. He played songs on three different historic guitars. It truly felt like a private performance- I really enjoyed it. Also, the museum has a guitar made by Francisco Sanguino in 1769. There are only five of them in the world. The design was beautiful and intricate with inlaid shells. Although not a music player myself, this was a gorgeous piece to see. 

Today’s pro tip: You have to buy Sagrada Familia tickets ahead of time. If you wait to when you’re traveling, they will be sold out. I highly recommend going at 9AM when it first opens as it’s the least crowded at this time. You can buy your tickets directly from their website. You’ll have a choice of a guided or audio tour with an optional add on to go up one of the towers. We did the audio tour and went up the Passion Tower (this one's a bit higher than the Nativity Tower). I prefer the audio because I like to go at my own pace. 

Barcelona Day 3

Today we took a trip up to Tibidabo to see the Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. When we were on the rooftop of our hotel, we could see this beautiful church in the distant mountains. We knew we had to check it out. Randomly, there is also an amusement park next door if you’re traveling with kids. 

To get up the mountain, we took the commuter train to a funicular. I’ve never heard of a funicular before, but it’s basically a train car on a cable lift that takes you up the mountain. From there, we grabbed the bus (it was a mini bus), the rest of the way to the top. The whole trip took around 45 minutes, but the views were worth it! You could also take a taxi, but I wanted to experience public transportation as much as possible. 

The temple was pretty and had amazing views of Barcelona. You can pay a few euros to take the elevator up to the top. To get to the tippy top, you have to take some stairs further up. We wanted to grab lunch after this. There was one restaurant in the area, but it had terrible reviews and was super touristy. So we decided to take the bus back down to Placa de Vallvidrera to get lunch at Restaurant Casa Trampa. During the week, they only serve “menu of the day,” and you may or may not come in contact with someone that speaks English. The menu of the day is popular in Spain and consists of a starter, main dish and dessert. For all of this, we spent about 30 euros which is crazy (it would have been like $100 in the states). The food was great, and they have a full menu if you catch them on the weekend. 

From there, we took the train back down into the city and headed to the Banksy museum. Overall, I liked it because I am a fan of his work, but none of the work there was original. Also, there’s no AC, so keep that in mind if you’re traveling in the summer. We were sweating our asses off. Not having AC is common in Europe. 

So we took some time back at the hotel to clean up for dinner. We checked out La Condesa which is a Mexican restaurant/bar in the L’Eixample neighborhood. The food was great and the vibe was chill. They do close from like 4pm-6:30PM just FYI. 

Today’s pro tip: Closing midday/afternoon is not uncommon in the area. Also, everything is later in Spain. Most people don’t eat dinner until after 9PM. It stays lighter later, so it felt natural to follow this pattern.