Need to know if you are traveling this year

Rooftop of Gaudi apartments in Spain

🇬🇧 UK Travel Alert if you are traveling this year

As of Jan 10, travelers entering England must have an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization). This applies to anyone passing UK border control—even due to delays or mistakes.⏳ Grace period ends Feb 12. After that, no ETA = no boarding.More info: Gov.uk

🌺 Hawaii Tourism Tax Increase

Starting Jan 1, Hawaii added an 11% tourism tax for land visitors. Local counties may add up to 3% more.🚢 Cruise passengers are temporarily exempt due to an industry lawsuit.

⚠️ Grenada Travel Advisory

The U.S. State Department issued a new advisory for Grenada due to increased violent crime and slow police response times.Travelers should exercise increased caution.

🇪🇺 Europe Entry/Exit System Update

Europe’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) is live in testing mode at select airports.Full rollout expected April 2026, replacing passport stamps with biometric data (facial scans & fingerprints for people traveling this year.

💶 New Tourist Taxes in Europe

Several destinations now charge tourist fees:

• Spain, Iceland, Norway, UK – nightly taxes

• Venice – new “day-tripper” fee

Goal: reduce mass tourism and encourage higher-quality travel.

🚨 Debit Card Scam Warning

Scammers posing as bank employees may tell you to destroy your card and send in the chip.❗ This is a scam. Banks will never ask for your card or PIN.Once they have both, accounts are often drained.

🌐 Fake Travel Websites Alert

Fraudulent sites are impersonating legitimate travel companies using altered domains (extra words, numbers, or endings like “.us.com”).Always verify the exact domain name before booking.

🇺🇸 California Travel Buyer Protection

If you bought travel in California, you may be protected by the Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation (TCRC).Eligible losses can be reimbursed if the seller was CA-registered.Claims: tcrcinfo.org