What a word, Schengen! In addition to being a village in Luxembourg, what most people probably know Schengen from is the agreement that most countries in Euroep are part of, creating together the Schengen Area. It might sound dry on the surface, but the agreement created an area that was the first of its kind and has huge repercussions for travelers in Europe (so hopefully all of us!)
For the full run down on the history and more fun facts, check out this week’s episode on the pod. For a few quick things to note if you’re planning a trip, read on!
The main gist of the Schengen Agreement is that member countries have open borders with each other. For example, you don’t need to go through border control or show your passport when going between Germany and the Czech Republic. Huge win for travelers! It makes bopping around Europe so much easier.
The downside for us wanderlust-y types is that it means that all member countries basically share the same visa. So instead of getting a visa (or entering visa free) for Spain, you get a visa for the whole Schengen area. This means that you can spend 90 days in the Schengen Area as a whole, and not 90 days in each country (sad face).
It’s also worth noting that a Schengen visa is good for 90 days within a 180 day period. So, your 90 days don’t have to be consecutive–you can hop on over to non-Schengen countries, like the UK, and the clock restarts when you reenter a Schengen Area. Your whole 90 days resets 180 days after your first entry. Make sense? For a fuller explanation, head over to the episode!
Also, each Schengen country does reserve the right to institute their own border checks if they feel it’s necessary (for example, there was tightening of individual borders during the pandemic), so it’s not guaranteed that your passport will never be checked.
For more info on the Schengen visa, the penalties for overstaying it and a personal story from yours truly about that (😬), as well as which countries are part of it and which aren’t, listen to this week’s episode on your favorite podcast app! As always, feel free to send any questions, comments, and personal stories to goingoutyourdoortravel@gmail.com and find tons more travel content @goingoutyourdoor on Instagram and Facebook.
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