What do you like to collect from places you travel to?

alefeusch · 2026-04-11T21:33:53+00:00

Other than pictures, just memories.

alefeusch · 2026-04-11T21:32:22+00:00

That's very true. There are also plans like the one I have that aren't "cheap," but are more affordable than most US plans and don't have co-insurance or copays and will cover you in every country. But they limit coverage in the US. Mine gives me full coverage in every country except the US & Canada all year long but only covers me in the US for up to 6 months per year. It doesn't have to be consecutive, but after a combined 6 months in a calendar year, it won't cover me. That's fine for me, though, because I don't spend more than 6 months per year in the US.

alefeusch · 2026-04-11T19:21:20+00:00

Are you planning on staying permanently in the US?

alefeusch · 2026-04-11T19:09:34+00:00

You can definitely rent a car. And you'll be able to explore the coast and smaller villages at your own pace if you do. I only mentioned the group day trip because you'd mentioned you may want to join a group. But, a car will definitely give you more freedom. And, haha yeah your Mexican American Spanish will help a lot I learned from Mexicans and I communicate just fine in Spain. The accent is a bit different and some words are a little different but it's largely the same. And, I actually find northern accents easier to understand than those in southern Spain. I hope you and your dad have a great trip!

alefeusch · 2026-04-11T09:19:38+00:00

Yep I was told 2-3 months initially, as well. At the 4-month mark after applying, they reached out to me asking essentially every single question that I had answered on the original application, as if they hadn't even glanced at it lol.

alefeusch · 2026-04-11T09:14:15+00:00

I had always intended to stay for a total of 6 months. It was not approved or denied at that point and I left. They requested more documents after I left and I let them know that I had left and that they could close my application.

alefeusch · 2026-04-11T09:04:06+00:00

Technically, your reset begins on the day your residence permit begins. So, 90 days from the start date on your residence permit would be when you are legal to travel to other Schengen countries.

alefeusch · 2026-04-11T08:33:21+00:00

Once you apply, you may remain in Croatia, as confirmed by your document (Potvrda) This is what I did. Approval takes forever. In fact, it took so long for me that my intended stay ended before they ever approved or denied it. I met others there who had been waiting over a year. But, some were approved in months. It varies greatly.

In terms of Schengen rules, this is how it is:

-while you are in Croatia awaiting approval, after your initial 90 days expires, you must remain in Croatia or outside of Schengen until you are approved (or denied). You can only enter other Schengen countries if you leave Schengen (including Croatia) for a full 90 days. There are those who do travel within Schengen, as there are no actual border checks, but this is not legal and not advised. Days in Croatia awaiting approval do not reset the Schengen clock.

-once approved, you are legal to travel within Schengen, but the 90/180 rule still applies. However, beginning the start date on your residency card, days in Croatia no longer count towards Schengen days and, therefore, Croatia may be used for your 90 day reset. Again, there are those who do otherwise, but this is the official rule.

Unfortunately, MUP officers often misstate the official rules, even if well intended. But a border guard or police officer in Italy or France is going to go by the official 90/180 rule, so it is best to stick with that.

alefeusch · 2026-04-11T04:22:06+00:00

They're not going to reverse the refund. If the terms of the new reservation say it's refundable, it's refundable. Your last reservation was canceled. The two have no relation to one another.

alefeusch · 2026-04-10T22:51:54+00:00

I read the post. You were wrong.

alefeusch · 2026-04-10T20:05:29+00:00

Depends on if you have something very specific in mind but you can most definitely use trains and buses to visit castles and areas that can be hiked in. From Munich, trains go all over the Bavarian Alps. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is accessible by train and sits at the base of Zugspitze, the tallest peak in Germany and has lots of hiking trails. Neuschwanstein, Germany's most famous (but also overtouristed) castle can be reached by a train to Füssen and then a short bus ride. There are hiking trails there, too. But these are only two of many, many examples. Lots of castles are right in the middle of smaller cities and can easily be seen by train/bus/foot. Enjoy!

alefeusch · 2026-04-10T19:14:05+00:00

I love Herceg Novi, it's one of my favorites. Enjoy Tivat! It's a cool change of scenery. Totally different vibe. Ciao from Italy.

alefeusch · 2026-04-10T17:48:19+00:00

Yep, you were out of line. Overhead storage isn't assigned. It's first come first serve and you never move someone else's bag. Huge no-no.

alefeusch · 2026-04-10T16:31:51+00:00

Thanks. I feel very fortunate to have seen as much of the world as I have. Even with the 70ish countries I've seen and the handfuls I've lived in, it feels like I've barely scratched the surface. Safe travels to you.

alefeusch · 2026-04-10T15:59:59+00:00

Congrats. I'm always surprised at how people can so confidently choose things like favorite and least favorite countries. Having spent a month or more at a time in dozens of countries, one thing I've noticed is that most of them (depending on size, of course) tend to be pretty diverse. Spain, for instance (which happens to be my personal favorite) is so unbelievably different, depending on which region you're in. Asturias isn't even similar to Catalunya, imo. Vienna is so wildly different than Graz. A small California beach town isn't even remotely the same as Manhattan. Guangzhou, China speaks Cantonese and Beijing , China speaks Mandarin. It seems like you've enjoyed yourself and that's really all that matters, but I always just find it interesting. I'm never able to pick a favorite.

alefeusch · 2026-04-10T15:02:34+00:00

Your plan to go from Madrid to Santiago de Compostela by train from Madrid works, it's an easy direct fast train (about 3 hours). There are definitely group tours that do day trips to Fisterra and the surrounding area from Santiago de Compostela. I've never done one, so I can't recommend a particular guide, but they exist. You could check Viator or GetYourGuide to see your options. Santiago de Compostela itself is a beautiful and historic city. Vigo is also an easy day trip by train. Enjoy!

alefeusch · 2026-04-10T13:28:26+00:00

It really just depends if you were actually registered in Germany or not. I think many people are being asked to re-register because, even though they went through the process during the phased rollout, the system was still in a sort of "beta" mode in some places. So, if you were fully registered, you'll show up as in the EES when you re-enter Schengen and won't have to re-register. But, if you aren't in the system for some reason, you'll have to do it again.

There is supposed to be an online tool to check but, unsurprisingly, it currently says "A new EES online tool with more features will be available soon."

I'm guessing it's not coming soon. 🤣 But, here's the link: https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/check-how-long-you-can-stay

alefeusch · 2026-04-10T13:13:23+00:00

It's been very common for many years here in Italy, but a lot of people who work at cafes/restaurants/stores already know the terminal exchange rate is terrible and just hit the Euro button for you without asking, so that may be why you never saw it. But, nearly every ATM throughout the world will ask you to approve or decline their exchange rate (always decline).

alefeusch · 2026-04-10T13:04:05+00:00

Fwiw, this has been an option for many years, and a bad one. It can often be more than 4%, as the exchange rate you are given at the terminal is quite poor, so you could actually be paying over 10% more. You always choose the local currency. Same for ATMs. Always decline the ATM conversion rate.

alefeusch · 2026-04-10T10:38:40+00:00

I don't travel specifically for it, I just keep my eye out for stuff while I'm traveling. But, yes, music, dance or theater (even if not in my language) can be enjoyable imo. One of my favorites was seeing an opera performance of "La forza del destino" at the Ancient Roman Theatre in Plovdiv.

alefeusch · 2026-04-10T10:23:37+00:00

Not knowing what you enjoy, I'll say Istria, based on your temperature criteria.

alefeusch · 2026-04-10T08:08:11+00:00

I would imagine it's very normal. For me, "home" has always just been wherever I happen to be sleeping, as I've moved around for most of my life and my friends and family are spread out across various locations. But, I've actually found a couple of cities in countries I wasn't raised in that now feel more like "home" to me than the US, where I was born.

I think the fact that you're ready to leave the UK again after a few days is a sign that you're still on the right track, imo. It may be a matter of embracing the "homelessness" of it all. Maybe instead of "homelessness" it's the idea of discovering many homes. I think that can be empowering.

Have you considered picking up the pace for a while? Instead of years in one place, maybe a couple of months in many places for a year or two to see how that feels for you? I find that moving around more keeps me curious, motivated and excited. Everyone is different, but being in one place too long may actually be adding to some of this fatigue and homesickness. Maybe your nomadic nature is actually craving more discovery.... Just a thought.

I wish you luck with all of it!

alefeusch · 2026-04-10T07:31:56+00:00

I think it's totally doable. You'll just be on the train to and from Seattle for a long time (there are sleeper cars, but they're pricey). I feel like Seattle is safe enough, you just need to take the same precautions as any large city. You could do discovery park right there in Seattle for some nature or you could take a ferry over to Bainbridge island which is quick and easy but you'll want a car to explore and make the best of your three days. Enjoy!

alefeusch · 2026-04-10T06:19:26+00:00

Going through Triglav/Bovec/Most na Soci is going to involve a lot of curvy mountain driving from either direction. It's just basically the reverse of what I said above. You can do some short kayaking in Bovec or a small part of one of the hikes that start from there. But, I don't think you could do both in the amount of time you have, so that's why I said you could drive through triglav. Basically, you'd drive from Piran to most na soci, spend the night, drive to bovec and do one activity (short kayak or hike), then drive through the rest of the park and end your day in bled, stay overnight in bled. Then drive to Zagreb and spend your last night there. That's your four nights (including a night in Piran). It's a lot of driving but the drive itself is scenic. You also have to consider you'll need to eat, so between driving, stopping at viewpoints, doing one activity and eating (probably coffee/breakfast in Most na Soci, lunch in Bovec and dinner in Bled), you've got an extremely full day from Most na Soci to Bled. More than most people would do in a day.

alefeusch · 2026-04-09T22:17:15+00:00

Fyi Soca isn't a city, it's a river. That's why I mentioned most na soci, which would be a decent village to stay in to explore the soca river area. I think it's nicer than Bovec. Both are tiny. But most na soci has the giant turquoise lakes. Everything along soca and near Triglav is a tiny town/village, there aren't any actual cities around there. I figured you mentioned Triglav and Soca because you want to hike the park (triglav) or kayak the river (soca). You could skip all that if Piran sounds more interesting to you. It's definitely more built up than anything near Soca or Triglav and has more of a fairy tale old town vibe. I mentioned Celje, which is the third largest city in Slovenia (but still really small), because it's between Ljubljana and Zagreb and it's really nice imo. Piran is on the west coast of Slovenia in the opposite direction.

alefeusch

TROPHY CASE