Happy travels, Dean & Andie
Many of our readers have had questions regarding the new ETIAS application approval that will be needed to enter most European countries. It will now begin sometime in mid-2025, so most travelers can relax and take a much-needed breath.
We have updated our books with the official, direct link to the ETIAS website. Its components will become live as the new system is put into place. Please make note of this new URL that is currently in all of our Europe (but not UK or US) books:
https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en
Thank you sharing this email with loved ones and other travelers you may know. Happy travels, Dean and Andie
From our family to yours, we hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a traveled-filled New Year! With love and best wishes, Dean and Andie
The Venice city council has announced these twenty-nine days for 2024 visits:
In order to pay the fee, daytime visitors will need to log on at http://cda.ve.it, where they will be able to obtain a QR code that can be shown to the authorities in the event of random checks on the dates above. The QR code certifies payment of the contribution (or of a lodging exemption) and must be kept on you at all times.
-This QR code proving your payment of the entry fee will be needed between the hours of 8:30am – 4pm only, on the above dates.
If you will be in Venice without any lodging reservations during the daytime dates above in 2024, you will need to pay the €5 entry fee. It is intended to relieve the local Venetian residents of some of the costs to maintain the city and its services. Right now, they alone pay for its upkeep.
Please share this important new information because almost all of the posts about it on Google are old and wildly incorrect.
Now is the time to start planning for your 2024 travel, especially if you might be going abroad. Do it now when you can take your time, make the best choices, and feel unhurried. Our brand new 2024 editions are all published and ready for your perusal -and now include the official weblink for the upcoming ETIAS admission and payment to enter the European Union. In addition, all of our City Extras pages of our travel book website have been updated with new ideas and tips!
Happy travels, Dean and Andie
Many of our readers have had questions regarding the new ETIAS application approval that will be needed to enter most European countries. It will now begin sometime in 2025 so most travelers can relax and take a much-needed breath.
We have just updated our books (January 2024) with a new, more direct link to the official ETIAS website. Its components will become live as the new system is put into place. Please make note of this new URL that is currently in all of our 2024 editions for our Europe (not UK) books:
https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en
Thank you sharing this email with loved ones and other travelers you may know. Happy travels, Dean and Andie
It’s autumn and things that might need a refresh are getting one. That’s exactly what has occurred with our Clued In travel guides and Bored In fun guides too. All editions are now up and running on amazon.com including a glorious brand-new Clued In Venice. Now in paperback or ebook, these are the best new travel guides around because we don’t waste your time with any blah blah blah. And remember, our new 2024 guides are still current and accurate for the rest of 2023 as well.
Happy travels, Dean and Andie
We just noticed a new five-star review on Amazon.com for our Clued In Florence book and feel excited, happy, and inspired after reading it. Here’s snippet we can share with our readers:
I am fortunate to have traveled to over 30 countries and have used all of the popular guidebooks, Rick Steves, Frommers and Lonely Planet… and this one is best of all. Soooo easy to read, lots of usable good info, and fun too!! I highly recommend this book. I just ordered a 2nd copy to be sent directly to my cousin in California, who I will be traveling with. I have rated over 50 products, and this rating is by far the best, and only 1 of 2 that I have ever written such a detailed review.
Thank you for those kind words. We hope our other Clued In travelers will share our weblink and book titles with their friends and neighbors so that we can continue to grow our brand.
Happy travels, Dean and Andie
This month’s (city by city) blog posts are now up and running and specify many fall events that you won’t want to miss… three in London alone. There are also major restoration projects in Paris and Venice to be aware of, so check out the page for the city you’re planning to visit in late September or October.
We are just back from our sixteenth trip to Venice and are here to tell you that La Serenissima was very hot and not serene at all! This is one city where the month you visit really matters, and even which days of the week. Wow. It was tourists galore during the last week of August (and up to the the U.S. Labor Day) in a way we’ve never seen before. Predictively, the nasty crowds were nowhere to be found in neighborhoods farther afield from Piazza San Marco and disappeared completely after sundown.
One of the great joys of Venice is staying overnight in the historic island city (not on the mainland.) You have the place to yourself along with just a few other wise visitors, which makes the musical quintets and thick hot chocolate on the piazza somehow more magical.
If you simply must visit Venice during summer then do yourself a favor and stay west of the Grand Canal in the lovely Dorsoduro neighborhood. We heartily recommend the hotel Villa Maravege or Ca’ Maria Adele, or even the Palazzo Barbarigo which technically is in the San Polo neighborhood. This way you can enjoy Venice the is it is supposed to be visited and stray into that gorgeous piazza at night only. An early morning visit to the Doge’s Palace is probably tolerable.
But if you want your Venice visit to be one you’ll remember forever, plan your trip for October or April. These are the months when it really shines! (Note that October traditional has some flooding.) Last tip… if you want to save on airfares and hotel rates then go ahead and visit Venice in November or March but make sure you include a weekend so that the piazza is alive and kickin’. Example: a Tuesday night in mid-March means no quintets will be playing in the evening and the piazza will be empty and dull. Such a bummer.
Hope this helps! Dean and Andie
Don’t miss the secret promo for our Bored in Paris ebook now through Tuesday, August 22 – just 95 cents! Super fun for any traveler.
Bored in Paris: Awesome Experiences for the Repeat Visitor
(But great for first-timers too!
Clued In Travel Books 2026 