Category: Netherlands 🇳🇱 (Page 1 of 2)

Lisbon is this year’s best-value European city

2023.05.14 / Robert

Every year, Post Office Travel Money compares the costs of short breaks in cities across Europe for UK holidaymakers – overall and for specific items like accommodation, meals and cultural attractions.

Our annual City Costs Barometer helps you see upfront which destinations are the best value or most expensive before planning your trip, including how prices have changed in the past year.

Best-value cities
1. Lisbon £224.76
2. Vilnius £225.01
3. Krakow £250.91
4. Athens £262.22
5. Riga £284.99
6. Porto £325.30
7. Zagreb £329.72
8. Budapest £330.53
9. Warsaw £330.95
10. Lille £332.11

What happens when you become too popular » Travel destinations that want tourists to stay away

2023.05.02 / Robert

According to the Timeout web site, some of the world’s most popular tourist destinations are increasing tourist taxes or otherwise restricting the number of visitors allowed in an effort to reduce over tourism.

Amsterdam
Lanzarote
Bali
Venice
Barcelona
Bhutan
Santorini
Amalfi Coast
Machu Picchu
Thailand

The 15 Northernmost Capital Cities of the World are all in Europe

2021.08.14 / Robert

15 Most Northern Capitals in the World are all in Europe

15 Most Northern Capitals of Europe (via MapPorn)

At a latitude of 64.1466° N, Reykjavik is the world’s northernmost capital city. Only Nuuk, the capital city of Greenland, which sits at 64.1814° N, is further north than Reykjavík. However, Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Geographically, Greenland is part of the continent of North America.

Reykjavik, Iceland (Latitude » 64.1466° N)
Helsinki, Finland (60.1699° N)
Oslo, Norway (59.9139° N)
Tallinn, Estonia (59.4370° N)
Stockholm, Sweden (59.3293° N)
Riga, Latvia (56.9496° N)
Moscow, Russia* (55.7558° N)
Copenhagen, Denmark (55.6761° N)
Vilnius, Lithuania (54.6872° N)
Minsk, Belarus (53.9006° N)
Dublin, Ireland (53.3498° N)
Berlin, Germany (52.5200° N)
Amsterdam, Netherlands (52.3676° N)
Warsaw, Poland (52.2297° N)
London, England, UK (51.5074° N)

In comparison, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada sits at a latitude of 45.4215° N.

Facts » Reykjavík is the only Western European capital without a McDonald’s or a Starbucks. The only other European capital without a McDonald’s is Tirana, Albania. Rome, Italy is Starbucks-free.

*Russia, is so vast, being the largest country in the world, and most of it within the continent of Asia. However, some consider Moscow, geographically at least, within continental Europe.

Top 30 countries ranked for adventure (2021)

2021.06.09 / Robert

The US News and World Report has again ranked countries according to how well they break from the norm and fulfill people’s wanderlust and desire for adventure.

The top 30 adventure rankings for 2021 are »

1. Brazil 🇧🇷
2. Italy 🇮🇹
3. Spain 🇪🇸
4. Greece 🇬🇷
5. Thailand 🇹🇭
6. Mexico 🇲🇽 (Up from #11 in 2020)
7. New Zealand 🇳🇿
8. Australia 🇦🇺 (Up from #10 in 2020)
9. Portugal 🇵🇹 (Down from #6 in 2020)
10. Costa Rica 🇨🇷 (Down from #8 in 2020)

Changing conditions for visa-free travel to EU for non-EU nationals from December 2022

2021.06.04 / Robert

From December 2022, non-European Union nationals who do not require a visa to enter the Schengen area, will need to request prior authorisation to visit Schengen countries.

You will be able to apply online for authorisation via the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).

The ETIAS authorisation is not a visa. Nationals of visa liberalisation countries will continue to travel the EU without a visa but will simply be required to obtain a travel authorisation via ETIAS prior to their travel. ETIAS will be a simple, fast and visitor-friendly system, which will, in more than 95% of cases, result in a positive answer within a few minutes.

An ETIAS travel authorisation does not reintroduce visa-like obligations. There is no need to go to a consulate to make an application, no biometric data is collected and significantly less information is gathered than during a visa application procedure. Whereas, as a general rule, a Schengen visa procedure can take up to 15 days, and can in some cases be extended up to 30 or 60 days, the online ETIAS application only takes a few minutes to fill in. The validity will be for a period of three years, significantly longer than the validity of a Schengen visa. An ETIAS authorisation will be valid for an unlimited number of entries.

The ETIAS travel authorisation will be a necessary and small procedural step for all visa-exempt travellers which will allow them to avoid bureaucracy and delays when presenting themselves at the borders. ETIAS will fully respect this visa-free status; facilitate the crossing of the Schengen external border; and allow visa free visitors to fully enjoy their status.

The exact date on which these changes will come into force is not yet clear.

Dutchman Wiebe Wakker drove an EV 1,222 days, 100,450 km, through 34 countries — from the Netherlands to New Zealand — here are his 3 top road trip tips

2021.05.10 / Robert

Wiebe Wakker

From March 2016 until April 2019, in the early days of electric vehicles, and before there was much EV infrastructure, anywhere, Weibe Wakker drove a borrowed electric vehicle from the Netherlands to New Zealand. He accomplished his 100,450 kilometres (62,417 miles) road adventure by asking people to donate some of their electricity.

via The Next Web »

According to Wakker, the first three factors to consider before every journey are distance, charging stations, and charging speed. It goes without saying that these will vary based on your destination and electric car model, so make sure to crunch the numbers carefully.

“When you’re on a road trip, it’s about finding the right mix between convenience, having fun, and getting to your destination,” the Dutchman told SHIFT.

One way to combine fun with convenience, Wakker shares, is to plan charging stops around landmarks, museums, and other popular tourist attractions. In fact, he would often pick sightseeing spots depending on whether there are charging stations nearby. That way, he can go explore the surrounding area while his car is getting juiced up.

Here is a 2019 video of his achievement »

Video » Zeeland, Netherlands from Space

2020.10.17 / Robert

Zeeland is the westernmost province in the Netherlands.

Video is brought to us by the European Space Agency (ESA).

Located around 150 km from Amsterdam, Zeeland consists of a complex system of islands, peninsulas and waterways. It also comprises Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen – a strip of the Flanders mainland between the Western Scheldt (Westerschelde) and Belgium.

The province of Zeeland lies on the large river delta at the mouth of several rivers, like the Scheldt (Schelde) and Meuse (Maas) rivers.

More information is available here.

Switzerland remains the best country in the world » Canada has moved up to the second spot » U.S. News 2020 Best Countries rankings

2020.01.15 / Robert

For Switzerland, the 2020 ranking is the the fourth consecutive yearhas been judged No. 1 by residents of 36 countries. Canada was chosen second, overtaking Japan in the U.S. News’ fifth annual survey.

The Best Countries report, produced from an annual global survey of more than 20,000 people in 36 countries including the United States, reflects increasingly negative views of the world and within countries. Nearly half of survey respondents say conditions around the world have worsened in the past year. Likewise, an increased percentage of people say the gap between the rich and poor has grown and that nationalism is increasing.

According to the ranking, here are the Top 25 Countries in the World

Switzerland
Canada
Japan
Germany
Australia
United Kingdom
United States
Sweden
Netherlands
Norway
New Zealand
France
Denmark
Finland
China
Singapore
Italy
Austria
Spain
South Korea
Luxembourg
United Arab Emirates
Russia
Portugal
India

The Bottom 5 of the U.S. News 2020 Best Countries rankings are

Lebanon
Serbia
Oman
Belarus
Tunisia

See the full report.

LGBT travel index puts Sweden, Canada, and Norway at the top

2019.11.22 / Robert

The LGBTQ+ Danger Index lists the 25 safest countries for LGBTQ+ travellers »

1. 🇸🇪 Sweden
2. 🇨🇦 Canada
3. 🇳🇴 Norway
4. 🇵🇹 Portugal
5. 🇧🇪 Belgium
6. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
7. 🇫🇮 Finland
8. 🇫🇷 France
9. 🇮🇸 Iceland
10. 🇪🇸 Spain
11. 🇲🇹 Malta
12. 🇳🇿 New Zealand
13. 🇳🇱 Netherlands
14. 🇩🇰 Denmark
15. 🇿🇦 South Africa
16. 🇮🇪 Ireland
17. 🇦🇺 Australia
18. 🇺🇾 Uruguay
19. 🇨🇴 Colombia
20. 🇦🇹 Austria
21. 🇩🇪 Germany
22. 🇸🇮 Slovenia
23. 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
24. 🇺🇸 United States
25. 🇬🇺 Guam

Antonia Wilson, writing in the Guardian »

Sweden has been named the most LGBT-friendly country in the world for travellers according to new research into gay rights in 150 countries.

The LGBTQ+ Danger Index was created by ranking the 150 most-visited countries using eight factors, including legalised same-sex marriage, worker protection and whether, based on Gallup poll findings, it is a good place to live.

Canada ranked second-safest, followed by Norway, Portugal and Belgium. The UK is sixth safest on the list, but the US does not make the top 20. The researchers, American couple Asher and Lyric Fergusson, who blog about staying safe while travelling, said one reason the US is only at number 24 is because gay rights vary from state to state.

Read the whole article in The Guardian »

Japan and Singapore top 2019 list of world’s most powerful passports

2019.10.01 / Robert

Euan McKirdy and Maureen O’Hare at CNN write »

Japan and Singapore have held onto their position as the world’s most travel-friendly passports.

That’s the view of the Henley Passport Index, which periodically measures the access each country’s travel document affords.

Singapore and Japan’s passports have topped the rankings thanks to both documents offering access to 190 countries each.

South Korea rubs shoulders with Finland and Germany in second place, with citizens of all three countries able to access 188 jurisdictions around the world without a prior visa.

Finland has benefited from recent changes to Pakistan‘s formerly highly restrictive visa policy. Pakistan now offers an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) to citizens of 50 countries, including Finland, Japan, Spain, Malta, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates — but not, notably, the United States or the UK.

The best passports in 2019 are:

1. Japan, Singapore (190 destinations)
2. Finland, Germany, South Korea (188)
3. Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg (187)
4. France, Spain, Sweden (186)
5. Austria, Netherlands, Portugal (185)
6. Belgium, Canada, Greece, Ireland, Norway, United Kingdom, United States, Switzerland (184)
7. Malta, Czech Republic (183)
8. New Zealand (182)
9. Australia, Lithuania, Slovakia (181)
10. Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Slovenia (180)
More at the Henley Passport Index

Notes

» Canada has been ranked 6th four years in a row. They were ranked 2nd in 2014, then dropped to 4th in 2015, and have been holding steady in 6th since 2016.

» The USA been on a steady decline since 2014 when they were ranked 1st. They dropped to 2nd in 2015, 4th in 2016, 5th in 2017 and 2018, and to 6th this year.

» The UK has been on a steady decline in the rankings, dropping from 1st in 2015, to 3rd in 2016, to 4th in 2017, to 5th in 2018, to 6th this year.