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Global Entry vs TSA Precheck: What’s the difference?

Global Entry and TSA Precheck are government programs created to speed up the security lines at airports, but which one is right for you?

By Heather Newgen

Every traveler knows how frustrating it can be standing in long lines at the airport, quickly removing articles of clothing to go through security and pretty much unpacking your carry-on to walk through the X-ray machines. While the process is designed to keep passengers safe, it can be a hassle. So Global Entry and TSA Precheck were implemented to help low-risk travelers get through security and customs faster, but what’s the difference? For one, the programs are run by different agencies. Homeland Security is in charge of TSA Precheck while the U.S. Customs and Border Protection runs Global Entry.

Here’s a breakdown of each program, plus a few tips to help you decide which one is better for you.

Global Entry Antalya, Turkey – September 10, 2016: Security and passport control at Antalya International Airport, Turkey.

TSA Precheck

With TSA Precheck, travelers can keep their shoes, belts and jackets on while going through the security checkpoint. In addition, they don’t need to remove laptops or liquids from their bags. Many airports have a separate line specifically for TSA Precheck members to speed things up that much more.  TSA Precheck is great for domestic travelers because you don’t need a passport, and there is no age restriction to apply. However, kids 12 and younger traveling with an eligible parent or guardian can accompanying them through the expedited security process.

Application: You can apply online, but need documentation that shows you’re a U.S. citizen like a driver’s license or birth certificate. In-person appointments are required, as are background checks, and fingerprinting. Once approved you will be given a Known Traveler Number (KTN), which you add to every flight you book

Price: $85 for a five- year membership.

Pros:  Besides the advantages mentioned above, TSA Precheck is quicker and easier to apply for.  You can get approved in two to three weeks, whereas it can take months to go through the Global Entry process. There’s  300-400 enrollment centers for your in-person interview, as opposed to Global Entry where you’ve only got 90-100 and are mostly at the airport. TSA Precheck on the other hand offers more locations like in Staples and shopping centers.

Cons: If you did ever travel abroad, you’d be stuck in mobs of people clearing customs when returning to the U.S.

Global Entry

Global Entry gives you all the benefits of TSA Precheck and then some. For anyone who travels abroad Global Entry is the way to go because it allows you to skip the crowds at customs when returning from an international trip.  You can head straight to a kiosk, get your receipt and make your way over to a customs officer. Benefits apply to air, land, and sea travel for those traveling internationally and re-entering the U.S.

Price: $100.00 for a five- year membership.

Application: You can apply online,

Pros of Global Entry

Significantly reduced wait time at security checkpoints and customs, no taking off shoes or clothing to go through the X-ray machines and liquids and electronics can stay in carry on.

Cons of Global Entry

The application process isn’t quite as smooth as TSA Precheck. People literally wait months and months to get an interview appointment. In addition, unlike TSA Precheck, kids can’t go through Global Entry with an accompanied parent or guardian. The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website states:

“Regardless of your age, you must create a Global Online Enrollment System account, pay a $100 non-refundable application fee, and schedule an interview at a Global Entry Enrollment Center. If you are under the age of 18, a parent or legal guardian must be present at time of interview.”

How to apply

Credit cards that reimburse the TSA precheck or global entry application fee

Some credit cards will reimburse the application fee for TSA precheck or global entry.  See below to find out if your card makes the list.

Amsterdam raises tourist taxes and is now the highest in Europe

Planning a trip to Amsterdam? Travelers will need to budget a little more for accommodations starting January 2020.

By: Heather Newgen | Twitter: @hnvoluntourist

In an effort to combat overtourism, Amsterdam is raising the tourist tax. The Dutch capital will add a fee of €3 per person , which averages to about US$3 — per night for hotel stays.

That’s in addition to the 7% of the room rate it currently charges.

Children under the age of 16 are exempt from the new Amsterdam levy, and campsites will charge €1 per adult. Airbnb and rental properties are also getting a price hike. The existing tax will be raised to 10% of your rental.

Tim Fairhurst, director of policy for the ETOA (European Tourism Association), told CNN: “It will likely make Amsterdam’s the highest overnight tax in Europe, on average.”

The city has been severely impacted by mobs of overzealous tourists and the Netherlands is taking action.

Netherlands tourist officials recently took the bold decision to stop advertising the country as a tourist destination. Their “Perspective 2030″ report revealed that the priority will now be on “destination management” rather than “destination promotion.”

18 million annual visitors travel to the Amsterdam and authorities have taken additional measures such taking down the “iamsterdam” sign — a former selfie spot — outside the Rijksmuseum in December 2018 and announcing a ban of “disrespectful” tours of the popular tourist drawn red light district in March 2019.

CNN reports a spokesperson for Amsterdam city council denied that the raised taxes were planned to deter tourists, calling it a point of “principle” to make visitors pay their way in the city.

“Visitors will contribute more to the high costs of keeping the city safe and clean, and of keeping the public space like pavements, quays, bridges and streets, in a good state,” the spokesperson said.

Venice is another European city that is fighting overtourism and has recently announced its own plans to charge tourists a day fee to enter the popular destination.

In comparison, the tourist tax for Paris, ranges anywhere from €0.20 (for 1- and 2-star campsites) to €4 (for palaces) per person, per night. Berlin charges a 5% tourist tax and Rome currently has the highest fixed price tax in Europe, at €7 per person per night in a five star hotel.

Medina of Fez: 10 Safety Tips for Travelers

The Medina of Fez is the city’s ancient quarter and a must see. While it’s safe for tourists, it is essential to take a few safety precautions.  Check out our list of travel tips below.

By: Heather Newgen | Twitter: @hnvoluntourist

The Medina of Fez is an intricate maze of streets that consists of narrow alleyways filled with thousands of vendors selling pretty much anything you can imagine, mosques, blanked-wall houses, stunning decorative courtyards, delicious cafes and more.

As you walk through the historical location you’ll be enticed by the rainbows of color, spice-market smells, and orchestra of sounds you’ll hear. There’s so much beauty within the gates of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, but also things to be aware of.

It’s easy to get lost in the labyrinth of the Medina of Fez.  The sellers can be aggressive in getting you to purchase something; and the, locals will not hesitate to approach you for money, or say inappropriate things. But don’t let that deter you.  It’s an unforgettable adventure you can’t miss so here’s some tips to help you stay safe.

Medina of Fez Colorful narrow street inside Medina of Fez

1. Hire a reputable tour company beforehand and go to the Median of Fez with a guide. They will bargain for you, the vendors won’t be pushy with you and you will be shielded from catcalling men. And certain companies like Plan-It Morocco give you the option of having a driver pick you up, which makes things so much easier because you don’t have t try and navigate your way on your own. Tips are not required or expected, but it’s polite and courteous to tip your tour guides and drivers 15-20 percent.

RELATED: How to see Morocco in 3 Days

2. Donkeys and mules are the main mode of transportation—no cars are driven through the Medina of Fez. When you hear someone yelling “Balak” it means look out so get out of the way. Also be careful where you walk since the animals relieve themselves along the way so always wear close-toed shoes.

3. Everyone seems to be a guide so beware. Local men will usually hang out around the twelve gates into the Medina of Fez asking if you want their services. They’re unofficial guides, and you don’t know how legit they are. It’s better to hire from a professional tour company in advance. However, if you go alone and decide last minute you do want a guide, determine the price before hiring anyone.

4. The shops start closing around 9:30pm, so make your way to the gate before the lights go out. You don’t want to be there in the dark, especially if you’re alone and female. You will draw so much unwanted attention and advances from local men. It’s not safe and you will be harassed because it’s not the norm for women to travel alone in Morocco, particularly at night.

5. You should dress casually. Do not wear low cut tops or form fitting clothing. Your shoulders and chest should be covered. Morocco is an Islamic country, so it’s important to be respectful of their culture. Plus you will get way more stares and unwanted attention if you dress inappropriately.

6. Bring hand sanitizer and toilet paper with you. Many eateries and restaurants only have squat holes, but there are of course Western style toilets in some.

7. Watch your bags and belongings at all times. As a tourist, you stand out and will be subjected more to scams and pickpockets. Again if you go with a reputable guide, you won’t be bothered.

8. When someone invites you inside a shop for tea, it’s not just a polite gesture. They’re trying to get you to buy something, so respectfully decline unless you’re interested.

9. If you insist on going alone, which you shouldn’t, but if you do, take photos of the nearest gate so you know your surroundings and can find your way back.

10. Bargaining is expected with the vendors, but remember to be fair. This is how they earn an income chances are items are already priced much less than you’d pay at home.

Have fun and enjoy yourself. There’s so much to see and do there besides shop, which is why the Medina of Fez is one main things to see in the city. But always be cautious and alert, even with a guide.

Here’s a few beautiful spots to check out in the Medina of Fez:

-Al Qarawiyyin Mosque
-Merenids tombs
-Bab Boujloud “Main gate of the Medina”
-Water clock
-Bounania
-Medressa Attarine
-The Jewish Mellah
-Tannery
-King’s Palace Doors–outside of the Medina of Fez

How the Mobile App SkyHi is Changing Travel

SkyHi is a new mobile app that simplifies booking a flight for a low fixed price.

By: Heather Newgen | Twitter: @hnvoluntourist

Looking to access cheap airfare without spending hours looking for the best deal? SkyHi might be your answer. For $199 a month, members can book up a five flights a month, but no more than 10 days before the departure date. However there’s a catch: There are no round trip tickets and for a reason, which you can read below.  And flights up to 1000 miles will cost you an additional $35; 1000 to 2000 miles is $75; and 2000 to 3000 miles will be an extra $120 on top of the monthly $199.00 fee. Currently there are 73 departure cities and 2,652 routes in North America and Europe. If you want to cancel and rejoin, no problem. You can do so for $99.00. You can also freeze your account while you’re not using it, but you’ll still pay $35.00 a month.

Co-founder Rama Poola further explains how SkyHi works and what the advantages are for travelers.

SkyHi Skyhy Co-Founder Rama Poola

The Voluntourist: I’ve been doing a lot of research on SkyHi and I think it’s a great idea. My biggest takeaway was that you were kind of stuck in this 9 to 5 job and that wasn’t where you really wanted to be, so you came up with the concept for SkyHi that really allows people like yourself to have this nomadic lifestyle. Why is that important to you to be able to allow others to have that?

Rama Poola: Great question. I think everyone needs to experience new places all the time. For years I had vacation time and I planned these trips I went on. To me a trip is a lifestyle capital where I can be in Chicago or Miami and experience new people and new cultures and get reinvigorated about whether I’m doing work or whether I’m pursuing creative outlets. I just think the world needs to be more fluid. That’s where I think people need to have those experiences constantly in order to grow and maybe that because I have those all the time and I grow because of it and I want people to have that.

The Voluntourist: From what I understand about SkyHi, round-trip tickets are not offered. Can you explain why not?

Poola: Yes, so they are only one-way tickets and you can claim five tickets a month. We wanted to make sure people aren’t thinking about things as much because there is excitement in the fact that you can go somewhere, spend time there, and not feel confined if you have a ticket going back in two days…If they are out there, then they can make a choice if they want to stay a couple days or maybe go elsewhere. I feel like more people have the flexibility to do that now. I want people to feel that the travel is going to change them. It is our biggest challenge right now, potentially reeducating people to feel and believe that travel can be this easy and this will improve their lives.

The Voluntourist: Break it down for me a little bit. It is $199 a month and then during that month you can get up to 5 one-way tickets to go 1,500 miles between each city.

Poola: Correct. It is 1,500 miles. From LA, you can get to Vancouver, Denver, Salt Lake City, Austin, Dallas, about half way across the country.

The Voluntourist: Do you plan on expanding that?

Poola: We are thinking about different pricing tiers for different mileage radius; at some point a 3,000-mile radius to get people across the country, but it will cost them more.

The Voluntourist: A couple things that could be potential challenges for SkyHi are that you cannot book two one-way tickets at the same time, so you have to go on your current flight and then you can book immediately after you land. Is that correct?

Poola: Correct. As soon as the flight lands, you can book another ticket. That could cause some anxiety for some, but for others, it is kind of exciting. You open up the app and you can see any flight that we can put you on in the upcoming ten days. It is possible that there may not be one out the next day, but there will likely be one two days after. People that have used it are less anxious about it because they usually find their flight home if they need to go home. If not, they just stay an extra day or two. You can also switch your location in the app before you book that first flight to see what flights are coming back.

The Voluntourist: Why did you decide to set it up this way where you can book two one-way tickets at the same time?

Poola: It breaks people’s habit of thinking about round trips. We don’t want people to make their decisions until they’ve landed.

The Voluntourist: When you are talking to people and asking them if they can work anywhere, how are they are able to have such flexibility in their schedule?

Poola: A lot of them are freelancers. I worked for a tech company for many years and for a lot of the tech companies now, it doesn’t matter if you work from home or from a café.

The Voluntourist: A lot of people don’t have that mindset, so are you hoping something like this can change that?

Poola: Yes, I do hope it will change it and I do hope it will have people ask for what they or need out of their jobs. I do hope that this empowers people to ask for more flexibility.

The Voluntourist: Who is SkyHi for? Who are you trying to target?

Poola: People that really just want to have experiences, for people that want to live free lives, and for people that have flexible jobs. We have had small business owners who are getting value out of this. You can meet a client face to face as opposed to a video call. That changes your business.

The Voluntourist: What has the feedback been from those who have used SkyHi?

Poola: The one-click booking experience is game changing for many of them. That saves people a lot of time.

The Voluntourist: I like the set pricing aspect of it because I’m always online searching for the cheapest flight possible and this saves so much time. People can use their frequent flyer miles because it is most airlines that are participating, right?

Poola: Correct, I know some airlines don’t honor miles if you book on a third party, but most will do it for you.

The Voluntourist: You said you came up with the idea on a flight, what sparked the idea?

Poola: I was in Berlin getting ready to fly back to New York. I was at the airport and there were backpackers waiting around for a ticket, they didn’t have a ticket to anywhere, waiting for something to fall under 50 euros. They ended up getting a plane to Lisbon. I got on my plane back home and it was pretty empty. I thought to myself, would they have paid $100 to New York City and would that have helped this airplane be more full, and in turn, help the airline? It was on that airplane that drew out SkiHi.

The Voluntourist: Can anyone become a SkyHi member as long as they can pay the $199?

Poola: Currently, it is invite only.

The Voluntourist: Why did you decide on invite-only for now?

Poola: We wanted to make sure we were enabling the right people to travel. We actually have one -on- one conversations with customers. We also wanted to make sure we serviced the cities that people are living in. We don’t want people to get stuck.

For more information visit www.flyskyhi.com

 

Venice, Italy to Charge Tourists a Fee to Enter the City

Planning a day trip to Venice, Italy? Starting in May you’ll have to pay an entrance fee in an effort to combat overtourism.

By: Heather Newgen | Twitter: @hnvoluntourist

As if visiting the historical Italian city of Venice wasn’t expensive enough, it’s now about to get pricier for certain tourists. Anyone who is day-tripping it to Venice will have to pay up to $11.00 officials confirm. The city’s mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted an announcement earlier this year stating there would be a tax for day travelers and now we know the details.

Conde Nast Traveler reports, “Starting this May, all day-trippers will have to pay €3 ($3.40) for access to the floating city, and in 2020, the fee will begin fluctuating between €3, €6 ($6.80), and €10 depending on the time of year and number of visitors. (The city sees around 24 million tourists who visit just for the day, without spending a night within the city center, each year.) All that revenue will be used to clean and maintain the city’s lagoons and public spaces, and to supplement more security officers.”

While local officials are in favor of the new tax law, collecting the fee could be rather challenging. Tourists can enter Venice by car, ship, train, bus, or plane.

The Daily Beast writes, “Last May, the Venice city council introduced turnstiles into the old city from the main square used by the hordes of cruise-ship passengers who are seen to be the most problematic tourists—and primary target of the new tax—to the city. The turnstiles are intended to ebb the flow of people into the city when it is impossible to move or when the number of people poses a security risk. The city can close the turnstiles and only allow citizens and those staying at hotels into the city. Those opposed to the turnstiles argued that it was one step closer to turning the canal city into a Disneyland. The new entrance fee will likely do nothing to calm those fears.”

Residents, tourists staying the night, employees who commute into the city for work, and students studying in Venice will be exempt from new tax.

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How to Explore Petra, Jordan in a Day!

Planning a trip to Petra? If you’re short on time it can be done in a day, so check out our tips on visiting.

The rose colored lost city in Jordan was once a forgotten civilization, but today Petra is one of the country’s most valuable treasures and greatest tourist attractions.

By: Heather Newgen | Twitter: @hnvoluntourist

Located amid majestic canyons and hidden behind a barrier of rugged mountains, Petra is full of mysterious charm. The structures, which are carved into the vibrant towering sandstone cliffs, are abandoned temples and tombs, and the breathtaking ruins are considered to be one of world’s most visually stunning archaeological sites.

2,000 years ago, Petra was created by the Nabataeans and was once a thriving trading center. Situated between the Dead Sea and Red Sea, it was primarily known as the capital of the Nabatean empire between 400 B.C and A.D. 106. It was completely untouched and overlooked until a Swiss explorer stumbled upon it in 1812.

Now, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, and in 2007, it was named one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World.” In the last few years, Petra has been appearing on countless adventurous travel must-see blogs, and rightfully so. And the Treasury Building is where “Indiana Jones” was filmed.

So, if you’re one of the many people dying to see the historical location, watch our vlog for helpful travel tips and to see what the awesome experience is really like.

For those visiting longer, which we recommend, there are hotel options nearby that cater to tourists heading to Petra. Consider buying the two or three day pass. It’s also suggested to purchase a separate pass for the Petra by Night event that places every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. And make sure to prep well with essential gear like comfortable walking boots or sneakers, camera, water, sunscreen and a jacket.

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