End of an era: The big change coming to European travel in November

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN

(CNN) — In travel news this week: an accidental megadeal on first-class tickets, the world’s best-connected airport and why now is a good time to plan a trip to Europe. Plus a bit of relief for those of you traveling this Labor Day weekend.

Goodbye to EU passport stamps

Paper mementoes of our travels, from boarding cards to even passports themselves, are fast moving into obsolescence.

The inky, smudgy joy of a fresh passport stamp will be a thing of the past for visitors to the 29 countries of the European Union Schengen Area starting November 10. That’s when the new automated Entry/Exit System (EES) comes into effect.

It’s separate from the delayed ETIAS visa waiver program, which is due to start in the first half of 2025 and will mean travelers from outside the EU will be charged a €7 entry fee that is valid for three years.

Destination inspiration

Get your stamps while you can with these European vacation picks.

Il dolce far niente – “the sweetness of doing nothing” – has been perfected by Italians on their vacations in southern sweet spots such as Naples, Ischia, Puglia, the Amalfi Coast and Capri. These remarkable photographs by UK photographer Lucy Laucht show how to relax the Italian way.

In Hungary, the Gresham Palace is the grandest Budapest hotel of them all, having sat in its prime position overlooking the River Danube for more than a century. Here’s how this architectural gem looks in its current incarnation.

Finally, if you’re considering a longer stay, an idyllic Swedish town is selling off land with prices so low you might think they’re mistakes. But Götene, 320 kilometers (200 miles) southwest of Stockholm, is indeed selling plots with prices starting at just 1 krona, or 9 US cents, per square meter (11 square feet).

Aviation news

An airline accidentally offered a megadeal on first-class tickets, with 300 lucky customers getting savings of 85% off. Here’s what happened next.

The staff at Australian flag carrier Qantas must have been flat-out like a lizard drinking sorting that mess out. And if you don’t understand that lingo, it’s time to check out our guide to Aussie slang.

An airport on the edge of southeast Europe has been named the best connected in the world, with more than 300 direct flights to unique destinations. It’s been networking fast, too; it only opened in 2018.

I can’t believe it’s not Greece

One of Mongolia’s best-kept secrets is Khyargas Lake, a spot in the west of the country that looks more like Greece than Northeast Asia. It’s about a three-day drive from the Mongolian capital, but it’s certainly one way to avoid tourist crowds.

A new Anantara luxury resort in Abu Dhabi will have many travelers doing a double-take. The white-domed buildings and crystal-blue waters scream Santorini, but this retreat is at the edge of the desert, not on a volcanic island.

Whether you’re off to Greece, Asia or the Middle East, you’ll likely find a use for these 45 best-selling travel accessories. Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, say their readers can’t get enough of them.

American spotlight: Duluth, Minnesota

Back in June, CNN Travel unveiled its best US towns to visit for 2024. Closing out the top 10, we have Duluth, Minnesota.

It’s going to be an unseasonably warm fall in the United States, the forecast says, so the cooler temperatures Duluth enjoys on the shores of Lake Superior will be particularly welcome.

The city offers wholesome outdoor activities aplenty, including hiking, bird-watching and kayaking. Visitors can find a multitude of breweries and other craft industries, as well as a lively music and art scene.

In case you missed it

Turkmenistan’s mysterious, flaming “Gates of Hell” have been burning for decades. 

But they might not be around much longer.

Watch a plane struggle to land in a Japanese typhoon. 

Japan urged nearly four million people to evacuate from Typhoon Shanshan’s path.

A rare “flying spaghetti monster” has been caught on video. 

It was spotted in a new underwater mountain range off the coast of Chile.

This US airport now has a forest growing inside it. 

It’s the result of a $2.5 billion renovation.

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