What ETIAS Means for Travel in 2026: Access, Tech, and Tourism

[0:00] Hi everyone and welcome back to another episode of Put the Guidebook Down, where we go beyond surface travel tips and explore the forces shaping the future of tourism. My name is Kiara, I am your host, and today we're talking about something that's going to affect millions of travelers going to Europe starting in 2026.

[0:16] The rumors are finally here and settled. ETIAS is going to be starting this year, also known as the European Travel Information and Authorization System. Think of it like Europe's version of the US ESTA program, a digital pre-travel authorization that many non-EU citizens will need before entering the Schengen area. Now you may be asking, what is this?

[0:42] Why is it happening? When is this starting? And I'm sure many other questions. By the end of the episode, I hope that you'll not only understand just what ETIAS is, but why it matters to travel, ethics, data privacy, and the future of global mobility. So let's jump right in.

[0:59] You may be asking, what is ETIAS? It's essentially an automated system for identifying security, irregular migration, or high epidemic risk travelers before they enter the Schengen area. Now, for those of you who aren't familiar with the Schengen area previously, non-EU visitors from visa-exempt countries such as the US, Canada, UK, Japan,

[1:22] and others did not need to go through the formal visa application process when entering the Schengen area or moving around it. Now with ETIAS, those previously visa-exempt nationals will have to file for approval and travel authorization before they enter any of the territory or European countries associated with this.

[1:45] Even if it's for a short-term stay or you're just passing through. However, it does not guarantee entry, so you'll still have to go through the full passport, the full visa process if you need to file one for entering those European countries, and have this form authorization with you by the time you get in line.

[2:04] Applications are expected to be mostly online based, with around a 20 euro application fee for individuals who are within 18 to 70 years old. Many applications are going to be processed within minutes. However, it is possible that your application may take longer. If so, you'll receive a decision within three to four days of submitting your application,

[2:31] but it could take upwards longer, to a couple of weeks or a month. So don't save it to the last minute. The good thing is that once you have the authorization, it is valid for up to three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. Now, as I mentioned previously,

[2:48] it's being implemented to help identify security or migration risks before travelers even arrive at a European border. However, what we're not talking about is that this is going to become a new kind of tourism border friction. Not a visa per se, but a database screening.

[3:04] Now you're going to have to go through another item for approval in order to go on your travel, that may pose as another checklist item, or for some, another kind of friction to enter the country or region. And it's going to lead to more discussions as to what to do now with these fees, what data is being collected,

[3:24] and why people are being denied entry while others are being granted entry. So before even considering booking European travel, be sure to have this in the back of your mind and know what countries are included with ETIAS, and what type of travel arrangements you might need to make in order to

[3:45] prepare for this new travel process implementation.

[3:47] So now that we've covered the what, now let's cover the why. Why now? What global trends pushed ETIAS into reality, security trends? ETIAS was originally proposed in 2016, and we've been seeing rumors of it popping up on social media since the pandemic.

[4:09] But its implementation has been delayed due to the complexity. It is a large area being covered with multiple different countries, and is a large system to put into place. This just can't be developed and added into the workflows overnight. It takes time to get everyone on board, trained,

[4:27] and to get all of the countries in line, and how the data is going to be processed, managed, what's going to happen, etc. It's all part of the EU's strategy to improve borders, migration policy, and pre-travel risk assessment, a shift seen globally beyond just the EU and the US.

[4:45] But what I want to take a pause and reflect upon is, is this security or just more travel friction? I think, personally, it's a combination of both, because as they mentioned, they're trying to do more pre-screening prior to arrival, but one might argue that pre-screening, as I mentioned earlier, could lead to certain screening against biases, stereotypes,

[5:09] or maybe making assumptions prior to one's arrival at the border, to go through the border crossing with officials. Additionally, it's just adding another potential for more queues, lines, travel complications, and another travel cost. And another big concern that's coming more and more into the travel industry is data collection and privacy, and the other element, of ownership.

[5:37] I know recently I saw in New York City's airports, in JFK, and I've actually experienced this, in terms of now, when US citizens are entering into the country through this airport, there's the potential for you to opt to just have a lookup scan to go through passport and security control.

[5:57] So essentially, you land, rather than waiting in the queues to actually talk to a human, you wait in line to stand in front of a screen that scans your face, matches it with your passport and your biometric data, and decides if it is you, and

[6:12] you can go directly in without having to speak to someone from security, or if you need to, then go into the next queue to then meet with someone to go through traditional passport control. So one has to take a step back and think, what data is being used there, and how is

[6:28] this being managed internally, or do people even want these options? This form is another avenue for going through the visa process, which also means more data collection, and how is it being processed and managed? Now, on the plus side, it will help with security and help the countries have better insights of who's

[6:51] going to be in the Schengen zone and where they're moving around. So this is going to help with adding more security tracking, any irregularities, and improve safety in general. So it can be good, it can be bad, we just need to find the line, of travelers before they even book a ticket, and

[7:14] actually genuinely helping with the safety and security of locals and foreigners entering the country. Now, taking it a step even further in terms of if this is going to be the new standard for travel, how does this impact emerging destinations versus ones who are more common and traditional, such as these European countries?

[7:35] If we're going to have more monitoring and selection of who's entering the countries, that's another potential to lose revenue and create more complexities for promoting a destination. So if we go to maybe a less commonly visited destination, such as Moldova, and they start adding in these additional layers, and they deter people from going to the destination,

[7:58] or maybe help encourage them because of the attractiveness of the layer of safety. But again, it just adds another complexity and layer for consideration for travel. I think one of my major concerns is that if we're adding more security and more processes that's going to limit selection of people to the Schengen area,

[8:19] then these crowds are going to flock to those countries that don't have them. So then maybe there's going to be an increase in security risk at these destinations that don't have the money to implement such systems. And then how are they going to control

[8:34] who's entering and doing that screening work, and maybe we'll see an increase in crime as a result in those destinations. Hopefully I am wrong, but it is a consideration of when you're limiting and closing traffic off to one destination, where are they going to go next?

[8:50] So now that we've gone through the why, let's get a little bit more into the how, and the bigger picture impact on tourism as a result of ETIAS. So as mentioned, for ETIAS in tourism planning, we will probably see a reduction in last minute travel. Travel companies who tend to thrive on spontaneous travelers, or

[9:18] offering the last minute booking deals, we will have to be mindful of how those are being presented or the options available, since now first-time travelers after this implementation will need to go through the authorization process. Now, for those who have previously come from countries that had the ability to access the Schengen area without going through visa

[9:44] processes or passport approval, we may still have no issues, but it may start to create some that weren't previously there. And we have to be mindful of the fact that it may be processed within minutes, but now it may even take longer, since it's going to be the first wave of

[9:59] implementation, and that it may cause some more problems for travelers who may take longer for visa application processes or passport control, or create problems for those for the first time who've never experienced that. So don't think it's going to reduce last minute travel,

[10:18] but I think it's going to cause a slight dip and another moment to pause before hitting book right away for those spontaneous people. And I also want to just make sure that we're not confusing ETIAS with a visa. There's a very big difference between applying for a visa versus this travel authorization. You need both to enter, but,

[10:40] of course, depending on your country, but you now can't just enter with a visa if you haven't gone through the authorization process. Now, will people plan further ahead or avoid Europe? I don't think we're going to see people avoiding Europe. I think it's just going to be, as I said,

[11:01] creating another hurdle or barrier for people who need to add another process to their travel checklist, especially as a barrier for those who don't have easy online access or tech literacy. This could be an issue for them navigating the system and being able to get their travel approval,

[11:21] but it's just going to require people to plan further ahead in their bookings and maybe be a little bit more mindful and proactive when going about their travel planning. However, I am hopeful that maybe, maybe it will just encourage people to try something a little bit different. Now that there's a huge new change,

[11:42] there may be queues or problems with the system in the beginning, maybe people will opt to travel to a new destination where either this system is already in place or they don't have to go through another authorization process to enter the country. Maybe I'm just giving another plug for people to visit Moldova,

[11:59] which everyone knows is very close to my heart, but just let's be mindful and give it a shot. Another concern, though, is, is this going to be another system that favors the digitally fluent? The ETIAS website says that people over the age of 70 are excluded from having to go through the authorization process.

[12:23] One might question why they're choosing this specific age, but we're not going to be doing that on this episode. But we have to be mindful that now, if it's going to be mostly predominantly an online-based authorization process, how are those that maybe don't have a lot of digital fluency able to navigate the

[12:42] platform, or those who don't know about it, what happens when they do upon arrival, what that process is, or if they don't have access to technology, how are they going to apply for it? This is why it's been taking so many years for them to go about developing this and implementing this process.

[12:59] It's such a large overhaul to the entry process that's currently in place. That's going to take time for all of the kinks and for all of the bumps to smooth out, so that then everyone will be able to have a nice, easy experience that's accessible to everyone.

[13:17] And you know, we're talking about ETIAS as if it's a whole new thing, and I mean, it kind of is, but in my opinion, I feel like we've been here before. I'm not sure if anyone else is getting a little bit of deja vu, but didn't we have to go through an authorization process back in the pandemic era? I mean,

[13:36] people were going through different apps, people were going through different government webpages, but you had to go and fill out your passport information, health records, vaccination proof, and then submit that in order to be approved to enter the country. Now, granted, that was during a pandemic, so there was a different health concern on top of that,

[13:59] but it was relatively the same process. If you wanted to travel to a destination, you still needed to apply for the passport, and then on top of that you had to go through the authorization. So to me, this just seems like a similar system that's being implemented just on a wider

[14:16] spread, since it's covering these 30 European countries, and it's going to be the same system for all. But that's just my thoughts on it. I guess one of the other points that we've been talking about is around data and privacy collection. I don't want to go through the rabbit hole,

[14:31] but at least we don't have to submit our health records again, am I right? That was always a different hurdle to have to go through, all of that submitting different vaccines and making sure that those vaccines are the ones that were accepted by the country, and some were not accepted by other countries.

[14:47] So it just added another layer of complication, but it still didn't stop people necessarily from wanting to visit that country. Sure, it was a little bit more complicated, required more paperwork, but if people truly wanted to go, they were still going to go.

[14:59] As we're getting more and more into the tech and AI era, we're seeing a bigger intersection between the two different industries of tech and travel. Now, in my previous episode, and we're seeing it more in the travel industries as we're talking about that, tech and AI is really being used to help enhance travel personalization. But with this rise of more digital border systems and security,

[15:26] it's really a nod to digital border systems, and maybe where tourism mobility is heading globally. Increasingly, countries are adopting pre-travel authorization systems. In the US we've had ESTA since 2008, Canada ETA since 2016, and even Australia e-Visitor since 1996. So this is not anything super new for us.

[15:48] It's just again another new system or checklist on the travel prep list that we have to be aware of before selecting a country and booking the flights. But looking towards maybe where the tourism mobility is heading on a global scale, there are some ethical considerations that we need to be aware of, and some

[16:07] distinctions in terms of safety, security versus digital surveillance. And that, again, we're probably not going to get to on this episode, or I'm not even sure on this podcast, but it's something for our listeners to reflect upon, in terms of what really is the difference and where is the line with that. As I mentioned earlier,

[16:27] there are new systems coming into place at passport control, even for returning, where you're just doing a glance at a piece of technology that determines that you are you, you are a citizen of this country, and that you can enter. So then we need to be a little bit more mindful of destinations and platforms of

[16:44] their data collection, our privacy and ownership, and who's really controlling the traveler data behind the scenes. So please, next time, maybe start taking a pause before accepting the terms and conditions. I know it's a long essay to read. We have AI, they can even summarize it for you and address the call-out points,

[17:03] maybe where you should draw attention to. Know the red flags, and make sure you're making an informed decision before clicking check. Otherwise, as a society, we are consenting to this as a whole, and saying that this is okay, and this is the direction we want the market and industry to move towards.

[17:19] So what can travelers and industry do to adapt towards these new policy changes and the building of data ecosystems now into the tourism industry? My number one thing is to do your research and make sure that you are prepared before your departure. There's nothing worse than showing up to a destination after you've been waiting

[17:39] all this long period of time only to be denied entry because you simply didn't do your research or the right prep work. The second is to take more ownership of your actions and be informed when you're making the consent to this data collection and where you're sending your data towards.

[17:54] I mentioned it just now, read the terms and conditions, or use AI to help you digest that. Be informed before you're clicking yes. The last one is going to be suggesting that while I'm a big fan of spontaneous travel and booking the last minute travel deals,

[18:11] double checking that you've gone through all of the processes that may require pre-authorization before you click pay. So as much as we want to just be able to grab that quick little flight ticket that's at $20 round trip, crazy, they do exist though,

[18:25] you don't want to go through with the purchase unless you are sure that you have been granted access to enter.

[18:31] It may be seeming like a huge change in the beginning. There's going to be a lot of bumps in the road, especially as the first round of people go through the authorization process and landing into Europe to cross into it after doing the authorization process, or maybe even forgetting to do it. But we've been here before, as mentioned, and we will get through this in a positive light, before your flight to Europe. It's a signal about how travel is being shaped by tech, data, and border policy.

[19:02] In 2026, mobility isn't just about passports and planes, it's about platforms, permissions, and pre-travel decision-making. Whether you see ETIAS as progress, friction, or necessary adaptation, one thing is clear: the future of travel will be as much about policy and digital systems as it is about landscape and culture.

[19:24] So I would like our listeners to reflect on, how do you feel about digital authorization systems like ETIAS? Are they necessary for safety, or a barrier to exploration? Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comment section of the video or on our Substack page, I'm always curious to see what people's thoughts are.

[19:43] And as you plan your next trip, think not only about where you want to go, but what systems you're now navigating to get there. My name is Kiara, this is Put the Guidebook Down, and I'll see you on our next episode. Thank you.