After I made an entry about Acquiring a Schengen Visa, google search has brought enough traffic to my site.  Many people came to my site to find answers to their questions.  Because of this, I am setting up a Schengen Visa FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) based on the searches they made on google that lead them to my site.  Hope this will be a good help.

Can I travel by road, boat or plane to other countries with a Schengen Visa?

Yes.  You can use whatever means of travel you prefer as long as the country you are visiting is a member of the Schengen organization.  According to the so-called Schengen agreement, tourist and business visas issued by a mission of one of the following countries are valid for travel to Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.  As of 21 December 2007, 24 states and Monaco (treated as part of France) had abolished border controls on persons among themselves, an increase from 15 on 20 December 2007. The nine new countries which entered the Schengen travel area in 2007 were: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Switzerland has finally joined the Schengen Agreement last December 12, 2008.

Can I change my main destination after I get my Schengen Visa?

Yes.  You can change your main destination or even your port of entry even after your got stamped for Schengen Visa.  When I applied for Schengen Visa, I presented a plane ticket reservation to enter and exit Amsterdam.  When I got my visa, I found a better airfare deal and I can fly sooner if I enter Brussels, Belgium and exit Amsterdam, The Netherlands.  So, I took that flight and had no problems whatsoever with the Immigration Officer.

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Minnesota has been known as The Land of 10,000 Lakes and that is no exaggeration. In fact, Minnesota for real has 11,842 lakes over 10 acres in size. In warmer months like this, outdoor recreation often involves water. Weekends and summer vacations to family cabins in the numerous Minnesota lakes are a way of life for many residents. These activities involves water sports like water skiing, boating, canoeing and fishing. More than 36% of Minnesotans fish.

Last weekend, I made my first attempt to discover why a lot of people get hooked with this hobby called fishing. Travis and I bought a combination Angling license (husband and wife) online for only $26. Individual license will cost you $18 for residents.  Licenses are also available to purchase for non-residents.  Here are the different types of fishing license and its corresponding fees: LICENSES and FEES

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Last weekend, Travis and I spent quality time together seeing places.  We explored the places where Travis was raised and spent his growing years.  We went to the western suburbs of Minnetonka, Excelsior, Mound, Spring Park and even farther west to Watertown.  It was not my first time to visit the area except for Watertown.  Travis and I drove to it last year after we attended the Budke-Jorgenson Reunion.  This trip was different though because we had more time to stop and find our way without the fear of being lost.   Read the rest of this entry »

Schengen Visa is a short stay visa that allows you to enter any state of the Schengen Region.  The internal border controls have disappeared; there are no or few stops and checks.  This means that internal air, road and train travel are considered domestic trips which is similar to having a US visa of which you can travel from one US state to the other.  So once you have this visa, you can travel to the different states in Europe who took part of the Schengen Agreement.    Currently there are 15 member countries of the European Union.  The 15 Schengen countries are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. All these countries except Norway and Iceland are European Union members. Czech Republic, Poland and Switzerland are not part of the Schengen Visa Agreement.
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Post Vacation Blues or simply Vacation Blues is a malady that most travellers experience. So, what is this all about? It is usually a condition when a person returning from a vacation feeling lazy, tired, having a loss of appetite, strong feelings of nostalgia and in some cases depression. It is usually because the person longs for his/her travel experiences especially if it was an enjoyable one. The longer the vacation last, the higher the intensity of the vacation blues. Jet lag may intensity it.

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The Netherlands has faced a lot of challenges in the past. This time, its challenge came from a film called Fitna The Movie. It was produced by a right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders who wanted to provoke an international scandal using such film. The film’s title comes from the Arabic word fitna which is used to describe “disagreement and division among people”, or a “test of faith in times of trial”. Fitna was released to the Internet on March 27, 2008.
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Meet Glory a.k.a. Berend Botje! He is the official tour guide of this entire trip. Glory is a TY Beanie Baby which was given to me by Travis when I first step foot in the Land of the Free. Glory was baptized as Berend Botje the very moment I landed in Brussels. The new alias was taken from the popular Dutch Nursery Rhyme (Kinderliedje) which happen to be the very first Dutch phrase I learned.

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I definitely miss the things I left behind. I miss my cat-Cougar who has been my constant companion. I will miss our place at The Reserve in Point Meadows Drive. It was my last sight of the place since Travis will be taking care of the move to Minnesota while I’m gone. When I come back from my trip, I will no longer be going back to Florida but to Minneapolis, Minnesota instead. So, I made it a point that I took mental images of the place and everything that I left behind. Driving through 9A to the airpot seemed to be short this time when normally it takes about 20 minutes.
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Now I’m all packed with 1 checked in baggage and 1 carry-on backpack. I am anxious to leave. I have been feeling sick since yesterday. My anxiety was probably because I won’t be with my Hubby for a long time and I’m just not used to it. Another reason would be my experiment of having a port of entry other than the country that issued me a Visa.

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Netherlands, the land below sea level, was not only the home of art, crafts and talented artists like Van Gogh but it was my home as well. Living in the Netherlands (otherwise known as Holland) for about a year has been a great experience. The place was not difficult to adapt, live and love!

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