Travel Briefs

It was reported that the city of Venice, Italy, would limit day-trippers starting in 2022, requiring anyone planning to visit for the day to reserve a day online and pay a €5 (near $5.60) fee. However, at press time, no website on which to make a reservation had been revealed.

This restriction would not affect those overnighting in the city.

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In the village of Ponte de Lima, Portugal, toys made in Portugal between the late 19th century and the 1980s — including dolls, children’s furniture and zinc and wooden cars, planes and trains — are on display at Museu do Brinquedo Português (Casa do Arnado, Lago da Alegria; phone +351 258 240 210, www.museuspontedelima.com/pages/986). Nearly 200 Portuguese toy manufacturers are represented in the collection. Temporary exhibits are regularly held.

The museum is open...

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The cost of renewing a US passport book increased by $20, to $130, on Dec. 27. For those over the age of 16 applying for their first passport, or for those replacing an existing passport that is lost or has no empty pages, an additional $35 will be charged for a total of $165.

To download a renewal application, visit travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/renew.html.

In Almere, Netherlands, the Floriade garden expo, held once every 10 years, is scheduled for April 14-Oct. 9, 2022. It will feature flowers and plant-growing innovations from more than 40 countries, and visitors will be able to sample and buy fresh fruits and vegetables.

Almere is a planned city that was built on land reclaimed from the IJsselmeer starting in the 1970s. The Floriade will be held in the new Floriade Park. A day pass will cost €29 (near $33) adult. A Floriade Pass...

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An agreement between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), announced on Dec. 22, allows the FAA to share, with the TSA, information identifying passengers facing fines for unruly behavior. The TSA said that any of those passengers who are members of their Pre√ program will have that membership revoked.

It was not known, at press time, whether Pre√ members will have their membership restored if the FAA fines are...

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On Dec. 9, the European Union (EU) agreed to allow Croatia into the passport-free Schengen Zone Agreement. Croatia has been a member of the EU since 2013, but because it was not a member of the Schengen Zone, travel between Croatia and EU or Schengen countries still required passport control. (Confusingly, while not all Schengen countries are EU countries, EU approval was still necessary for Croatia to join.) At press time, it was not known on what date Croatia would officially become a...

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Delta Air Lines has removed the ability to earn miles in its SkyMiles program on Basic Economy fares. On Dec. 9, members of its frequent-flyer program ceased earning miles for Basic Economy seats purchased on or after that date on flights departing on or after Jan. 1, 2022. Basic Economy seats also no longer qualify toward maintaining Medallion Elite status, for which a certain number of miles must be flown each year.

At press time, Delta’s Basic Economy seats still earned...

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On Dec. 2, 2021, a train connection between Kunming, China, and Vientiane, Laos, was completed. With that, it now is possible to travel from Lagos, on the southern tip of Portugal, to Singapore entirely by train (allowing for short treks between train stations in some cities).

When the shortest route is calculated, which still measures at least 11,654 miles, the trip includes 13 countries and requires multiple connections and travel visas. It is estimated that, with some required...

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