About Syria A Travel Question for Northern and Eastern Europeans

[Jenny A]

We are thinking (planning really) about traveling to Poland, The Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, this June/July.  We will be traveling mostly by train (including a couple night trains) and occasionally by bus. Is there really a problem for U.S. tourists at those boarders.  Do you think our train travel will be gummed up by Syrian refugees?  We would have reserved seats on most international crossings.

Who can say what the future brings? It's 9 months till then. These countries are all Shengen countries, which means open borders. I don't know what specific travel regulations there are for Americans, but once you touch down in the EU, you shouldn't face more than one control at the airport.

As far as refugees go, it's mostly rightwinger fear mongering to cash in some political dimes. Neither the streets nor the trains are crowded by brown people.

I don't mind sharing trains with fleeing Syrians.  If there really are fleeing Syrians clogging the trains I mostly wouldn't want to take their seats. If the trains aren't crowded now, good.  That suggests all is well.  It's very hard to tell from here how much is hype.  But I keep hearing on the news about passport checks within the EU which is a new idea.  I'm used to crossing EU boarders with no check whatsoever.  And even into holdouts like the Swiss, there's no customs.

For those of us who traveled when every country change meant customs and a new currency it's great now.  It's particularly wonderful on night trains as no one wakes you up to ask for a passport which feels luxurious.

So thank you, I'm glad to hear it's not what I'm hearing on the news.