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.

I want to know your best guess for two reasons.  First, we want to have a good time, and waiting at boarders is not a good time and there're are other places we could go like Spain or England.  Second, we don't want to further foul up trains that are needed for humanitarian purposes.

Beyond trains, I'm not much worried.  I assume refugees won't flood tourist sites, why would they?

Oh---and if we go, I'd love to have drinks, lunch, or dinner with anyone here who'd like to meet us there.  What'd you'd get is me, my super bright deist husband and two beautiful articulate atheist girls.  I'm a rather ordinary well padded American woman.  Or I'd be happy to make you dinner.  We tend to stay in local apartments and I like to cook.

[Jenny A]

I should add, our eldest daughter has a scholarship burning a hole in her pocket which she'd like to spend on an economics seminar in Europe particularly the countries which transitioned from communism to capitalism or socialism. We will rearrange our ideas to make that easy for her either in the middle of our trip or at the beginning or end of it. I may stay with her before or after the rest of the family have come or gone. She may also end up on her own. She's an independent bright cookie, she'll do okay.

[abaris]

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.

[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.

[LastPoet]

I enjoyed InterRailing across Europe. But I spent most of the time heavily drunk, so I can't remember much.

[abaris]

But I keep hearing on the news about passport checks within the EU which is a new idea.

There are a few idiots wanting that. Hungary's Orban of course and the Bavarian prime minister Seehofer. Bavaria is kind of the spiritual Texas of Germany. But they can't act without the consent of the federal government. It's just cashing in on Xenophobia.

[Jenny A]

But I keep hearing on the news about passport checks within the EU which is a new idea.

There are a few idiots wanting that. Hungary's Orban of course and the Bavarian prime minister Seehofer. Bavaria is kind of the spiritual Texas of Germany. But they can't act without the consent of the federal government. It's just cashing in on Xenophobia.

Plane tickets are cheap now.  I think we'll buy in the next couple weeks.  If things change after that, they do. ;(  We've spent time in Italy and England particularly and a little in France and Switzerland as a family, change is good.