Goodbye Passport Stamps

The joy of having a passport stamp as a souvenir of a trip to a new and exotic location is coming to an end. Countries are phasing out the passport stamp in favour of strictly electronic registration of entrance and exit from the country. According to this article in Time Out magazine, the following countries have already eliminated the stamp: the UK, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Argentina. (When I travelled to South America in early 2025, I wondered why Argentina was the only country for which I didn't have a stamp in my passport. And New Zealand no longer stamps passports.)

The countries listed below are eliminating passport stamps in 2025.

Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czechia
Denmark
Estonia
Finland

France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Latvia

Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Poland

Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland

Maritime Tour

Sites to See:

NEWFOUNDLAND

L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site

Gros Morne National Park

Fly from St. John's to Deer Lake then drive to Gros Morne then L'Anse aux Meadows.

NOVA SCOTIA

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

NEW BRUNSWICK

Central Asia Tour

The goal is the center trip around the “5 Stans” (see options on my Adventure Travel page). Possibly beginning in Turkey for a tour of Troy and other ancient sites, then on to Armenia and Azerbaijan before the 5 Stans. Could follow up with Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan (see India escorted tour page).

Polar Expeditions

Travel to the Antarctic is increasingly popular and even visits north above the 80th parallel are available more than in the past. 

Antarctic Expeditions usually take two forms: cruises and flights. Of the cruising voyages, that typically leave from Southern Argentina, there are two distinct types: those that include stepping foot on Antarctica and those that do not. Their cost is substantially higher if you get disembark from the cruise ship and actually walk on the continent. 

Swan Hellenic have a 19-day tour called "In Shackleton's Footsteps" that visits the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island and the Antarctic Peninsula. Prices start at $27,425.

In Shackleton's Footsteps

The Antarctic expedition season is late October to early April, and the Arctic season is from May to September.

Arctic cruises can take you to Greenland, Iceland or Svalbard.

Polar Tracks Expeditions is a Canadian company run by Heather Thorkelson who are "Expedition cruise specialists to the Arctic and Antarctic." Contact 1-833-545-2840 or email at contact@polartracksexpeditions.com. Recommended by Nina from the Rick Steves tour who is a friend of Heather.

Quark Expeditions specializes in Arctic cruises: Svalbard (Spitsbergen), Norway, the Faroes and Greenland.

Biking Tours

57 Hours provides biking tours is many countries around the world. See my Travel Designers page.

Cycling Slovenia provides tours around the country.

Travel Blogs and Videos

There are so many sources of information from people who travel extensively, or expats living abroad.

Youtube - Short and Long Term Travel

American in Portugal

Brian and Carrie

Finding Gina Marie

Grounded Life Europe

International Living

Rick Steves

RomeWise

The Man in Seat 61

This is Our Retirement

Wandering Hartz 

Youtube - Living Abroad

Algarve Addicts

Adventure Freaksss

Blogs

Blondie in Morocco - a former Lithuanian living in Morocco

The Road is Life - a solo Canadian female traveler

The Blond Abroad - a former Californian living in Morocco

Adventure Travel

A little less dangerous than Extreme Travel (see entry), there can still be interesting adventure travel. One such is a tour of the "stans" — those countries in central Asia with "stan" in their names: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. G Adventures have a 26 day tour beginning in Bishkek and ending in Ashgabat. Tourhub have a 21 day and a 23 day tour (not sure what the difference is). (I assume you would need to get visas for entry to each country ahead of time.)

Wheel & Anchor is a Canadian tour company that has a 20-day tour of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Tours run from April through October.

Adventure Bound are a European company who have a 16 day 5 Stans tour. Price is €3,060 with a €590 single supplement.

Also check out Minzifa Travel found on Facebook ad. They do a 5 Stans tour beginning in Almaty and ending in Tashkent.

G Adventures 26 day tour

Tourhub 21 day tour