2025 Travel Changes/New Saigon Metro/Osprey Ozone Suitcase

Nomadico issue #138

Jan 02, 2025

New Fees and Travel Requirements in 2025

Happy new year, hope you’ve got big plans. Some changes are on the way for travelers coming in 2023: Real ID requirements in the USA, the ETIAS application for the EU, and the Electronic Travel Authorization in the UK. Get ready for more digital and facial tracking from here on out. This article has info on those plus the recent airline compensation rule changes in the USA. (It’s likely that the new administration will kill those though since they favor passengers, not big business. Stay tuned…)

The Scoop on El Salvador

Every once in a while someone will ask me about living in El Salvador and I have to plead ignorance. It’s the only country in Central America I haven’t been to. The host of the Expat Money podcast has though and I trust his opinion since he evaluates places through an expat lens, with full pros and cons. See his article rundown here, with a link to the longer podcast. His conclusion: while there are positives, it’s still a tough place to get residency, do business, or avoid paying high taxes.

A New Metro Opens in Vietnam

Vietnam has its first underground train system now after it opened on December 22 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For now it’s only one line, but more branches are under construction and will follow. James Clark of Nomadic Notes and Future Southeast Asia showed what opening day was like here, with huge crowds since the first month is free and local residents were excited to check it out.

Osprey Ozone Suitcase for Heavy Travel

Four years ago I got an Osprey Ozone 26-inch 2-wheel suitcase and made a video review for it on my YouTube channel. After many trips with it since then, I wheeled it through 7 countries in Europe over two months of travels to close out 2024. It again performed like a champ and the inline skate wheels were able to take on cobblestones, flagstones, and other uneven surfaces that easily trip up those 4-wheel suitcase styles. Like other Osprey products, it’s guaranteed for life and the way it has held up for me, I doubt I’ll ever have to test that. The 26-inch version seems to be sold out most places now, but it is still on Backcountry. You can still get a larger one and the 22-inch carry-on version at Osprey.com.

UNCLASSIFIEDS:

There are some people I've been learning from for more than a decade, like Jodi Ettenberg. Need something to read during your flights or train rides? Get the free newsletter, Curious About Everything, which compiles and summarizes the most interesting articles she reads each month.

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