UK Begins ETA Requirement on January 8th

 

Starting this week, Americans traveling to (and through) the United Kingdom will need to fill out an application for the new electronic travel authorization (ETA).  The "through" part is important to note, as even fliers stopping in the UK for a layover will need an ETA.   Applications can be done online or through an app (it appears they would greatly prefer you apply through the phone app).  The cost is £10.   For more information and details on the application and what an ETA permits, you can visit the ETA specific webpage of the UK Home Office.  

Maps: Texas and the British Isles

I went to London last month and I just completed a drive from Austin to Moab and back (which includes going from Austin to the Texas border just east of Clovis).  Ergo, when this map appeared sua sponte in a UK based WhatsApp chat I'm on I decided to share it.  Texans and residents of the British Isles: now you can judge the scale of a drive when contemplating visiting each other's respective homelands.  

Speaking of London and Moab, I do have a few travel observations/tips/etc I'll attempt to share by the end of the year.  Who knows... maybe I'll get around to my tips for backpacking in the Grand Canyon as well.