World Aware is a weekly newsletter from Amelia And JP about moving abroad, expat life, and the realities of building a life outside the United States.
Share
It's nice to travel without the EXTRA baggage...
Published about 1 month ago • 3 min read • Turtle Dispatch
Hello Reader,
We boarded the train with only our rollaboards. It was a nice change of pace to travel so lightly.
During our 8-week stay in Belgrade, Serbia, we did what we often do during our slow travel: we booked a 2-night getaway to another city.
As full-time travelers and minimalists, almost everything we own fits in our suitcases.
That also means we can't survive with only carry-ons. We have 2 medium-sized suitcases that get checked and 2 rollaboards.
But on our train excursion to Novi Sad, we only needed a couple changes of clothes so the rollaboards were sufficient 🥳
Petrovaradin Fortress – Novi Sad, Serbia
We're not the only ones who enjoy a side trip...
Our Leaps are not like a typical group tour. We don't run from selfie-to-selfie. We take our time, immerse ourselves in the local environment, and have several open days with nothing official planned.
On our Leap to Granada, we were very busy the first week seeing all the amazing things this city has to offer, so we didn't schedule anything official for Saturday, Sunday or Monday.
Several of our Turtles took this opportunity to hop on a train to see other parts of Spain. One couple went to Madrid and another went to Córdoba and Sevilla for the weekend.
And the best part is they were able to travel extra light with only their carry-ons. They left their big suitcases in Granada.
Novi Sad isn't the first time we've taken a side trip from a homebase. We spent a night in Bratislava, Slovakia on our trip to Vienna. And we spent 2 nights in Dresden, Germany during our trip to Prague.
It costs a bit extra in lodging since we're paying for 2 places at the same time, but it's a nice way to see another city without all the extra baggage.
Worth Knowing
Thailand Just Made Long Stays a Little More Complicated
As of September 15, Americans and travelers from dozens of other countries now get just 30 days visa-free in Thailand instead of 60. You can apply for another 30 days after arrival, but it’s no longer automatic—something you'll want to factor into your plans if you're thinking about staying in Thailand for more than a month. [Source]
China Tightens Its Entry Rules
New rules in China give immigration and visa officials broader authority to request documents, supporting materials, and even electronic data when verifying a traveler’s identity or reason for visiting. This doesn’t create a new blanket restriction for tourists, but it makes it more important that your stated travel purpose and supporting information are accurate and consistent. [Source]
Yes, Flights Really Are More Expensive
If airfare prices have been giving you sticker shock lately, you’re not imagining it. U.S. airfares were up 23.4% in August compared with a year earlier, helping push overall travel costs about 9% higher. [Source]
Global Entry Has a New App
If you use Global Entry when returning to the U.S., there’s a small change worth knowing about: the old Global Entry mobile app stopped working on September 15 and has been replaced by the new Trusted Traveler app. Your membership and login stay the same, but frequent international travelers will want to download the new app before their next trip home. [Source]
Where We're Going Next
The Leap to Cuenca, Ecuador will be open for booking TOMORROW, Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at Noon Eastern for Lifetime Members, and Thursday at Noon for all others.
This will be our 3rd Leap to Cuenca, the place where our journey outside the U.S. began back in 2017. It's still one of our favorite cities and a true jewel of South America.
It's a 14-day Leap. Lodging is not included because we couldn't find an apart hotel with enough available rooms for everyone. We'll designate a meeting place to start each day's activities and recommend lodging options to Leap members (available in the Leap space inside the club).
There are only 15 spots and we expect it to fill fast so if you really want to go, submit your booking request when it opens.
The deposit amount is $395/person. The total Leap cost and final payment due date will be available when the Leap opens for booking.
by JP Stonestreet "If you were retired, where would you go?" Several people have asked us that question on this Leap to Spain. And every time, my first thought is: Retirement changes the list. The biggest thing standing between us and a lot of countries right now isn’t whether or not we would enjoy living there. It’s that we're not retired. We still work and earn a living. And once you add earned income into the equation, the residency and tax picture changes. Some countries have visa options...
by JP Stonestreet So… are we moving to Spain now? We’re in Spain right now on a Turtle Leap, and as the week has progressed, the questions have changed. At first, they were normal travel questions: Where should we eat? What should we see? What’s the best way to get around? Then we started hearing different questions: How much does it cost to live here? What’s healthcare like? Could we buy a place? And that’s when we knew Spain was starting to get into everyone's heads. When that happens,...
Hello Reader, We had barely arrived in Madrid before we headed straight for an overlook. Not the Prado Museum. Not the Royal Palace. Not Plaza Mayor. An overlook. And not because we’d heard it had the best view in Madrid. We wanted to stand in the exact spot where they filmed the final scene of every season of Alpha Males, one of our favorite shows on Netflix. If you’ve watched the show, you know the spot. The four guys gather there at the end of each season to reflect on their latest round...