The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index just granted Amsterdam a sweet spot among the world’s top 10 most liveable cities! 🏆

Touristy and obnoxious, or beautiful and exciting? In the Netherlands, Amsterdam has many labels — and ‘liveable’ now is officially one of them. 

This year, Amsterdam officially ranks at place #9 out of 173 competing cities, says Bloomberg. Congrats! 🎉

Europe and Canada at the top 

As Amsterdam snatches the 9th place, it’s in good company with cities the likes of Geneva, Toronto, and Copenhagen. In general, the ranking makes clear that Europe and Canada are the best options if you’re considering moving abroad in 2022 — with the addition of Osaka, Japan as well. 

The top 10 most livable cities

Without further ado, here is the full list of the top 10 most liveable cities in 2022 (and uhm, 10th place has two winners, just ignore that):

More than just a good time

When the 173 cities were assessed, several aspects counted for their final placement, among which were: health care, crime rates, political stability, infrastructure, and access to green space. 🌱

It’s no secret that Amsterdam is like a tourism-Disneyland, but it’s clearly also a great place to live! While the ranking includes many not-so-typically tourist destinations, Amsterdam gets the best of both worlds, according to the EIU.

READ MORE | Lover’s paradise? Amsterdam ranks 5th in the best cities for dating in the world

During the past few years of coronavirus-dominated governing, many cities found that their placements changed from previous years, as lockdowns and restrictions limited people’s quality of life more generally. 

Not all change is good change

With two cities in the Top 10, Switzerland must be pretty chuffed right now! Canada is also clearly one of the big winners this year, whilst Australia and New Zealand are surprisingly absent. 👀 

You might also be surprised to see both Paris and London missing — everyone’s favourite European city trip destinations. 🤩 This development is likely to be due to Brexit in the case of London, and the significant increase in living costs in the French capital. Ouch! 

Conflict is not good for liveability (duh)

Taking the general criteria into account, it’s no wonder that conflict-ridden countries don’t do too well on the liveability ranking. 🤕 Here are the bottom five cities of this year’s ranking: 

A surprising result? 

Despite the constant dangers of being run down by angry cyclists, stumbling into a canal after a few Heinekens, and being swallowed by the ocean as sea levels rise, Amsterdam seems to be doing pretty good this year. 😏

READ MORE | 21 beautiful towns in the Netherlands that aren’t Amsterdam

And who is really surprised? We all loveee to bully the capital’s inhabitants for being a bit too full of themselves, and desperately hipster-ish at the same time, but let’s face it — Amsterdam is pretty damn nice. 🧡

Which Dutch city would you like to see in the ranking next year? Tell us in the comments below!

From 2023, UK travellers will need to apply and pay for a so-called ETIAS visa waiver if they’re planning to visit the Schengen area, which includes most countries in mainland Europe.

So if you’re looking to sip some cocktails on a beach in Greece or get some much-needed downtime in Spain, it’s about to get just a wee bit more complicated. Blimey! 😨

What is the ETIAS visa waiver?

If the term is new to you, then you’re probably wondering what the heck is an ETIAS (European Travel and Authorisation System).

Basically, ETIAS is a security check that non-EU citizens who don’t need visas to visit Europe will have to complete before travelling to countries in the Schengen area.

Since the Brits cut ties with the EU due to Brexit, they’ll be among the lucky chaps who now need to use this scheme to travel there. 😢

READ MORE | 5 ways the Netherlands is better than the UK according to a Brit

How will it work?

From 2023 onwards, you’ll need to pass an ETIAS check at the EU border by filling in an online application form beforehand — and this will be checked together with your other travel documents, writes ChronicleLive.

@cazzatime You NEED to watch this if you’re going on holiday! ✈️ #learnontiktok #traveltiktok #travel #uk #brexit #summer #fyp ♬ Quirky – Oleg Kirilkov

The goal is to make the ETIAS online application process as smooth as possible so that travelling UK citizens can expect their visa waivers to be approved in no time. 

The fee to apply for the visa is expected to be around £6 or €7 — and it’s only relevant for those aged between 18 and 70.

But don’t fret just yet, the ETIAS is not expected to take effect until November 2023, so you Brits can breathe until then. 😉

What happens if you fail the ETIAS application?

If you attempt to travel without an approved ETIAS form or visa, then you’ll likely be turned away at the border.

If your application was refused, you do have a right to appeal and you could also consider applying for a visa or contacting the embassy of the country you plan to visit.

Why would your ETIAS application be refused? Well, this mainly boils down to having a criminal record, posing a security threat, certain health concerns, or a history of overstaying your welcome in the Schengen zone. 

What countries will require the ETIAS visa waiver?

Brits will need the good ol’ ETIAS visa waiver to enjoy a holiday under the European sun for every country within the Schengen area. 

But let’s just give you a list so you can see for yourself: 

• Austria
• Belgium
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Romania
• Iceland
• Switzerland
• Liechtenstein
• Norway

What do you think of the new ETIAS visa waiver for UK tourists? Will you be affected? Tell us in the comments below! 👇