Christina and Eric Schwendeman’s travels had them bouncing around Asia for several months early last year. In the spring, the American retirees returned to their home base in Italy for a few months.
But because of 90-day restrictions on stays, the couple spent the next three months on the go in England, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Turkey, Jordan and Cyprus. And then they circled back to Italy in October for the rest of the year.
The Schwendemans are doing what’s known as the Schengen Shuffle.
In a nutshell, it’s moving around to stay on the right side of limits that allow citizens of most countries to spend a maximum of 90 out of every 180 days in Europe’s Schengen Area, or zone, currently made up of 29 member countries.
Some shufflers like the constant change of scene, while others are moving around mostly out of necessity as they try to secure longer-term residency. Facebook groups and other online communities have sprung up around shuffling, allowing expats navigating all sorts of situations to compare notes and share strategies. Staying within the 90-day limits can be challenging — and fulfilling.
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