What is the Schengen Shuffle and who’s doing it?

By Carole Rosenblat

(CNN) — 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.

The Schwendemans moved to Italy in 2022 from Naples, Florida, on elective residency visas, which are open to applicants who will not be working and are moving to Italy long-term. But after two years, the couple changed course.

“We decided, as our two-year residency permits were expiring, that we would prefer to shuffle between Italy and the rest of the world, rather than renew them,” says Christina.

“We love Italy, but we realized we still wanted to travel for the majority of the year. We still spend about 170 days per year, almost all of our allowable Schengen time, in Italy.”

What is the Schengen Area?

That “allowable Schengen time” maxes out at 90 days in any 180-day period — a total of roughly 180 days per year.

The Schengen Area, established in 1985, is an agreement between member countries, guaranteeing free movement between member countries — meaning no border controls or required passport stamps.

The 90/180 rule doesn’t require the maximum 90 days in the Schengen Area to be consecutive but entails careful math to be sure travelers don’t stay longer than 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. When entering the area, officials look back 180 days from the current date to ensure visitors haven’t exceeded 90 total days in the zone.

Citizens of various countries visiting Europe, including Americans, have it a lot easier than people from many other nations. While European countries require citizens of some countries to obtain a visa before entering, this isn’t the case for US citizens.

Upon entering through a Schengen country’s immigration from outside the area, a visitor’s passport is usually stamped, their information is entered into immigration system computers and then they’re good to go. (Stamps will soon be eliminated, and entry will be tracked solely electronically through the Entry/Exit System (EES) and European Travel Information and Authorization System — ETIAS. The latter is expected to be implemented later this year.)

This stamp allows for a stay of up to 90 days in the area. Any longer risks a fine of several thousand dollars and a ban of up to five years.

Why shuffle?

Americans Emily Wilson and Chris Prudhomme, along with their seven-year-old Norwich Terrier, Denver, have traveled to Spain, Turkey, Austria, England, Thailand, Portugal and California, all in the last year.

One reason for their travels is to explore new places; another is the lack of a visa allowing them to stay in Portugal, their chosen country, for more than 90 days at a time. Just like the United States, most countries limit the time visitors can spend there without obtaining a long-term visa. These visas can be tough to get and come with rules, including limited time outside the country and tax implications.

“We looked at residency visas, like the Portuguese D7, but the bureaucracy is intense, and the requirements often limit how much you can travel outside the country,” says Wilson.

“We realized we weren’t ready to settle down, and that we hadn’t truly explored much of Europe yet. Shuffling allows us to explore the world slowly, in a way we hadn’t thought of before we heard others talk about it on YouTube and in Facebook groups.”

The challenges of shuffling

Whether by choice or necessity, shufflers navigate a number of challenges, including securing visas, finding housing and getting to know new locations every few months.

Cindy Wilhelm, originally from Akron, Ohio, shuffled for three years before securing a long-term residence permit in France.

In September 2023, while still shuffling, she started the Facebook group, Schengen Shuffle Expats, to commiserate with other shufflers. Its nearly 7,000 members offer advice, share resources, and sometimes meet up on the road.

Other Facebook groups for shufflers include Schengen Shuffle Sisters and Schengen Shuffle Rentals.

While some shufflers have purchased homes either inside or outside of the Schengen Zone, others require short-term rentals everywhere.

Wilson and Prudhomme find housing using resources including Airbnb, Idealista, various Schengen Shuffle Facebook groups and Facebook groups for expats in specific cities, housesitting sites and through services in co-working spaces.

Finding connection can also be challenging for those frequently on the move.

To find community while traveling, Wilhelm says, “I look for adventure. I take a tour, I walk a lot, and ride trains and buses. I see everything I can. I make acquaintances on the tours, and sometimes they become friends.”

Wilson and Prudhomme take a different approach.

“I start by joining Facebook groups for our next destination. Over time, I realized the real activity happens once you’re in a place, in more private spaces, including apps like WhatsApp, Telegram or Meetup,” says Wilson. “It can take a bit of digging to get plugged into the right communication channels for a particular location.”

Sometimes, they deliberately choose destinations they know will have a lot of social opportunities.

“If we want connection, we also target nomad hotspots. In places like Saranda, Albania, or Chiang Mai, Thailand, you get invited to coffee, hikes or events almost daily. As part of working on our remote businesses, we joined a co-working space in Antalya, Turkey. It was a wonderful mix of locals and nomads. I now factor how much of a social scene I want at a given time into my planning. Once you make connections, you often run into the same people again in different parts of the world, so that’s always fun.”

Staying on top of Schengen limits takes vigilance.

While the 90 days in and 90 out rule may seem like simple math, it can be more complicated than one might think. Days on which you travel from one country to another count as full days in each country.

When traveling from any Schengen member to, for example, nearby non-Schengen country Serbia, one travel day counts as both a day in Schengen and a day in Serbia. As Serbia also limits stays for most to 90 days, a third country is needed so as not to exceed the 90 days in either Schengen or Serbia. It’s always best to allow a few extra days’ padding in case of flight delays, miscalculations or other challenges.

Many shufflers find assistance through apps like Schengen Calculator 90/180 and Schengen Simple, or websites such as Visa-Calculator.

Home base or unencumbered?

Shufflers have a variety of approaches to packing, property ownership and storing their stuff.

“I travel with everything I own, which is one large checked bag, a small carry-on and a backpack,” says Karen Severy, who sold her house, sent her only child off to college, and is fulfilling her long-awaited dream of travel.

“I finally had the freedom to travel full-time. I could not afford to do this with a home base,” says Severy.

For Kimberly Gibbons, growing up as an “Air Force brat” means she’s used to moving around a lot.

“Traveling six months a year after retirement was always the plan, three months away and three months home” in Raleigh, North Carolina. “But with the US slide into fascism, I decided to leave and perhaps find my ‘forever home.’” She has rented out her home for two years, and she now plans to travel during that time to see as many countries as possible.

Gibbons, who travels with her five-year-old mini Goldendoodle, Rosie, has found that packing is made easier with a car.

“I purchased a car in Germany using a company called CarTurf, which allows non-residents to ‘own’ a car. They are essentially the holding company, so I can get insurance and car registration.”

Still, without the full wardrobe she used to have, she’s learned to adapt. “I miss certain things, but overall, I’ve realized I can live a comfortable life with less.”

Though some people CNN spoke with shuffle continuously, without returning to a home base, others, like the Schwendemans, have purchased properties.

And while purchasing a property in a Schengen country doesn’t necessarily guarantee a visa allowing you to stay longer, it does offer a regular place to return to and to keep personal items.

Costs and benefits

Many find shuffling costs the same or less than living in the United States.

Good mass transit and walkable cities often eliminate the need for a car, and temporary stays eliminate mortgage costs and upkeep.

Some shuffling Americans purchase international health insurance plans, which are made less expensive by choosing worldwide coverage (excluding the US, as that causes rates to significantly increase).

While some shufflers use retirement income for sustenance, others rent out their homes or work remotely.

“Renting out our property helped pay the majority of our bills,” says Wilson. “I also started a website about traveling with pets, which kept me busy and has helped me connect with a community of other pet travelers, but hasn’t turned into much financially.”

She’s also planning to launch a consulting business that would help people plan long-term slow travel and sabbaticals, and her husband is working on a business automation venture.

Severy notes that shuffling eliminates “the enormous amount of paperwork, bureaucracy and expense of obtaining a residency visa, as well as dealing with potential tax residency issues.”

Wilson finds another benefit: being pushed to explore.

“If it wasn’t for the Schengen time restrictions, we might not have expanded our horizons to places that are off-the-beaten-path, like Albania and Turkey. Many of these countries we barely knew anything about, but they became some of our most memorable experiences.”

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