Haven't we all thought about backpacking through Europe and taking a long break from our daily lives? Some of us have even lived this dream. The first thing that concerns most of us when it comes to a trip through Europe is getting a Schengen visa. This document is issued by the appropriate authorities to travelers for visiting/travelling to and within the Schengen Area. This Schengen area comprises of 26 countries out of which 22 belong to the European Union and the other 4 are part of the EFTA (European Free Trade Association). The Schengen visa derives its name from a 1985 agreement that abolished international borders within Europe. The signatory nations decided to treat the Schengen area as one big country and allow their citizens unrestricted and free movement within the area.

The visa is named so because it was signed in the town of Schengen, Luxembourg.

With a Schengen visa, you can visit almost every European tourist hot-spot that you'd like to visit. These countries include: Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece, Czech Republic, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia.

United Kingdom refused to be a part of the signatory nations on account of stayingsovereign. They wanted to screen the tourists coming to their country and becoming a part of the Schengen nations could have been a threat to their national security.

You now know the history behind the Schengen visa. So when do you plan to go to Europe?