"seemingly every entity required me to make an account, share my mailing address, often my passport information, etc., just to buy a ticket or secure a table." He further expands on this in the latest episode of Dithering, stating that 'every single EU entity requires me to have an account just to do something like book a table' (paraphrasing as I don't remember the exact line but the 'every single EU entity' stuck in my mind).
To me this feels like the sadly common misconception that every country in the EU is the same. I live in Ireland and have never once had to create an account to book a table in a restaurant. Nor a cinema ticket, nor visits to tourist attractions. And that includes while travelling abroad.
Thompson is either being hyperbolic in the extreme or just had really bad luck (or, went to an EU country where this is actually common - I won't make the mistake of assuming they are all the same).
To me this feels like the sadly common misconception that every country in the EU is the same. I live in Ireland and have never once had to create an account to book a table in a restaurant. Nor a cinema ticket, nor visits to tourist attractions. And that includes while travelling abroad.
Thompson is either being hyperbolic in the extreme or just had really bad luck (or, went to an EU country where this is actually common - I won't make the mistake of assuming they are all the same).