Two years ago on our summer holiday we were driving in our camper van from northern Italy to Chamonix through the Mont Blanc tunnel. We were surprised to encoun

Two years ago on our summer holiday we were driving in our camper van from northern Italy to Chamonix through the Mont Blanc tunnel. We were surprised to encounter a similar passport check, before entering the queue to pass through the tunnel. Last summer I was half way from Amsterdam to Berlin in my van when I remembered I had forgot my passport. I am an American citizen with a Netherlands residency permit, and I remembered the experience the previous summer so I turned around and blew my first day on extra travel. I passed through 4 countries on that trip and I never needed my passport.