A week has now passed since the EU Referendum battle ended with the decision for the UK to leave the European Union.
Since then, the recriminations for the various political parties has been dramatic, with Labour seemingly falling apart at the seams and the Tories seeking a new leader after David Cameron elected to stand down as Prime Minister – and the man many expected to replace him deciding not to even run for the job.
As the politicians bicker and argue, it’s been left to the public to adopt a ‘Best of British’ attitude and simply get on with things as chaos descends around them, with life carrying on regardless.
That includes when it comes to booking – or taking a holiday – but what impact does Brexit ultimately have?
CURRENCY:
The one issue that does affect anyone travelling now is the value of the pound when it comes to foreign currency. Following the announcement of victory for the Leave campaign, the pound plummeted overnight – which included hitting a 31 year low against the dollar.
As markets recover, the value of the pound will rise, but expected volatility means travellers are likely to get less for their money when it comes to overseas currency in the short to medium term.
There’s an element of luck in now buying currency at the right time, whilst travellers should be encouraged to shop around – particularly online – to get the best deals possible, with forward planning being more important than ever before.
FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT:
People form EU member states benefit from a freedom of movement and this won’t change until a formal exit is confirmed; a process that will take at least two years from the moment that Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty is activated.
The current political wrangling means it isn’t clear when that will actually happen, and even when it does, the government could seek to try and agree to a deal to keep some form of freedom in place – although whether the EU would allow that very much remains to be seen.
Current passports, which bear EU branding, remain valid until the point at which the UK actually leaves the European Union.
HEALTHCARE:
Assuming you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), then you’ll benefit from reduced cost health care treatment whilst overseas in another EU country.
Until the exit from the EU takes place, this remains in place and will need to be discussed when it comes to what happens further down the line.
FLIGHTS:
Let’s be honest, flights do get delayed quite a bit, but under EU law, passengers are entitled to compensation if their flight is cancelled or arrives late at their end destination – with a delay of at least three hours.
For the next two years at least, the protection in place for UK travellers will remain and it would be something of a surprise if the government didn’t try to ensure such passenger rights were protected after Brexit.
Airfares to EU member states may increase to take into account the possible increase in aviation fuel caused by the value of the pound against the dollar whilst longer term, an exit from the EU could cause higher prices as the UK will no longer be a part of the open skies agreement currently in place.
MOBILE PHONES:
EU regulations have resulted in a dramatic cut in roaming charges for anyone using their phone overseas, and those charges will be cut altogether next year.
As with many other factors, nothing will change in the time it takes for the UK to leave the European Union and it will be down to the government to implement new laws to cover the period after Brexit.
DUTY FREE:
When you travel to EU countries, you are allowed to bring home unlimited goods from overseas – although you may face some questions at customs if the number of cigarettes or alcohol you are travelling with is deemed to be excessive.
Once Brexit occurs, restrictions will come into place, with current regulations restricting people to 16 litres of beer, 4 litres of wine, 1 litre of spirits and a maximum of 200 cigarettes. There is also a limit on the value of ‘other goods’ that can be brought home before duty or tax needs to be covered.
