to think it might be best not to book a holiday in the EU?

[InTheRoseGarden]

I'm planning next year's summer holiday and as I'm reaching the point of booking things I'm hesitating because of the Brexit situation. Am I right in thinking that if there's no deal it could be a complete ball ache? I really don't want a load of stress in having to sort extra things out ahead of the holiday - especially if everyone else with a European holiday is doing it too.

It's De Efteling, by the way.

But it's not up to her to 'allow' it - it's about the regulations and implications of whatever we end up with.

The truth is that nobody knows. If we get a deal then most things should continue pretty smoothly. If there's no deal then there is no precedent for what will happen next.

Whilst I can believe that the French might make the border as bloody difficult as they can, the Dutch are a laid-back and pragmatic people - and this includes the government. They will be more than happy to welcome in more tourists and the foreign currency they'll bring so will do everything to ensure that everyone's holidays go ahead.
The Dutch like money. The don't put up barriers to receiving it!

That’s a very good idea to start buying euros now. I think I will but some every month between now and next summer to hedge the risk a bit.

Re. medical supplies, I put together the no-deal impact assessment for the huge med tech company I work for, based on the government’s technical notices. We’re worried about physically getting product into the UK and how our cross-border operations in Ireland/N. Ireland will be affected but we don’t make anything that has a short shelf-life or requires refrigeration so can hire short-term warehousing to hold a supply back-up. The required quality certification is a pain but manageable. Pharma isn’t so simple.

I'll gladly come back on Mumsnet and admit I'm an arse if a single plane is grounded. There wont be though. The only arse will be you and the other remoaners who will all crawl back under your stones when doomsday doesn't happen

Evidence. Show me one shred of evidence to support your claim.

That's what I asked for, Cough - none has been forthcoming!

It's insane that we are even having to discuss this

I'm not booking anything abroad until at least a month after we leave. In reality no one knows how we will be affected. Airspace will be more expensive for flights, visas and health insurance just to mention a few of the larger concerns. What our currency will be like is also concerning - who wants to be stuck for a 7 day break abroad when our currency might be half of the euro or worse? Personally, I don't want to put my family in that situation. Most of my friends feel the same. You can see it with the housing market too - stagnant while people wait to see the reality of Brexit rather than positive tory spin.

Yes agree that it's insane, but ...

Visas will not be an issue. There may be a visa waiver type system, but this won't be a big expense and there is no reason to think that there will be major issues for holidaymakers.

If you are planning to drive, the validity of UK driving licences and insurance is a much bigger question. It would probably be wise to apply for an international permit well in advance, although if there is a transition period you won't need it next year.

A no deal Brexit would probably result in chaos at ports and airports initially - by summer I'd guess something will have been sorted, but if there is no deal you should expect travelling to Europe to become less easy than it is now (more checks, longer waits).

I probably would book tbh as long as it's not a massive financial commitment for you, but it depends how risk averse you are. I live in the EU and won't be booking travel to/from the UK in April or May, at least not until things are clearer, but would probably book for next summer if I needed to.

If doomsday doesn't happen it will be because a deal is made. But I doubt it will be a deal the hardline Brexiters will like, opposed as they are to any compromise or cooperation with the EU. And I doubt an 11th hour agreement will be especially good for the UK either.

Theresa May set the country a deadline and has procrastinated worse than a bad student.

One of them is supposed to be flying out to Brazil on 30th March but is going on the 27th instead to avoid the chaos. I’ve been through it with them and they know they might be stuck there for a few days on the way back

Worth routing them back via a European airport? If the shit hits the fan then at least they would have more travel options once back in Europe. A few years ago during the volcanic ash episode some of my colleagues were stuck in Asia for quite a while, around 10 days in some cases IIRC.

Our holidays already cost in the region of £2k with flights and hotels so actually, it is a big commitment for a spend. I'd rather just spend this summer trying to be inventive at home and being frugal. I suspect many months of disruption and people finding out what does and doesn't still work out well when they travel. Not being able to potentially drive abroad is a huge concern when you have kids.

I wouldn't book anything anywhere abroad yet after 29 March - unless say its flights at a massive discount then hotels you can cancel for free and can afford to write off flight money. I am not massively panicked about Brexit but until we know what's happening its best to wait. Think a deal will be done at some point as Europe gains far more from our tourism than we gain from them but its also in Europe's interests to make things as difficult for us as possible so other countries don't follow suit.

No, we rely on them for so much more - they are 27 countries and we are 1, a tiny % of their income.
I am concerned because not having £2k saved may mean we have to worry more when our food bills rise along with other knock-on costs as a result of having poor trade deals. We simply cannot plan so saving is the only way to be proactive.

I find it hard to imagine that some kind of deal won't be reached, even if it's not until the eleventh hour. The alternative would leave the UK in such an unimagble mess, and quite frankly there are too many important people with far too much to lose by a no deal Brexit.

I would not plan anything for the first few weeks after March 29th, and perhaps not for the first week of the school summer holiday, but other than that would do so. Worth thinking where you travel from (which airport, or whether to use Eurostar).

bridgetoc

You are a smeghead. People I know in NHS management are clueless as to how to provide insulin in the event of no deal.

I find that extremely concerning and so do many others. If you have any actual evidence to the contrary please feel free to share and put all our minds at ease.

What are you all panicking about medication for? Everyone knows that the extra £350 million a week that Boris and his buddies promised for the NHS will sort any/all Brexit problems

Except that’s bollocks

By the way I booked my flights to Portugal for next summer when Sleazyjet released them this week 😁

People outside the EU manage to travel there just fine and without so much melodrama. 🙄

and without so much melodrama.

Using airlines which are approved to fly in the EU, and - depending on their country of origin - equipped with a visa and an international driving permit.

Some people haven't yet understood what being a "third country" means.

And those countries whose citizens enjoy visa free travel have agreements in place to enable visa free travel.

No + deal = no agreements in place.

@AhYeahOkayThen - People outside the EU manage to travel there just fine and without so much melodrama.

I am struggling to believe that anyone could be so ill informed as to make a statement like that.

Do you really think that people from outside the EU can just rock up to the border and wander in? They can enter the EU without "melodrama" as there are reciprocal agreements between individual countries and/or blocks of countries. If there is no deal, the UK will no longer be part of the EU so will no longer be able to avail of the EU agreements. It will take time to come to agreement with each and every country or block of countries that they will no longer have an agreement with. Even a cobbled together agreement takes time. And a separate one will need to be cobbled together for each country or block of countries.

Another issue for the UK is meeting the rules for flying into other countries. Agreement needs to be struck between individual countries.

The US requires an airline to be majority owned in the country of origin or the US. All fine for BA at the moment as it is majority EU owned. However, it is not majority UK owned which means, come Brexit, they will not be allowed fly from the UK to the US (although the agreement from the 1970's would allow them to fly from Heathrow, along with one other British and 2 American Airlines).

The UK is not within the Schengen Agreement. So the UK is already in control of its borders.

passports are checked leaving or entering the UK and all passports are checked in the EU for flights originating in the UK.

Some nationals require visas to enter the EU some don't. UK nationals do not require visas and so far have the right to settle and work everywhere in the EU.

I don't envisage the visa situation changing specially for a holiday.

@PolytheneSam - UK nationals do not require visas and so far have the right to settle and work everywhere in the EU.

That is because they are EU citizens. If a deal is struck, then agreements for travel will be in place before brexit. The danger is with a no deal brexit. UK citizens will go from being EU citizens to being citizens of a country that has no reciprocal travel agreement with the EU. This agreement will take time to draft and agree.

I don't envisage the visa situation changing specially for a holiday.

What are you basing this premise on?