Traveling in the United Kingdom Post Brexit

If you’re an American or anyone who isn’t living in the UK, you’ve likely heard about Brexit, but you might not know exactly what it is. In short, Great Britain has voted to leave the European Union, of which it has been a member since 1973. The EU made it possible for nations to leave in 2007, though no one seems to have thought that this would have been a possibility so soon. Due to economic concerns and political unrest related to immigration and other factors, many UK citizens believed that without independence from the EU, they couldn’t truly have autonomy as a nation. There is a lot more to it, of course, but the next more interesting side of Brexit for people living outside the UK is how this will affect their travel plans. Here are some possible ways.

Traveling in the United Kingdom Post Brexit

-People from the United Kingdom Will Still Need a Passport. It is likely that British citizens traveling into other (current) members of the EU will not need a VISA, but they’ll still need a passport. Of course, people entering Britain from outside will still need a passport.

-It Might Cost More to Fly Into the UK. One of the nice things about the EU is that the unity of these independent states has made travel between them cheaper. While the UK still remains in the UK at the moment, flight to Britain has remained about the same price. This is due in large part to low-cost airlines which have piled up as the world has become a smaller place. It’s quite possible that costs will rise again.

-The Value of Money May Be More Unsteady. We have all seen the value of the British pound jump around in value following the result of the Brexit vote. While it has already stabilized and is likely to gain more strength in the coming days, the British pound will only be vulnerable as the UK moves to actually leave the EU in the coming months and years. It’s important for travelers exchanging their own currencies for British Pounds to understand this. The principles of Buy Low Sell High apply here. Those buying NobelCom prepaid phone cards would do well to do so when the Pound is at its lowest, for example.

-Worse Beaches? One interesting side effect of the EU has been cleaner beaches all over its nation states. Nowhere has this been more widely noticed than in Britain where beaches became pristine in many areas. It is possible that this situation will revert, though Britain’s citizens may have gotten used to the nicer recreational resources and demand the same level of care from their newly independent government.

There will no doubt be lots more changes to notice if you are planning to travel to the UK, after traveling there when they were part of the EU. These changes won’t go into effect for months or years yet, but one can be sure that their impact will be felt for international travelers all around the world.