The entire world is reeling after Britain’s referendum results came back as ‘LEAVE’. The Brits have decided to exit the European Union, a 40 year political, economic & social partnership between 28 European countries. While I’m no political expert, I know that because of this partnership it has become easier to live, work and travel in Europe because of this unique marriage; something that came crashing down with one vote.
Now that #Brexit is here, avid travelers are asking the same question. How will this effect the way we travel to the continent? How does it affect travel to and from the United Kingdom? Will there be travel restrictions? visas? How far will my money carry me? Can I afford a plane ticket now?
Here’s what I’ve been able to piece together so far on the impending travel complications that are sure to follow:
- More Bang For Your Buck Less For Your Pound: The pound has dropped to its lowest since 1985. That means if you’re a traveler from the U.S., Canada or The Bahamas, your vacation just got a little more comfy; you can afford a whole lot more than you would’ve before. More food, more drinks, more shopping! If you’re a Brit, it will cost you a whole lot more to buy euros and travel through Europe though.
- Airfare Rise: Traveling and exploring Europe has always been cheap thanks to low budget airlines like Ryanair, EasyJet and others. Because of the drop of the pound, it is argued that the price of oil will spike leading to higher fares. More importantly, with Brexit, we could also see changes in the single aviation market created by the EU in the 90’s which could inevitably drive ticket prices up.
- Travel Restrictions: The UK is a major travel hub in the European Union seeing more transit passengers than any other EU country. According to Eurostat, 138 million air passengers flew between the UK and EU in 2015. How will this be affected? Ultimately, we don’t know what restrictions will look like yet until agreements between the UK and the EU take place. It does make you feel a bit uneasy though.
There are so many questions, so little answers. Will my Eurostar tickets from London to France increase? Will I be able to afford easyJet. Will this create a civil war within the UK. Will everyone hate the British for tanking the world’s economy thus making it harder for me to have disposable cash to travel? Only time will tell.
