Just back from a trip to Croatia, this week Independent Travel writer Amelia Neath told me about a woman who was meant to be on her flight to Split, but was turned away at the gate. On presenting her travel documents, the unfortunate traveller was told that her passport was not valid for travel to Croatia – despite the fact that it had yet to reach its expiry date.
This woman had sadly been caught out by the ‘10-year issue rule’ that applies to Brits travelling to the European Union (as well as Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein) since Brexit. This rule stipulates that “third country” nationals (which includes the UK since we left the EU on 31 January 2020) must present a travel document that has been issued within the previous 10 years the day you enter the EU. The other stipulation is that the passport should be valid until the end of the traveller’s stay plus an additional three months.
While her husband and four children went ahead and boarded the flight, this poor woman would have had to go back home and likely miss her holiday. It is possible to apply for an urgent passport with the “1 day premium” service, but the earliest you can get an appointment is in two days, with the passport being ready to collect four hours later, at a cost of £239.50. Add to this the cost of a new flight and it becomes an incredibly pricey (not to mention stressful) business to get the holiday back on track.
Being turned away from your flight at the boarding gate – after booking (and paying for) a trip, packing, preparing, travelling to the airport and checking in – must be devastating. Previously on Independent Travel, we have extensively covered the ‘10-year issue rule’ as we heard of case after case of travellers falling foul and being denied boarding – and I’m sad to see it’s still happening. This week we spoke with Celia Jenkins who wasn’t aware that her passport was invalid for travel to the EU until she was at Bristol airport waiting to board her Jet2 flight to Kefalonia in Greece, where her family has a second home. Celia, 78, and her husband Rees, 82, were told by staff that their passports were 10 years and three days old, meaning they would be denied entry into Greece. Celia estimated that this mistake cost her and Rees £500 in bus and taxi fares, along with a night at an airport hotel and flights, plus the opportunity to spend a week with their children and grandchildren in Greece.
Although it is a passenger’s responsibility to make sure that their travel documents are valid, I do feel incredibly sorry for travellers like Celia and the many others who have been caught out by this rule. Beyond the frustration that becoming “third party nationals” was a consequence of Brexit, I also appreciate that for many travellers there is no reason why they should be aware that the passport rules had changed. Despite the fact I should certainly know better, I have personally been very nearly caught out by not having the right travel documents – including a last-minute panic when I realised I hadn’t secured my Canadian Electronic Travel Authorization the day before I flew to Alberta (thankfully it was granted immediately), and a memorable afternoon spent frantically rummaging through drawers to find a yellow fever certificate I needed for a trip to Uganda. My recommendation is – no matter where you are travelling, whether you’ve been there before, and how well you think you know the destination – check country entry requirements carefully on the UK Foreign Office website as soon as you book your trip, and ensure you have all documents in order well ahead of travel.
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When travelling to Europe, it is important to look at the issue date on your passport
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UK travellers warned of parasitic stomach bug as cases soar
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Passport rule change for UK-Ireland ferry passengers
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Italy tourists face fines for crossing the road while texting
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New sleeper train linking Brussels, Amsterdam and Copenhagen
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Our travel experts share their top tips on the best mountain destinations to lace up your boots outside of ski season
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Amelia Neath sets out on a journey to reach Britain’s most extreme northerly point
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Senior travel writer Natalie Wilson checks into 14th-century palazzo, Rastrello, for a break in the ‘green heart of Italy’
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Summer holidays or autumn travel?
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As we inch closer to September, this week I want to know if you’ve been saving your travels for next season. Did you jet off for a fly-and-flop summer holiday in August? Or are you waiting till the leaves change colour to take off for a warmer destination?
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It seems most of you agree with me on last week’s poll. To jog your memory, I wrote about my habit of returning to the same corner of Pembrokeshire again and again. When we asked if you also find joy in repeating a trip, 75 per cent of you said yes, suggesting the comfort of a well-worn holiday route is far from just a personal quirk.
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As summer begins to slowly fade, it’s the perfect time to start looking ahead to autumn and winter escapes. From crisp countryside walks to cosy festive markets and snowy mountain adventures, the colder months offer plenty of reasons to travel – and many of us have been craving cooler climes after the multiple UK heatwaves!
This year, I’m hoping to enjoy a Christmas market cruise. I’ve always loved Christmas markets for their magical atmosphere and the chance to pick up unique, handcrafted finds, from hand-painted ornaments to local food and drink.
However, if you’re someone who prefers to jet off to sunnier shores once the colder, darker months arrive, there’s something satisfying about getting the little details right before a trip. A well-packed carry-on, a comfortable pair of shoes and a few clever essentials can make the difference between arriving ready to explore and arriving ready for a nap.
One item that deserves a little more attention? Travel socks. Our Deputy Travel Editor, Sophie Dickinson, swears by these compression socks from Main Squeeze, which are designed to reduce swelling and keep your feet comfortable on flights and beyond.
It’s also always worth packing a good eye mask, both for the plane and for hotels – you never know whether your accommodation will have blackout curtains. I’m a fan of this £45 silk sleep set, which comes with a convenient travel pouch for easy packing.
Or, if you’d prefer a sleep mask with built-in headphones, ideal for the plane journey, our tester liked this Manta sound sleep mask, which he described as “light and comfortable” and “effective at blocking light”.
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A push for ‘mature’ cabin crew
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Following a successful campaign in 2022, easyJet has launched a drive to recruit more staff over 50 as cabin crew – a move that Independent lifestyle writer Helen Coffey this week described as “genius”. I have to say, I agree.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote in this newsletter about the fact that good flight attendants are invaluable when it comes to both the safety and the comfort of air travel, and I can see why maturity would be hugely beneficial in this role. This is not to say that I haven’t encountered plenty of excellent youthful flight attendants; but it seems almost a no-brainer that men and women with plenty of life experience would be highly effective in a job that requires a balance between people skills, picking up new knowledge, and staying calm in stressful situations. The budget airline reported that since the initial campaign four years ago, the number of crew members in their ranks aged over 50 has more than doubled, while the figure for those in their 60s has nearly quadrupled.
Helen spoke with Francesca Hicks, who applied to the easyJet scheme aged 60, having previously held a range of roles through her career, including secretarial work, managing holiday properties and working in dementia care. Now aged 64, Francesca has been a member of easyJet cabin crew for 19 months, in which time she has worked on around 270 flights and travelled to 23 countries. Francesca told Helen: “If you have the passion for service and creating great experiences and are excited to work and travel, it’s a really good career. As long as you’re willing to learn new skills and you’re a people person, you can do this job.”
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SAVE UP TO 35% WITH RADISSON RESORTS
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Escape to the Canary Islands for a week-long holiday this September with British Airways. Discover dramatic volcanic landscape and beautiful beaches in Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria or Lanzarote. Various September dates available, lead price based on London departures. Find out more.
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Stay at the award-winning Mode Hotel in the heart of Lytham’s lively square, perfectly located for shopping, dining and coastal walks.
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For many of us, going on holiday is one of the only times that we have the opportunity to really get stuck into a good book – whether that’s relaxing on a sunlounger, filling hours on a plane or cosying up in a cottage. Now, many Brits are going one step further and dedicating entire holidays to literature. Reading retreats are booming in the UK, with hotels inviting guests to spend their time catching up on the latest novels, reading the classics, listening to authors speak, and discussing books with fellow readers.
Earlier this year, Deborah Cicurel wrote about her experience with Boutique Book Breaks at Burley Manor in the New Forest, a stay that included “curated bookish activities”, such as a session with a bibliotherapist who put together a “fiction prescription”, cosy fireside chats with authors, literature quizzes, and plenty of time to read in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. Deborah wrote: “In our busy digital world, where phones never stop buzzing and smartwatches constantly ping with notifications, it’s refreshing to leave my phone in my room and relax mindfully with one of life’s simple pleasures: a compelling page-turner.”
Joanna Whitehead channelled her love of literature in a slightly different way on a recent trip to North Yorkshire with a stay at the Read and Rabbit. Here, guests can live out their fantasy of running a bookshop; they are invited to do a shift opening up shop, serving customers and managing the day-to-day running of the store. As much as Joanna enjoyed the literary aspect of her trip, she found that the stay was about more than just books. She wrote in Independent Travel: “The warmth of the visitors and the opportunity to engage in chit-chat – both trivial and enlightening – has been a pleasure and a reminder of the inherent value of community, the high street and the human need for interaction. In a world where everything can be ordered at the click of a button, a physical shop provides a much-needed service that isn’t confined to the items on the shelves.”
Read about Joanna’s experience running a bookshop in Yorkshire
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