Hamish McMaster, an adventure travel expert of more than 30 years, explains why you don’t need to be concerned regarding Brexit and the rumours flying around about it.
Why do we travel? Often, it’s to get away from the stiff structure of life, with its rules and regulations that make every day feel the same. It’s to experience a new culture and relax in a new and exciting environment. It’s to meet incredible people from around the world who share a love for adventure. We travel because we love it, and that will never change.
We’re with you when it comes to hearing “Brexit” this, “Hard Border” that, “backstop,” etc. But what does it all actually mean for you and your holiday later on this year? Don’t worry. Just like your passion for travel, these five facts about Brexit won’t change and they’ll ensure it won’t affect your holiday. )
- Your British passport will still function exactly as it has in the past. You should ensure that your passport has AT LEAST 6 months validity in it before your return to the United Kingdom and at least two spare pages preferably facing each other. When you RENEW your passport, it will no longer say European Union on the top of it, and it will be blue. From 2021 on, British Nationals will require prior authorisation to visit Schengen countries under the European Travel Information and Authorisation System which will cost €7 (ETIAS). All but one (our Greece Sailing Holiday) of our adventures happen outside the EU, so nothing will change for you when you book your trip to the Zambezi, Peru, Papua New Guinea or Nepal.
- Even if there is a ‘No Deal’ scenario, flights will still be allowed to fly between the UK and European destinations. This is good to know given that some flights for our adventures route through Spain to Peru, through France to Morocco, or through Frankfurt to South Africa and onto Zambia. This is covered in the 1944 Chicago Convention to which the UK and all other European countries signed up to.
- Your Travel Insurance will remain largely unchanged, again as most of our trips operate outside the EU. On trips within the EU, the European Health Insurance card has covered for pre-existing medical conditions and emergency care. After the transition period, this is unlikely to exist in its current form. Our advice would be: after the 29th of March 2019, ensure you have adequate Travel Insurance to cover you from a NON-EU country for medical evacuation and repatriation to the UK, in the unlikely event this is needed.
- If your holiday is still somehow cancelled due to Brexit, you’ll get your money back. ABTA has stated via a spokesperson, “Anyone who books and pays for a package holiday through a UK travel company will receive a full refund for that holiday if it cannot be provided due to Brexit.” As Water By Nature is covered by British Travel regulations (ABTA Y6196), your holiday will be covered by these regulations.
- And the best bit? When you are sitting on the beach at the banks of the Zambezi, sipping an ice cold beer and chatting to your fellow adventurers, you won’t have a care in the world about Brexit, your work colleagues, or anything else that you don’t really enjoy at home. This will be a true holiday in every sense of the word. You may even experience ‘Raftexit’ — the unlikely yet possible involuntary ejection from the raft due to a large rapid or talking about Donald Trump!
One of the aspects that may be affected by Brexit may be currency rates. We are offering our UK guests the opportunity to have prices locked in when booking and paying for your 2019 adventure before March 29th 2019.
Bring on the fun! Find your adventure.
