After months of campaigning, the British people have spoken with the result of the referendum on membership of the European Union having drawn to a close with a vote to leave the EU.
Last week we blogged on what may happen in the event of the UK electing to go it alone, but what – if anything – has now changed with the vote having taken place.
In short, nothing will change in the short term when it comes to your actual holiday arrangements, as the leave vote doesn’t mean that the UK will sever its ties with the EU immediately.
In fact, the UK will remain part of the union for some time to come with a two-year time frame in place negotiate a departure from the union from the moment that Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty is activated.
Only once that has taken place will the process to leave the EU formally begin, with discussions likely to be carried out with other EU member states on a variety of issues beforehand; discussions that could go on for some time.
With that in mind, anyone who has a holiday booked to an EU member state – such as Spain or Italy – will see no change to their arrangements.
Freedom of movement between member states remains in place and the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will still cover you whilst abroad, whilst regulations that help people gain compensation in the event of flight delays also apply.
The same will ring true for at least two years until an EU exit is negotiated, so don’t worry if you’re still in the process of planning your trip overseas for next summer.
The current British passport will remain valid for the same reasons, with no need to make changes until the exit has been negotiated and confirmed, whilst you will still travel through the same queues at passport control both on arrival at your destination and on returning home.
The free movement of goods won’t affect your duty free entitlement and, until an exit is confirmed, data charges on your mobile fall will also remain in line with EU regulations; including those that mean roaming charges will be abolished next year.
There is one thing however that will change, and that is the spending power for anyone heading overseas – be that to an EU member state or elsewhere.
The announcement that a leave vote had been passed saw the value of the pound drop to levels not seen since the mid-1980s, which in turn means you will get less foreign currency for your money – or find yourself paying more for something if you using your card abroad.
This can be offset to an extent however by shopping around for the best rate on your currency before your holiday begins, with a number of companies offering better rates if you order online rather than if you walk into a store off the street or wait until you arrive at the airport.