(The photo is from voxeurop.eu)
Yeserday, Britain voted to leave the EU.
How will this change your travel plans? Here is guidance from The Women’s Travel Group.
For Americans, little will change possibly attitude- see below. If you look at the visa stamp in your passport from a past trip to the UK, you see the following paraphrased. You may enter the UK for up to 6 months. You may not use public assistance. (These are national health or other services like reduced rates for seniors on buses, trains, in museums,free medical, dental, reduced price medicine, eyeglasses etc.)
ATTITUDE Americans may enter the UK for 6 months. UK citizens may enter the US for only 3 months. The difference does not make for happy campers at some airports. If you are a woman traveling alone and look business-like, be prepared for questions and solid proof that you are on a vacation not a business trip.
Make sure your passport has a minimum of 6 months left from departure. This is not a requirement for the UK, but if you are continuing , most EU countries want 6 months validity. Some UK immigration officers want to see a blank visa page. (This request had me delayed for a long time, in immigration. I was warned to obtain more pages or a new passport before a next trip).
Have a screen shot of your return flight and insurance papers on hand. Do not lock documents in your suitcase in case they wish to see originals.
There are many exceptions to the general rules above, even for unpaid volunteers who might need a visa ahead of time.
Here are some of the UK rules, these might change now that Britain is leaving the EU.
Finally if you do need emergency medical, immediate help is free; follow up after triaging is not. If you do not pay the medical bill, you might be denied a future visa for Britain.
The Women’s Travel Group hopes these are helpful hints for your trips to Britain or even transiting between 2 British Airports. For our trips to Iran, India, Ethiopia, Eastern Europe and others you might used 2 UK airports.
