Travel and holiday price hikes

larochelleuk

There are already sections of the site for bargains and special offers. It's also helpful to monitor price increases, so here's a thread for news on that.

Weak pound after Brexit forces 21 million Britons to scrimp on holiday plans

More than 40% of holidaymakers plan to change their travel plans as a result of the weak pound, a survey said.

Eight million people will also opt for a "staycation" in the UK rather than travelling abroad, as the pound now buys less euros and dollars than it did at the beginning of last year.

Research from travel insurance specialist Columbus Direct said 21 million people, or 41%, will travel to cheaper resorts, cut the time they spend aboard, or go on a self-catering holiday to save money.

Half of young people, between 18 and 34, said they would tighten their holiday budgets following Britain's June referendum vote to leave the European Union.

Holidaymakers travelling to New York or Florida will get £70 less when they buy £500 worth of US dollars compared to a year ago.

And those travelling from Paris to Athens will get £65 less for every £500 they exchange into euros, compared to last February.

Families on late skiing holidays in the Swiss Alps will have £88 less per £500 they change into Swiss francs than they did a year ago.

But travellers to Australia and Norway will lose the most in terms of holiday spending power.

Britons heading to Australia will be £111 worse off compared to February 2016, on every £500 they exchange into Australia dollars.

Visitors to Norway will have £103 less to spend per £500 they change into Norwegian krona than they did 12 months ago.

British tourists late skiing in the Swiss Alps will see sterling change into less Swiss francs than it did a year agoReuters

Columbus Direct head of brand Rob Thomas, said:"Anyone heading to Europe, the US and Australia especially will feel the pinch of less favourable exchange rates. We have enjoyed a strong currency for many years so the reduced strength of the pound is going to be noticeable for holidaymakers when it doesn't go as far as it used to."

Thomas added that setting a budget in advance and looking out for visitor passes in European cities that offer discounts on public transport and for museum visits were good ways to save cash.

However, the report did find a few places where the pound still stretches further. Those heading on long haul destinations to Japan, Mexico and Malaysia will get better value for their sterling compared to August 2016. The extra gains in local currencies would be worth between £22 and £27.

Columbus Direct said 2,005 people took part in the survey between 31 January and 3 February.

DomRavioli

Nobody I know has changed their holiday plans, and none would ever stay in the UK. Its horrible.

jackieblack

DomRavioli wrote: »

Nobody I know has changed their holiday plans

Me neither :huh:

mgdavid

larochelleuk wrote: »

There are already sections of the site for bargains and special offers. It's also helpful to monitor price increases, so here's a thread for news on that.

Weak pound after Brexit forces 21 million Britons to scrimp on holiday plans

More than 40% of holidaymakers plan to change their travel plans as a result of the weak pound, a survey said.

Eight million people will also opt for a "staycation" in the UK rather than travelling abroad, as the pound now buys less euros and dollars than it did at the beginning of last year.

Research from travel insurance specialist Columbus Direct said 21 million people, or 41%, will travel to cheaper resorts, cut the time they spend aboard, or go on a self-catering holiday to save money.

Half of young people, between 18 and 34, said they would tighten their holiday budgets following Britain's June referendum vote to leave the European Union.

Holidaymakers travelling to New York or Florida will get £70 less when they buy £500 worth of US dollars compared to a year ago.

And those travelling from Paris to Athens will get £65 less for every £500 they exchange into euros, compared to last February.

Families on late skiing holidays in the Swiss Alps will have £88 less per £500 they change into Swiss francs than they did a year ago.

But travellers to Australia and Norway will lose the most in terms of holiday spending power.

Britons heading to Australia will be £111 worse off compared to February 2016, on every £500 they exchange into Australia dollars.

Visitors to Norway will have £103 less to spend per £500 they change into Norwegian krona than they did 12 months ago.

British tourists late skiing in the Swiss Alps will see sterling change into less Swiss francs than it did a year agoReuters

Columbus Direct head of brand Rob Thomas, said:"Anyone heading to Europe, the US and Australia especially will feel the pinch of less favourable exchange rates. We have enjoyed a strong currency for many years so the reduced strength of the pound is going to be noticeable for holidaymakers when it doesn't go as far as it used to."

Thomas added that setting a budget in advance and looking out for visitor passes in European cities that offer discounts on public transport and for museum visits were good ways to save cash.

However, the report did find a few places where the pound still stretches further. Those heading on long haul destinations to Japan, Mexico and Malaysia will get better value for their sterling compared to August 2016. The extra gains in local currencies would be worth between £22 and £27.

Columbus Direct said 2,005 people took part in the survey between 31 January and 3 February.

Complete garbage.
The Euro/Pound rate is where it was in 2013, and better than it was for periods of 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=GBP&to=EUR&view=10Y

larochelleuk

A week's holiday 'could cost pensioner £2,500 in health insurance' post Brexit

A week in France could cost a pensioner with common health problems up to £2,500 a week in insurance after Brexit, a public health professor has claimed.

If Britons lose their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) older people with multiple conditions could be forced to fork out hundreds, if not thousands, for a week in France, the Health Select Committee was told.

When questioned on current reciprocal agreements on health care between EU member states, Martin McKee, professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the insurance card has "many benefits".
"It came out between £800 and £2,500. So I think that would have some impact on our tourism"Martin McKee, professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Prof McKee said that he had searched for how much it would cost in insurance for someone to visit France for one week, using comparison websites.

"The advantage of EHIC is that is covers pre-existing conditions so if you want to travel abroad as a British tourist and go to France you are covered and vice versa.

"So (in preparation for this hearing) I put in a few co-morbidities, like diabetes and a history of mild depression, to see how much it would cost for a one week stay in France.

"It came out between £800 and £2,500,” he said. "So I think that would have some impact on our tourism."

He added: "I put in a 70-year-old with common conditions - and remember that with the rise of multi-morbidity most people over the age of 70 will have multiple conditions.

"It will mean effectively that they will not be able to travel - or at least they can travel but they would take a risk of something goes wrong."
doctor with purse
MPs were examining the likely impact of Brexit on health

But surgeon Joseph Meirion Thomas, a campaigner against health tourism, told the Committee that the UK pays out five times as much as it receives back from the EHIC scheme.

"I think the EHIC card has got to end with Brexit because the pendulum is heavily weighed against the UK," he told MPs.

He added: "Anyone going from the UK to somewhere outside the European Union has got to have health insurance, what difference is it going to make if they have to [have health insurance if they] stay inside the European Union?

"So many people are buying it by the year anyway and it's a fairly reasonable cost."

gettingtheresometime

I wish people would shut up about what's going to happen - or should I say could happen - after brexit.

Until the UK concludes exit negotiations no body knows what's going to happen....to anything.

As for the EHIC it has nothing to do with our membership of the EU.....it's all down to countries agreeing to treat each other's citizens the same as their own.....the UK could have a similar agreement with any country in the world - it would have nothing to do with being a member of the EU.

ThinkingOutLoud_2

DomRavioli wrote: »

Nobody I know has changed their holiday plans, and none would ever stay in the UK. Its horrible.

Really? Why do you live here? Surely putting up with " horrible" 47/48 weeks of the year can't be your best option? :-)

Seriously, there are some fabulous places to holiday in the UK. I love to see the rest of the world too - but from the Lake District to Cornwall to the Cotswolds to the Scottish Highlands and so on - there is so much on your doorstep.

Heedtheadvice

gettingtheresometime wrote: »

...nothing to do wh our membership of the EU......

Oh yes it is. It is in the name! European Health Insurance Card! Specifically it is an agreement between members of the EU and the others within the European Economic Area (EEA).

If we are not a member of the former the agreement ceases...Unless we are then a member of the EEA, or we negotiate and agree something else with the EU.

You are right that nobody knows and we do have similar reciprocal agreements with certain other countries and it would seem sensible that some agreement is made.....But who knows what those may be!

gettingtheresometime

Heedtheadvice wrote: »

You are right that nobody knows and we do have similar reciprocal agreements with certain other countries and it would seem sensible that some agreement is made.....But who knows what those may be!

So it would be brilliant if people stopped the scare mongering.

Heedtheadvice

Well on persons scare mongering is another's facing up to potential reality....
.....And anothers misplaced optimism is anothers rose tinted glasses colouring the viewpoint!

There has been scaremongering on both sides of the Brexit argument and a difficulty is sorting the reality from the rhetoric!

So it all really depends upon your viewpoint.

For mine their are pros and cons for all future pathways and it seems sensible to consider all reasonable possibilities and not blindly ignore them. Predictions of the nature of Brexit, it's implications and consequences will never be entirely certain in specific instances but general themes are likely to be correct to a certain and unknown degree.

Although it is true to say that the exchange rates (that affect the cost of overseas travel and a lot more) with the Euro have fluctuated significantly over time and we are now back at levels of a few years ago. It needs to be recognised that the recent change stems directly as a consequence of the Brexit vote and the markets interpretation of what that means for our futures.

larochelleuk

Brexit and Aviation

"Britain has the largest aviation network in Europe and the third largest in the world. This is not simply a matter of convenient travel – it is a vital economic sector, creating a million jobs, bringing in tax revenues and facilitating business links for our exporters. Airlines based in Britain can operate flights from, say, France to Germany without the aircraft ever touching down at a British airport. They can operate within, say, Italy between Milan and Naples. EasyJet, now the UK’s largest airline, wouldn’t even exist if it hadn’t been for the EU.

It’s not just about companies: the single market in aviation has transformed flying for consumers. Fares across Europe are down by around 40% in real terms, with greater choice and competition and new routes across the EU opening up all the time. British consumers have benefitted the most, representing a quarter of all European passengers.

All this is now in jeopardy. Unless the government negotiates a specific deal on this (or Britain changes its mind about Brexit), in a little over two years the UK will be out not just of the EU, but of the European single aviation market. With no automatic fall-back for the governance of aviation rights, and no World Trade Organisation framework in this field, there will be no legal right to operate flights to Milan, Munich, Malaga, Marseilles or anywhere else covered by the current EU-level framework. And in asking for a deal, we are the supplicants, asking for permission to still use this facility even though we are walking out of the club.

Whatever the reason for the referendum result, it was not to make flying more restrictive, with greater red tape, higher prices, or less choice for passengers. Surely, no one has a problem with one common set of standards across Europe when it comes to aviation safety.

But if we cannot secure a solution that isn’t costly and damaging to the British economy, and if this seems to be the case generally across other aspects of Brexit, we should have the courage to reconsider the whole question."

[continues]