What must we consider for a 2021 trip around Europe?

Simon Calder answers your questions on camper van adventures, holiday refunds and duty-free goods

Are simple trips a thing of the past? (iStock)

Q After I retire early next year, we plan to put our bikes on the back of a camper van and head off for some slow travel around the British Isles and Europe. Leaving aside any Covid-related unknowns, is it possible to say what are the main restrictions and requirements that we will need to take account of? Also, do you have any suggestions for how we can plan our trip(s) to minimise the impact of our loss of freedom of movement in the European Union, and other Brexit-induced perturbations?

We live in Dorset so would instinctively go for sailings from Portsmouth, Poole or Plymouth rather than the shorter crossing from ports in the southeast.

Shirley D

A Many people will be thinking “lucky you” and wishing they were in your position. But as you indicate, whatever happens with the coronavirus pandemic, there will be much else to think about once the transition period ends and “real” Brexit begins on 1 January 2021.

The vote in 2016, combined with government decisions since then, means the British traveller to the European Union will be in a far worse position than for decades.

The first problem is passports and length of stay. On the day you arrive in the EU, your passport must be no more than nine years and six months old, and have at least six months to run. Crucially for your plans, you will not be able to stay for more than 90 days out of any 180 in the Schengen area (most of the EU, plus Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and plucky Liechtenstein). So if you arrived in France on 1 February and stayed until 30 April, you would then need to leave and stay away throughout May, June and July – though it is possible that one or more EU countries would offer more generous terms to British visitors wanting to stay longer.

The next biggest concern: insurance. For a long-stay trip, it would hitherto have been perfectly rational to choose not to take out travel cover because British holidaymakers get medical treatment either free or at a much-reduced rate anywhere in the European Union thanks to the European Health Insurance Card (Ehic). This loses its power on 1 January 2021, and insurance policies for older travellers are likely to be a lot more expensive.

These other issues need your attention but are not so challenging: you may well need one or possibly two International Driving Permits (Spain and France insist on different variants), and you will need to ask your insurer to extend your cover to include Europe with the so-called green card.

Check your mobile phone provider to see if they are continuing with the EU’s “roam like at home” policy, and switch to another firm if need be. And finally, hope that sterling does not plunge too low against the euro if the UK crashes out without a deal.

Q I’m flying to Cyprus on Monday 28 September. I have been told I must take a Covid-19 test before my flight. With the current situation on testing, if I am unable to fly due to a delay in receiving my results, can I claim a refund from the government?

Andrea L

A No. In August, Cyprus allowed British visitors to enter the country for the first time since the coronavirus crisis began. But because of the relatively high levels of Covid-19 in the UK, the country insists that British holidaymakers take a test for the virus within 72 hours of their flight – and produce a certificate showing a negative result.

Tests offered by the NHS cannot be used for the purposes of going on holiday; it is surprising and concerning to read on social media of people who claim to have done so. You must secure a private test, for which you can search online. Enter “Covid test near me” and ignore all the NHS results.

A private test is likely to cost £100-£150, and the results are normally back within 24 hours. Because of the time sensitivity, I suggest you go for one as early as you can in that 72-hour window – so if your flight is at 10am on the Monday, aim for a test shortly after 10am on the preceding Friday. Make sure the firm involved is aware of why you need the test and when you need the result.

In the unlikely event you do not get the results, your first call should be to the holiday company or airline. Explain the situation: it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that you might be able to take a test on arrival. If, however, you are denied boarding, your argument is with the clinic that provided the test – or possibly with your travel insurer if they are especially generous. The government will not entertain any claim.

Q I was due to fly from Manchester to Las Vegas on 30 May, on a flight booked through a travel agent. Obviously it was cancelled. I agreed to transfer to the corresponding day next year, 29 May 2021. I was told that the flights were not out yet, and if I wasn’t happy I could get a full refund.

I’ve been waiting for the flight schedules to come out but am reading everywhere that the flights from Manchester direct to Las Vegas will not be put on for 2021. I spent the last month chasing and last week said I wanted an answer as to the flights being available.

Last Friday I got offered an alternative flight from London Heathrow with a £200 refund. I said I didn’t want this and asked for a complete refund. Today I was told I couldn’t have my money back because a Manchester-Las Vegas direct flight might be put on. What can I do?

Annette M

A I fear you are one of tens of thousands of travellers who have “re-booker’s remorse”. While the coronavirus pandemic has been extremely difficult for the whole travel industry, since it began I have urged caution in accepting anything other than a full refund.

As a reminder, if you book a trip – either a flight on its own or a package holiday with accommodation bundled in – which is subsequently cancelled by the operator, you should get your money back in a week (for flights) or two (for holidays). During this crisis, these deadlines have been missed far more often than they have been met but despite that the debt remains legally payable.

Some airlines and holiday companies fibbed outright, and said there was no right to a cash refund but only a voucher. Others made it extremely complicated to get a refund in the hope that customers would settle for a voucher. More positively, some offered an incentive – such as the value of the original trip plus a 25 per cent bonus.

Your account suggests to me that you have possibly been very kind in accepting a postponement for a year, rather than saying: “I’d like my money back now but I’ll hope to book for 12 months’ time.”

If you have something in writing saying you can get a refund on request, send it to the travel agent and invite them to fulfil the commitment. But if it was just a conversation, that will prove more difficult.

I think it extremely unlikely that Manchester-Las Vegas will be a viable route next summer. In your position, I would point out that I had made an interest-free loan already for many months, and was now calling it in. And if that does not have the desired effect, write a “letter before action” explaining that a flight via London is not an acceptable alternative and that you will take legal action, if necessary, to recover your initial investment.

Q I see you have been discussing duty-free entitlements for UK travellers after the end of the transition period on 31 December. I understand that the limit on duty-free cigarettes is that one is allowed to bring into the UK just one carton of 200. But what is the allowance if I bought the cigarettes from an EU member state, having paid their tax – in other words not duty-free?

Liana M

A The Brexit referendum result, as interpreted by Boris Johnson’s government, means that all foreign countries will be treated the same from 1 January 2021 in terms of what you can bring back free of duty.

In terms of tobacco: effectively the UK is reverting to the situation that prevailed until the Customs Union came into being in the 1990s.

Some smokers may be delighted that they can once again access properly duty-free cigarettes, which will be significantly cheaper than those that are currently available, tax paid, in Europe. But while the government promises “one of the most generous allowances anywhere in the world” for alcohol and tobacco, the benefit will be felt by drinkers, not smokers (although I am aware that there is a considerable overlap between these two groups). There will be a strict limit of 200 cigarettes, whatever their provenance.

Furthermore, were you to buy 800 relatively cheap duty-paid cigarettes in, say, Bulgaria, and augment them with a carton of 200 from the duty-free trolley on board the plane home, you could get an unpleasant surprise on arrival. Passengers with more than the limit in any category, such as tobacco, must declare and pay duty on all the goods they are bringing in. So you would need to cough up the extra tax for all 1,000 – which is likely to make them more expensive than in the UK.

Just in case you share my liking for alcohol, you may be cheered to know that you will be able to bring in 42l of beer, 18l of still wine and either four litres of spirits or nine litres of sparkling wine, whether duty-free or tax paid. But don’t try to bring your full allowance on board as cabin baggage.

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