Why did the border officer not stamp my passport?

Simon Calder answers your questions on Cognac, border security, Rhodes and holiday deals

Rome skyline: the Italian security officer was reluctant to stamp the reader’s document at the airport (Getty)

Q I have just flown back to the UK from Rome. I went through departure passport control as usual. The border officer handed my passport back without stamping it. I challenged this and he said it wasn’t necessary.

However, I have previously been challenged (ironically also in Italy) by a frontier officer to show that I had spent less than 90 of the past 180 days in the EU. If they don’t stamp you out, there is no way of proving this. After pushing for it, I finally got my passport stamped today but other people in the queue didn’t. What’s your view on this?

Mark W

A British passport holders are now third-country nationals in the eyes of the European Union. All the rules for entering or leaving the EU (minus Cyprus and Ireland, plus Switzerland, Iceland and Norway) are included in the Schengen Border Code. This comprehensive publication says: “Stamping makes it possible to establish, with certainty, the date on which, and where, the border was crossed.” The code insists that “the systematic stamping of the documents of third-country nationals” is obligatory even at high-pressure times with “excessive waiting” at border crossing points.

A frontier stamp both in and out of the Schengen Area appears to be non-negotiable for the frontier official to administer and the traveller to receive. So what might have been going on? It is possible that border officials in Rome and elsewhere are relaxing their guard ahead of the introduction of the much-delayed entry-exit system, due finally to take effect in the autumn. Once it begins, entry and exit stamps will be redundant because each border crossing will be registered on a central database.

Whatever the reason, the solution for the other passengers in the queue who did not get stamped out is also included in the Border Code. They must provide “credible evidence, such as transport tickets or proof of his or her presence outside the territory of the member states, that he or she has respected the conditions relating to the duration of a short stay”. In practice, I think very few British passport holders will be asked to do this during the summer.

A basic cognac house tour costs €29 and includes a tutored tasting (Getty)

Q I am attending a wedding in Cognac, southwest France, at the weekend. I will have a rental car. Where do you recommend I visit in the area?

Ben P

A You will smell Cognac before you see it: each year, three per cent of the stock of liquor evaporates through the pores of the oak casks in which it matures. Choose a chai – cognac house – for a visit. The Hennessy offering has a good story attached. Richard Hennessy, a well-to-do-Irishman, settled in the town in the 18th century. He enjoyed the local eau-de-vie de vin, made by distilling white wine, and began to export it to pals at home in Ireland. The drink travelled so well that it actually improved by the mile, since the oak barrels he used imparted the spirit with colour and flavour. He began a business which is still run by his family. Ageing eau-de-vie in Limousin oak, and blending it with care, became Cognac’s raison d’etre. A basic tour costs €29 and includes a tutored tasting.

If you have time for some alcohol-free touring by road, aim northwest. Rochefort was created in the 17th century as a French navy base and has a striking central core set on a grid plan. The relics of naval occupation, including the vast rope factory, provide plenty of interest. Nearby, you could continue west to the pretty Ile d’Oleron, connected from the mainland by a bridge – though at this time of year, it will be busy with holidaymakers. Instead, consider La Rochelle: the maritime hub of Atlantic France, handsomely embellished over the centuries (largely with earnings from slavery). The city’s relationship with the Americas is explored at the Musee du Nouveau Monde.

If you prefer to explore without a car, Rochefort is under an hour from Cognac by direct train, while La Rochelle is 90 minutes away.

Walk through history: a highlight of the city is the intensely atmospheric Old Town (Getty)

Q Just booked a week in Rhodes in early October. What are your highlights?

Name supplied

A Excellent timing: no chance of the searing temperatures that, in July 2023, saw wildfires spread across Rhodes, but good prospects for warm, sunny weather and few crowds – the half-term rush will fill the island in the latter part of October.

Rhodes is one of my favourite Greek islands, and I have three particular highlights. The first is Rhodes Town itself, which has an extraordinary depth of history and an intensely atmospheric walled Old Town. The New Town, dotted with Art Deco buildings from the Italian era, is also attractive. Devote a couple of hours to the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes, housed in the Hospital of the Knights – one of the Crusader complexes that transformed the city.

Wander across the port where the Colossus of Rhodes once stood, and where instead you will now find a row of windmills. At exactly the other end of the island – around 47 miles away as the raven flies – is Prasonisi. This is an island at high tide, and a peninsula at low tide, connected to the village of Macheria on the mainland by an isthmus in the form of a narrow beach. The International Hydrographic Organisation says that the Aegean (to the west) and the Mediterranean (to the east) meet at this beach. Prasonisi is well worth exploring if you are up for a hike.

Best of all: Lindos, halfway down the eastern shore. This is the location for the archaeological highlight of Rhodes: the Acropolis, perched high on a cliff. Lower down, a 14th-century Crusader castle. Beneath that is a tranquil village of twisting, narrow lanes, which include some excellent places to eat, drink and stay. And there is even a decent beach.

Between Lindos and Rhodes town, Kallithea Springs is a fascinating Italian-built spa complex. If one island is not enough, take a ferry across to unspoilt Halki to the east. And if one country is not enough, make the day trip to Marmaris in Turkey. But I think you will find more than enough in Rhodes to fill a week.

The price of a getaway to the beautiful Lake Ohrid has dropped recently (Supplied)

Q Regarding all the August holiday deals that are around: do you think they represent British holidaymakers seeking better value for money in destinations like Cape Verde? Also, residents in some parts of Spain have been vocal in their dislike for UK tourists recently. Do you think this has had a negative effect on bookings?

Robin L-L

A Anyone who has not yet planned an August escape can find some real bargains for proper package holidays as the big holiday companies seek to offload unsold stock – particularly aircraft seats and hotel beds – at whatever price the market will bear. That means peak August trips for around £350 on Jet2 Holidays and Tui; I’ve just seen the price of a Tui deal from Manchester to Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia, departing on Wednesday 14 August, fall another £20 to £333 per person. Being a package holiday, that means you get flights (with a decent baggage allowance), transfers from the St John the Apostle airport to the town of Ohrid and a week’s accommodation with breakfast.

Price cuts so deep in the peak holiday month have some impact on the wider market. But given the relatively small numbers going to this corner of the Balkans – as well as to Cape Verde, the Portuguese-speaking archipelago off the coast of Africa – I think the effect is marginal. More substantial factors include memories of extreme heat across the Mediterranean last summer, particularly on the Greek island of Rhodes, and the continuing squeeze on household income. While every survey coming out of Covid suggested people were prioritising travel ahead of just about everything else, it appears that our passion to make up for lost experiences may be sated for now at least.

You also raise the important subject of how protests against overtourism will impact demand to Spain. My expectation is: very little. Spain continues to be the favourite destination for British holidaymakers by a wide margin. If there is a material impact from the demonstrations, it may simply persuade some people to head over to Portugal. But I hope the protests will also make us more aware of local sensibilities, and aim for the many other destinations which, if anything, suffer from undertourism.

Email your question to s@hols.tv or tweet @SimonCalder