Travel is tough enough already without invented passport rules

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [View in browser]( [The Independent]( April 29, 2022 [The Independent]( The role of a journalist is to question, to assess, to explain – not to tell the travel industry how to run its affairs. Heaven Ghent: a spring day in Flanders For the past five months I have found myself in the absurd position of lobbying airlines and holiday companies to follow the actual [post-Brexit EU passport rules]( and stop causing harm to customers by inventing their own versions. Let’s start at the beginning. Wanting to leave the European Union is a perfectly legitimate political position. But from a travel perspective [Brexit has had huge costs for UK visitors to the EU](. The coronavirus pandemic camouflaged the ill-effects for a while, but they are now plain for all to see. Some are strictly economic: big providers will start [charging this summer for mobile phone roaming]( in Europe. But the most damage is being done right now: holidays and family visits scuppered by really annoying passport validity rules. (Don’t believe some Leavers’ rhetoric that these were imposed to punish us; they were designed when the UK was part of the EU, and we asked to become subject to them.) While your passport is still valid up to and including its expiry date for travel to the US, Australia and many other nations, for travel to the European Union it must pass two more stringent tests: - On the day of entry to the EU: issued less than 10 years ago (for travel today, your passport must be dated 30 April 2012 or later). - On the intended day of return from the EU: at least three months before expiry. That is all. The rules are independent of each other, so your passport can celebrate its 10th birthday perfectly happily in Barcelona or Berlin as long as the expiry date works. Yet even yesterday morning I had to politely ask Tui, the biggest holiday company in Britain, to remove a misleading statement on its website telling customers their passports “need to have at least six months validity on the day of departure”. To its credit, the Tui mistake was corrected within an hour. Britain's biggest budget airline, [easyJet, also reversed a similarly false assertion]( at my request. The many passengers denied boarding on easyJet flights when they should have been allowed to travel [can now apply for recompense](. On my scorecard only Ryanair is holding out with its own bizarre interpretation of European rules – with more future compensation claims racking up as each day passes. I have asked the Civil Aviation Authority and Airlines UK to intervene. But I really shouldn’t need to. International travel is tough enough already without inventing passport rules. Get inspired...   [No pictures, please!]( Welcome to Australia's Phillip Island, home to the charming army of penguins not for Instagram [I'm an image]( [Barcelona’s coolest neighbourhood]( How to spend a day in Poblenou, ex-industrial area turned creative and cultural hub [I'm an image]( Trendy Tenerife stays]( Cast aside your preconceptions and discover world-class hotels on the largest of the Canary Islands Tip of the week: Three more days to save on trains   The “[Great British Rail Sale](” ends at one minute to midnight on Monday 2 May; up to that point you can get some Advance tickets at around half the typical fare on English train operators (which will also allow you to travel to Cardiff and Swansea on GWR, to Edinburgh and Glasgow on Avanti West Coast and deep into Scotland on LNER). No need to go to a special website: these fares pop up on the normal sites and apps. Deal of the week: Bergamo for £16 return   Once the early May bank holiday is out of the way, silly prices resume as airlines seek to fill early summer seats. The best deal I have found in the next couple of weeks is from London Stansted to Bergamo in northern Italy: £15.98 return on Ryanair, flying out on 11 May and back a week later. It is the ideal gateway to the [Italian Lakes](. Travel voucher of the week [Book a Stena Line ferry plus hotel together and save up to 20%]( Question of the week   Best Italian city break destination for summer Q We want to go to Italy for a five-night city break in mid-July. Can you please advise the best location? A Italy has the most entrancing range of cities of any European country, but in mid-July the one I recommend is [Milan](. The "northern capital" of Italy has all the ingredients for a great Italian city: good looks with some outstanding architecture, a deep and diverse spectrum of culture, plus great places to eat and drink. A whole range of day trips can be made cheaply and easily from Milan. Top of my list is Como: Trenord trains from Milano Cadorna take one hour, cost under €10 return and drop you right on the lakeshore, close to the ferry docks. July is low season in business-orientated Milan so you can get some absurdly good deals. I priced up a five-night trip with British Airways Holidays – which I use for low-cost city breaks. Departing 13 July from London Gatwick to Milan Malpensa on BA and staying at the four-star Grand Barone di Sassi, the cost is an absurd £212 per person. That price includes checked baggage and even breakfast in the hotel each morning. The only extra is the train between the airport and the city. [Read The Independent's guide to Milan]( Stat of the week 110 The number of weeks for which New Zealand has been closed to arrivals from the UK and most of the rest of the world during the coronavirus pandemic. [The ban on visitors ends at 11.59pm on Monday 1 May](. What you might have missed   - Long way home: [Virgin Atlantic flights from Johannesburg to London are diverting via Durban]( - £10 return flights to Australia: [Adelaide aims to lure 200 working holidaymakers with cut-price tickets]( - ‘Covid travel rules changed too frequently’ : [Transport secretary admits mistakes were made]( Simon’s diary   Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My DMs are open and I read all direct messages, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder]( Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 3.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder]( Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel](   Essential reading When do I need to renew my passport for travel to Europe?]( Articles available exclusively to subscribers [An easy, breezy Greek island-hopping adventure](   Other newsletters you might like [US Morning Headlines] US Morning Headlines Weekdays, 12pm (UK time) Written by Andrew Naughtie [Sign up]( [Climate Warrior] Climate Warrior Every Wednesday, 8am (UK time) Written by climate activists [Sign up](   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Travel newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's Travel newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Travel_Newsletter_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.