It’s fair to say that no-one really expected Brexit. The possibility of Britain leaving the EU was talked about, certainly – but then it actually happened, and the whole world was left rather uncertain about what would happen next.
However, this is potentially good news for Australian travellers who’ve always dreamed of checking out Britain. With the pound plummeting, a great deal of British attractions are suddenly half-price, and airlines are leaping to take advantage of this. British Airways, who saw their stock drop by 30% in the wake of Brexit, even introduced a “Brexit sale” just to make the message super clear: it’s a good time to make those travel plans and hop on a flight. “It’s a great time to be in London, ” Travel + Leisure’s News Director Sara Clemence told CNBC recently. “If you are there now, if you were there last week, you saw things get 15 percent cheaper overnight. Your hotel stay, your restaurants, your museum admissions, everything.” And that’s just London. There’s more to Britain than that, many fascinating museums and historical points of interest – and it’s all suddenly much cheaper. Not just the attractions, either, but even the food and drink.
Decreasing exchange rates don’t always mean the end for travel, you see. For example, according to HBF, Australians are the tenth in the world when it comes to spending money on international travel – despite the Australian dollar falling by more than 25% over the past couple of years. And quite a few of them are heading for Britain now, eager to get discounts whilst they can.
It’s also important to note that Brexit will have no affect at all on Australian passports, which currently have a passport power rank of 8 and grant holders the ability to enter 169 countries. “Leaving the EU would have no impact on these passports or visas. Those who apply for the working holiday open to those aged up to 31 would also not be affected,” Sam Hopwood told the Financial Review. Even Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull stepped in to reassure the public, many of whom were reeling from such a dramatic global change – his basic message was that if you were worried about that, there was really no need to be. Australians can also still enter the Schengen Area, encompassing 26 countries, the same as they could before.
More good news for the traveller, albeit for a bad reason: top destinations in Europe are less crowded and cheaper as more and more people cancel their plans due to terrorism fears. The chances of you, the average traveller, being caught up in a terrorist attack is very small indeed – but for some people, that’s enough. Prices of tourism fall as the tourist boards of destinations that have been hit by attacks try their hardest to convince people to visit again.
One last thing to bear in mind: no, you won’t be able to claim any money back if you paid for a holiday pre-Brexit. However, people are already coming forward with tips and tricks to ensure you save some money even so – The Points Guy suggests that you ask the hotel you’re staying in to process your final bill as a new transaction, therefore giving you access to the new and better exchange rate. “While most clerks should know how to do this, you might want to pay with a different card than the one you provided at check-in, just to avoid any potential confusion.” And travel websites are recommending that travellers take full advantage of the situation to buy pounds and euros. “Make sure to account for any fees that might make it more expensive to get currency at home than through an ATM once you arrive at your destination,” Travel + Leisure advises.
So things are looking good for the Australian traveller. Spare a thought for the Brits, however – Brexit was hardly a unanimous decision; the Leave campaign clenched a win only by a small margin – but many of them have suddenly found the prices of their summer holidays significantly higher. Mind, you can take advantage of that as well – a large chunk of people suddenly not going on holiday means more room on planes and hotels for everybody else – but still, spare a thought!