US travelers to the United Kingdom will have one more hoop to jump through beginning next year, as the new Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) becomes mandatory.

The UK announced yesterday that all visitors to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who are not British or Irish citizens, will need an ETA. The cost will be €10 (about $12.50) and stay valid for two years or until the traveler’s passport expires, whichever comes first.

UK officials say they will process the form within 72 hours.

Travelers will need to apply on the UK ETA app, or online on GOV.UK. Travel advisors can apply on behalf of clients, according to the website. But every traveler, including children and babies, must have his or her own ETA (and pay the fee). Approval will be received in less than 72 hours, the authorities said.

Qatari nationals will be required to have the form beginning October 25, 2023. Citizens of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia will need one beginning February 1, 2024. Other travelers will need one by the end of 2024.

“The scheme will give the UK more control of our borders, allowing us to block threats from entering the UK, whilst also providing individuals, and carriers, with more assurance at an earlier point in time about their ability to travel to the UK,” the government said earlier this year.

Travelers to the European Schengen Zone also will be required to obtain authorization through the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) starting in 2024.

Both programs will allow travel for 90 days in any 180-day period.

Europe is not alone in requiring travelers to pre-register their passports. Canada has an Electronic Travel Authorization, which costs $7, but US travelers are exempt from obtaining one. The Dominican Republic also requires an e-ticket, and Bermuda requires a Bermuda Arrival Card (though it has stopped charging the $40 fee instituted during Covid.)

Home to one of the world’s most prestigious universities, Oxford is an architectural, intellectual, and historical gem of England. This small city has the distinction of hosting every style of English architecture starting from the late Anglo-Saxon period forward… (Read More)

After Britain’s new prime minister, Liz Truss, announced her plan for tax cuts, the value of the country’s currency plunged. Now the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the British pound is outrageously good for American travelers. The dollar is now worth about £.90. That’s almost one for one. Considering that the pound was worth around two dollars as recently as the 2006-2008 period, that means the dollar has more buying power now in Britain than at almost any time in memory.

The UK Met Office, the national meteorological service for the United Kingdom, yesterday issued the first “Red Extreme heat wave alert” ever issued in the UK. The Met Office was forecasting a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) next week, with temperatures likely in the high 30’s in many areas.

See updates on Twitter:

⚠️⚠️🔴 Red Extreme heat warning issued 🔴⚠️⚠️

Parts of England on Monday and Tuesday

Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMg9c70

Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/YHaYvaGh95

— Met Office (@metoffice) July 15, 2022

The Red Extreme heat warning covered July 18th and 19th for central, northern, eastern, and southeastern England. An Amber Extreme warning was already in place for much of England and Wales for the 17th – 19th.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen, said “Exceptional, perhaps record-breaking temperatures are likely early next week, quite widely across the red warning area on Monday, and focussed a little more east and north on Tuesday. Currently there is a 50% chance we could see temperatures top 40°C and 80% we will see a new maximum temperature reached. Nights are also likely to be exceptionally warm, especially in urban areas. This is likely to lead to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure. Therefore, it is important people plan for the heat and consider changing their routines. This level of heat can have adverse health effects.”

The previous record high in the UK was 38.7 degrees Celsius at the Cambridge Botanic Garden on 25 July in 2019. Temperatures were predicted to begin to fall to a more normal range toward the middle of next week.

The Transport for London office advised residents and visitors to only travel if essential on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 July, due to very high temperatures

Andy Lord, Chief Operating Officer, TfL said: “Due to the exceptionally hot weather that is expected next week, customers should only use London’s transport network for essential journeys. If customers do need to travel, they should check before they travel as we are expecting there to be some impact to Tube and rail services as a result of temporary speed restrictions we will need to introduce to keep everyone safe. It is also vital that customers always carry water at all times with them when traveling.”

I’m always on the lookout for new ideas that will encourage you to keep Great Britain towards the top of the list of your must-sell destinations, and last Saturday’s ‘Excursions’ trade show at the Twickenham Stadium in London gave me a great deal of food for creative thinking. Organised by Tourism South East for the British domestic market, it showcased dozens of exciting travel experiences which when imaginatively pieced together produced several new ideas for clients flying or cruising in-or-out of the UK this summer. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re talking to a family about a visit to London during July and August, let’s add some hands-on, interactive living history experiences to their tailor-made itinerary. Our capital city becomes overrun with international visitors in the summer, and a very good case can be made for parking your jetlag in the English countryside so that they reach London, fully adjusted to Greenwich Mean Time.

The starting point for this family adventure is Royal Windsor, and the reason is very simple. Being less the thirty minutes from London Heathrow, access is easy and with the Castle opening at 10am, the Changing of the Guard at 11am, and the choice of Legoland or an afternoon cruise on the River Thames, the Royal Borough gets everything off to a very good start. Rested and raring to go, and with a focus on the south and east of England, let’s see what the region can offer. Read the rest of this entry »

With interest in travelling to the UK steadily growing, so are the number of ’email conversations’ I’m having with enterprising travel advisors who want to offer their customers some different aspects of their old friend Britain. Some of the customised travel experiences were hallmarked by a selection of the On Location visits highlighted a couple of weeks ago. If you missed them, you can see them again here.

One of the most recent email exchanges was for a family looking for an imaginative countryside and London tour. They didn’t want to travel far, and what has emerged is an action-packed programme that starts in Royal Windsor, travels to Oxford before heading for London, where with jetlag parked, they will be able to get the maximum out of their four nights in the capital.

If this sequence appeals to you, discuss it with your clients and let’s start our own email conversation. Read the rest of this entry »

Bustling and colourful Christmas markets in historic settings, spectacular re-imaginings and illuminated trails around treasure-filled castles and stately homes, pretty villages and market towns in full festive mode, carol singers, sparkling and highly decorated Christmas trees all over the place, Glühwein, mince pies and ice skating outdoors at famous London attractions.

Welcome to what’s happening across England THIS MONTH and, bearing in mind that they are all annual events, let me sow some seeds for some bright ideas that can be gift-wrapped to generate valuable extra commission in the run up to Christmas 2022. Remember, everything here takes place each year. Read the rest of this entry »

On Monday 8th November, the champagne corks were popping as we celebrated the lifting of the onerous transatlantic flight restrictions. What a long and difficult nineteen months it’s been, but at last the airlines are beginning to increase their London-bound lift. You can now start making some serious UK/Ireland plans for a couple of clients, four-six friends travelling together and, in due course, small groups of ten-twelve or more.

For the next few months, many customers will continue to be cautious about criss-crossing the pond. I believe that you and other enterprising travel advisors will play an influential, confidence-building role by reminding and inspiring them with ideas for UK-bound tours in May and with others in the months of June and July.

This week, the spotlight sharpens on some of the irresistible festivals and events you can use to start a conversation about travelling to Britain next August and September. Read the rest of this entry »