If you thought packing your passport and remembering your phone charger was enough, welcome to 2026, where border control now expects the full set. Travel still works, of course, but it increasingly feels like a gentle test of your technological competence and ability to keep your fingers clean.
The next twelve months promise even more digital wizardry, fingertip scanning and cheery reminders that travel now involves more paperwork than Victorian railway timetables.
In July this year, we wrote about the ‘Brave New World of Travel‘ and with Christmas and 2026 travel just around the corner let’s look at travel present and travel future, because travel past is already a forgotten place…
Europe’s Big Tech Moment: The New Entry and Exit System
The EU’s Entry and Exit System, EES to its friends, officially twitched into life on 12 October 2025. It is not yet omnipresent, though the plan is to have it fully humming across the Schengen area by April 2026. Until then expect a strange hybrid world where you might be fingerprinted, photographed, stamped or possibly all three, depending on the phase of the moon and the queue in front of you.
EES creates a digital file every time you rock up at a Schengen external border. It stores your passport details, a quick mugshot and four fingerprints. Yes, four. Why four and not eight remains a mystery. Perhaps the other four and your thumb are being saved for special occasions.
Once your biometrics are in the system, they stay there for three years, so your subsequent trips should be quicker. In theory, you will simply toddle up to a fancy kiosk, flash your passport and let the machine check your face. In practice, early reports suggest you may also enjoy a delightful tour of new queuing arrangements while staff encourage you to stand still for the camera please and press your fingers harder on the glass.
Where will you meet EES?
Anywhere that counts as a Schengen external border. For Brits this includes airports, ferry ports and yes, those famous juxtaposed controls at:
Dover
Folkestone (LeShuttle)
London St Pancras (Eurostar)
Coaches and freight vehicles encountered EES first. Private cars were supposed to join in late 2025, but rollout at Dover was politely postponed until early 2026 to avoid festive gridlock. Consider it a Christmas miracle.
Goodbye Passport Stamps, Hello Databases
The old ritual of collecting passport stamps to impress your family is nearing its end. During the transition period you might still get one, but once EES is fully operational stamps will mostly disappear, replaced by a neat digital record of your comings and goings.
Border guards can still stamp your passport if systems fail or if they feel nostalgic. As with most modern innovations, you should keep your own evidence of travel just in case. A simple picture of your boarding pass can soothe many an administrative headache.
The UK ETA: Our Very Own Digital Gatekeeper
The United Kingdom’s Electronic Travel Authorisation has been quietly expanding since 2023. It started with a handful of Gulf states and gradually widened to cover most visa free countries. From 25 February 2026 the training wheels come off, and the UK begins full enforcement.
This means that if you are a visitor from a visa exempt country, and you try to board a plane, ferry or Eurostar to Britain without an ETA the carrier is obliged to refuse you. No ETA, no journey. Do not pass Go and do not get a weekend in London.
Who needs one?
Most non-British and non-Irish visitors who do not require a visa.
Dual nationals with British citizenship are not supposed to apply. They must travel on their British passport or prove their right of abode. Renew your British passport if yours is languishing at the back of a drawer.
An ETA costs £16, usually lasts up to two years, and can be applied for via the UK ETA app or GOV.UK. You will need your passport, a live facial scan and the patience to answer a few security questions.
Brits Abroad: Working, Retiring and Staying Sane
While we are talking cross border bureaucracy, it is worth a quick tour of what happens when Brits go abroad for more than a sun lounger and a glass of rosé.
Claiming the State Pension Abroad
You can claim your UK State Pension almost anywhere as long as you have paid enough National Insurance. Apply up to four months before reaching pension age. Payments can go into a UK bank account or an approved overseas one.
The important bit is the famous pension uprating cliff edge. If you live in the EEA, Switzerland, Gibraltar or certain agreement countries your pension will rise each April. If you retire to the likes of Australia or Canada, it will likely be frozen at the rate you first receive. Check before you pack the removals van.
National Insurance While Working Overseas
As a rule, you pay social security in the country where you work. If you are seconded abroad for a short stint, you might remain on UK NI for about 52 weeks, depending on the circumstances.
If you want to keep your UK State Pension record topped up, you may be able to pay voluntary Class 2 or Class 3 contributions. Conditions apply, although they are generally based on having lived or worked in the UK previously.
Tax Residency
UK tax depends on whether you are UK resident in a given tax year. If you are non-resident, you are typically taxed only on UK income. If you remain resident, you are liable for your worldwide earnings, although double tax treaties can prevent paying twice. Declaring your departure to HMRC is highly recommended, unless you particularly enjoy unexpected letters.
Student Loans Abroad
Leave the UK for more than three months, and the Student Loans Company expects you to complete an Overseas Income Assessment. Payments are still income based, but thresholds vary by country. Fail to give them your income details, and they may slap you with fixed monthly payments that feel like a punishment for optimism.
Voting From Overseas
Since 2024 there is no longer a fifteen-year limit. If you are a British citizen who once lived or registered to vote in the UK, you can vote in UK general elections from anywhere in the world. You must renew your registration every three years.
Beyond Europe: The Worldwide Alphabet Soup of Travel Permits
The UK’s ETA and the EU’s ETIAS are part of a growing club of digital travel permissions. The rest of the world joined years ago.
USA: ESTA for visa waiver visitors. Valid two years.
Canada: eTA for air arrivals. Valid up to five years.
Australia: eVisitor or ETA depending on your circumstances.
New Zealand: NZeTA plus that cheery tourism levy.
South Korea: K ETA, currently waived for Brits until the end of 2025 then likely returning.
EU ETIAS: due late 2026 once EES is firmly bedded in.
The message is simple. Check the rules before you book flights. Check again before you leave home. And keep your passport current, your app updated and your biometrics ready for their close up.
The Year Ahead
2026 will be the year when the EU fully embraces its digital border system and the UK fully embraces telling visitors to get an ETA or stay home. For British travellers, the golden rule is preparation. Check what border you are crossing, what paperwork each wants, and which bits of you they want scanned.
Travel remains entirely doable. It simply involves a little more organisation and a little less spontaneity. And as for the British Passport…
A New Look for the British Passport: Same Blue, More Swagger
The Great British passport, that tiny navy booklet we all swear we put “somewhere safe”, is getting a fresh new look from December 2025. After a few years of post-Brexit blue, the passport is now being treated to a royal touch-up: the cover will feature King Charles III’s updated coat of arms.
But the revamp isn’t just skin-deep. Open it up, and you’ll find a set of redesigned pages showcasing landscapes from all four corners of the UK. Ben Nevis, the Lake District, Three Cliffs Bay and the Giant’s Causeway all make an appearance, turning every passport into a pocket-sized celebration of British scenery. It’s almost like carrying around a miniature National Trust brochure – though sadly without free entry.
The Government is also calling this the “most secure passport ever”, boasting upgraded holograms, snazzy printing techniques and a tough polycarbonate data page designed to survive everything from years of travel to the occasional wash cycle (although they still won’t recommend testing that one). These features are aimed at keeping identity fraud at bay, while giving the whole document a sturdier, sleeker feel.
And before anyone panics: if your current passport still bears Queen Elizabeth II’s coat of arms, there’s no need to dash off for a replacement. It remains valid until its expiry date, making it effectively a retro edition. Ideal for anyone who enjoys owning things that can be casually described as “classic”.
If you’ve enjoyed browsing our website, learned something new, or just had a smile because of what we do – we’d love your support to keep the good stuff brewing!
Where to next?
• Where Did Everyone Go? Britain’s Top 10 Holidays in 2025
• Wanderlust in Your 50s and Beyond: A Guide for Solo Travellers
• The marvellous mechanical Dragon of Calais