Travel Tips

Advice has also been given on other changes

Brits are being urged to check their passports before travelling, with a new rule now in effect.

Experts said the changes highlighted the risk of simple travel document mistakes. They have explained the rule change and given advice on wider passport checks to make before travelling.

From September 28, passengers travelling on Irish Ferries’ Dublin-Holyhead and Rosslare-Pembroke routes, in both directions, are required to present a valid passport or Irish passport card before boarding. But new research from Saga Travel Insurance suggests many Brits could still be caught out by basic passport and travel document rules.

It said 16% admitted they didn’t know when their passport expires, with a 8% currently holding an expired passport. Further, 10% had less than a year remaining on their passport and one in 14 (7%) had previously been denied entry to a country because they didn’t have enough time left on their passport.

Saga said there was also widespread confusion around post-Brexit travel rules, with half (50%) of holidaymakers saying they were not confident they understood the visa and travel requirements for visiting Europe.

Michelle Cooper, director of Travel Insurance at Saga, said: “Nobody should have their holidays ruined because of a simple passport error. A few quick checks can help people avoid unnecessary stress, unexpected costs and disruption at the airport.”

The travel insurance provider surveyed 500 people in the UK and found that Brits could be at risk of avoidable disruption when travelling overseas due to simple oversights.

The passport rules catching Brits out after Brexit

Half (50%) of holidaymakers are still not confident they understand the visa and travel requirements for visiting Europe after Brexit, the survey found.

Michelle said: “If you’re travelling to Europe for an extended period, you may now be required to apply for a new visa type. Travellers can spend up to 90 days in the Schengen area within any rolling 180‐day period, but it’s not as simple as it sounds.

“The 180 days are counted backwards from each day you’re in the EU or a Schengen country, so every trip adds up. That means even frequent short breaks can push you over the limit without realising.

“If you go beyond 90 days, you could face fines or even a ban from re-entering. Anyone planning to stay longer will need to apply for the new Schengen Visa.”

What is the Schengen area?

The Schengen area is a group of 29 European countries where travellers can move between countries without routine passport checks. It includes popular holiday destinations such as France, Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal.

Confusion around the ‘10-year passport rule’ is the most widely discussed passport concern online, according to the analysis from Saga Travel Insurance, with Reddit discussions on the issue amassing 35,417 upvotes.

Michelle explained: “EU and Schengen countries require passports to be less than 10 years old on the day of entry. While all new passports last exactly ten years, passports issued before 2018 remain valid for 10 years and nine months. If you have an older passport, make sure you check both the issue date and expiry date before travelling to avoid problems at the border.”

Brits warned over new ETIAS travel checks for Europe

From late 2026, British travellers visiting most European countries will need to apply for a new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) before travelling. The new system is similar to the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme and will apply to visa-exempt travellers visiting 30 European countries for short stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period.

Michelle said: “Travellers may not realise that visiting Europe will soon involve an additional pre-travel authorisation step. From late 2026, British holidaymakers will need to apply for ETIAS approval before travelling to many popular European destinations.

“The authorisation will be linked directly to your passport, meaning travellers could be denied boarding if their ETIAS details don’t match their travel document or if the authorisation has expired. Most ETIAS applications are expected to be processed within minutes, but it could take longer if additional checks are required. Holidaymakers should apply well in advance of departure to avoid last-minute disruptions.

“Similar systems already exist elsewhere. For example, UK travellers visiting the United States must apply for an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) before departure. These systems are becoming more common globally, so it’s important to check requirements for each destination well ahead of travel.

“As with passport validity rules, people are responsible for making sure they have the correct travel authorisation before they leave the country. If someone is unable to travel because they failed to obtain valid ETIAS or ESTA approval, travel insurance is unlikely to cover costs associated with denied boarding or cancelled trips.”

Against the tidal wave of public opposition to those who go barefoot on a plane, there is a countercultural force of people determined to get up in the sky, unencumbered by socks

They may be the most maligned group in modern society – the barefoot passenger.

There is something about a naked, sock-free foot at 30,000 feet that unifies the public in its fury and disgust in a way rarely seen in the 21st-century world of social media polarisation. And every now and again, there’s a particularly egregious case that captures the attention.

Back in October last year, Boston-based artist Ashley Eisenman filmed a man behind her propping his bare foot into the gap beside her seat for the entire hour-long flight, leaving them mere centimeters from her defenseless arm. “He 1000% should be on the no-fly list ASAP,” she wrote after the traumatic incident.

If a one-hour flight from Reno to San Francisco is bad, then a nine-hour journey from Zurich to New York is the stuff of flakey-skinned, wiggly-toed nightmares. That is what happened to Reddit user u/sarahfayejay, who posted an alarming photo with the caption: “I have a 9-hour flight ahead of me.”

And it’s not an issue that inflicts only those in economy. The alarming Instagram page Passenger Shaming shared a video of a woman lying on her back in first class, with both her bare feet resting against the plane’s wall.

OPINION

While you might assume that the dislike of this practice was universal and a given, Expedia decided to check. In a 2018 survey of 18,000 travellers it found that more than 90% said it’s never okay to go barefoot on a plane, while a later 2023 Kayak-led piece of peer reviewing found that 76% of travellers “prefer their vision free of toes” on a flight.

Against this tidal wave of public opposition, there is a countercultural force of people determined to get up in the sky, unencumbered by socks.

Brits going on holiday this autumn have been urged to check their luggage for an item that can no longer be used on planes – and it could mess up your travel plans

If you’re going on holiday this year, you need to make sure you follow a new travel rule that bans the use of one common item on planes. With summer behind us and the kids back at school, many Brits will be looking to book a holiday in the hopes that prices for flights and hotels have dropped.

Before leaving for your trip, it’s important to make sure you understand all the rules in place for everything from your flight to airport security, as you don’t want to get caught out with something that can ruin your holiday. One woman recently said her travel plans were almost scuppered by one little-known rule she didn’t know, as it only came into effect recently.

In a video on TikTok, a woman uploaded a video that captured the moment passengers on her Jet2 flight were told they could not use power banks while on the flight, due to a new rule.

Passengers were told: “As of the first of August, it is now illegal to use power banks on European aircraft, so if you’ve got a power bank with you, it should remain switched off, as these are forbidden for use on flights.”

The woman could be seen shaking her head and exchanging a confused look with her daughter, as she seemingly had no idea that the rule was in place. This was made even clearer with her video’s caption, where she admitted she had been hoping to use her power bank to charge her phone during the flight.

She wrote: “My phone’s about to die.”

It is not illegal to bring power banks on planes, but current aviation rules ban using them to charge devices or recharging the banks themselves during flights. This is because they carry a fire risk if the battery inside overheats, which can be dangerous to passengers on board – so it’s best to charge your device before you get on the plane.

Power banks must never be stored in your hold luggage, and should instead go in your hand luggage. This helps to reduce the risk of fire, as it can be quickly dealt with if something does go wrong and the battery does overheat.

Several commenters on the woman’s video said they agreed with the new rules for safety reasons, as they said they had heard horror stories of power banks catching fire on flights in the past.

One person said: “I can understand as they get really hot. Should really ensure this is known to people as it’s really important.”

Another added: “I brought a new power bank on a plane last year, and when I got off the plane, it had split the casing and was very hot.”

A third wrote: “About time!”

New rules, which came into force in March this year, aim to reduce the likelihood and impact of incidents involving power banks. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is asking travellers to familiarise themselves with these rules, which are:

• Power banks must be carried in hand luggage only
• Each power bank must be individually protected when not in use, using a pouch, its original packaging or a separate bag to prevent short circuiting
• You can take a maximum of two power banks per person
• Power banks must not be recharged on board, including from an in-seat power outlet
• Power banks up to 100Wh are permitted, while those between 100Wh and up to 160Wh need approval from the airline

Whether you can use your power bank to charge your phone on an aircraft actually depends on the airline. While you cannot charge the power bank itself on any flight, some airlines may allow it to be used as a portable charger.

Ryanair allows them to be used, except during taxi, take-off, and landing, while easyJet, Jet2, Emirates, and Virgin Atlantic do not allow power banks to be used on board at all.

iPhone users are being urged to take advantage of a little-known travel hack that could stop you feeling confused or panicked over potential changes to your upcoming flight

Turning on one setting on your iPhone could save you from panicking if your flight information changes. Flights in and out of the UK have been thrown into disarray this week after an air traffic control failure caused cancellations and delays to more than 2,000 flights, leaving passengers in limbo.

The majority of the disruption occurred on Tuesday (8th September) and Wednesday (9th September), and while airports are now back up and running, experts warn the knock-on effect of the catastrophic failure of the NATS air control system will continue to be felt for the rest of the week.

If you’re travelling soon and worried about potential disruptions to your flight in the aftermath of the system failure, then there is something you can do to give yourself peace of mind – and it’s all to do with your phone.

Michelle Winterfield, who usually shares finance tips on Instagram, recently shared a video in which she said if you do one thing with your iPhone on the morning of your flight, you’ll be spared any potential headaches if your gate is changed, your flight is delayed, or there are other updates to your travel plans.

She said: “Here’s a flight hack nobody tells you about. The morning of your flight, text yourself your flight number. But here’s the key: you have to include the airline code. So, if you’re on Delta Airlines flight 2358, you type DL2358.

“Then that text turns into a live link that tells you your gate, your departure time, your baggage claim number, and it updates in real time. No more hunting for screens in the airport. If someone’s picking you up, send them the flight number too, and they can literally watch your plane flying across the screen and see the exact moment your arrival time updates.”

If you have a connecting flight, you can text yourself both flight numbers and take all the stress out of trying to find the right information for your next flight when you’re racing through the airport.

The only downside to the trick is that it only works through iMessage on an iPhone or other Apple device, and there is no function for the same flight tracking on Android phones.

Michelle added in the caption: “The morning of your flight, do this before you leave the house. It changes everything.”

Commenters on the post thanked her for her advice, as many had no idea it was a feature on their phone. Others who used the hack before agreed with Michelle that it’s definitely a “life-saver”.

One person said: “I’ve used this for years, mostly for those picking me up! Works like a charm.”

Another added: “If this is right, it sure would be handy!” Someone else posted: “I never knew, wow! Thanks, girl, you’re a lifesaver.”

It’s important to note the phone trick doesn’t guarantee that your flight won’t be delayed, and it won’t take away the stress of dealing with airport chaos if something similar to the air traffic control nightmare were to happen again. However, it can help you keep track of your own flight information, no matter where in the airport you are.

How to track a flight on an iPhone

• Open the Messages app on your iPhone or other Apple device
• Type in the airline code and the flight number into a chat with yourself, or send it to a friend or family member
• Tap Send via iMessage
• Wait for the flight number to be underlined, as this indicates that your phone recognises it as a link
• Tap or press and hold the underlined text, then select ‘Preview Flight’
• You should now be able to see the flight information

You will need to know your airline’s IATA code as well as your specific flight number to make the trick work. Your flight number is specific to the flight you’re booked on, and should be on your ticket. Some common IATA codes include:

• British Airways: BA
• RyanAir: FR (in Ireland), RK (for RyanAir UK)
• EasyJet: U2
• Jet2: LS
• Virgin Atlantic: VS

People have even reported getting the ‘best’ seats using this free method

Ryanair passengers flying abroad to escape the UK weather might want to consider a ‘trick’ to help them be assigned ‘better’ seats without paying extra. The trick, as explained by ITV This Morning’s money-saving specialist Jordon Cox, does involve a little bit of luck, but it could pay off by saving customers up to £38 per person.

On Ryanair, the cost of choosing a specific seat varies based on the route, travel dates, and when you buy. Based on the airline’s published fees table, passengers can expect to pay between £3 and £30 when booking in advance, with fees as high as £38 per seat when booking at the airport desk.

Customers can avoid any cost entirely by accepting a random seat allocation from the airline. However, you leave it up to chance what part of the plane your seats will be in.

These random seats are picked and assigned at the exact moment you complete your online check-in, which is open up to 24 hours before the flight’s scheduled departure time. The airline’s automated system selects the seats, and customers have no say in where they end up if they choose this route.

Ryanair’s algorithm is notorious for assigning middle seats first to these free-allocation passengers, as reported by The Telegraph, and is said to hold back window and aisle seats. Many people will argue that middle seats are not the best place on a plane because they offer the least space when both seats on either side are occupied.

ITV This Morning’s money-saving specialist Jordon Cox claims online that travellers might be able to take advantage of a workaround to avoid being put in a middle seat. In a post on Instagram, he suggests that one method ‘tricks the system’ into giving you the exact seat you want at no extra cost.

He said: “On the day that you’re checking in (I recommend about five to six hours before your flight), go into seat selection and see what seats are still available. A lot of these will be middle seats.

“Go to a separate tab and make a new booking for the flight you’re on. Put in some bogus names, then select each person a ‘seat’ in the places you DON’T want to sit. Because you’ve selected all those seats, and they’re in ‘someone else’s’ basket – for a short time, you can’t be sat there.

“That’s your cue to go back to your actual booking, and check-in with ‘random’ seat selection. You’ll be placed in one of the remaining seats – hopefully the only ones left are the aisle and the window.”

Reddit users claim that the sweet spot for securing the ‘best seats’ is not long before your flight takes off. By this time, the early check-in passengers have already been forced into specific parts of the plane, reducing the pool of available seats for those still unassigned.

In certain circumstances, Ryanair will likely randomly offer passengers an extra-legroom seat for free, but only under very specific conditions. However, because Ryanair never leaves a flight intentionally unbalanced and cannot leave critical seats empty, they will release them into the free pool at the absolute last minute.

If the only empty spots left on the aircraft are the premium legroom seats (like the emergency exit rows), the algorithm is forced to give them to you for free because it has nowhere else to put you and safety laws state that the emergency exit rows (Rows 1, 16, and 17) cannot be completely empty during takeoff and landing.

A flight attendant has told travellers to stop wearing a common item of clothing to travel on planes. According to Cher Dallas, a certain garment should always be avoided

When people travel, a lot of thought can go into their outfits, but there’s some items of clothing you may actually want to avoid wearing on planes. According to flight attendant, Cher Dallas, there’s a certain item that people should stop wearing as soon as possible when jetting off abroad.

Cher, who shares travel tips and stories on TikTok, said there’s one item she never wears to travel on a plane, and there’s good reason why too. It’s one piece of air travel advice you may want to follow from now on when you jet off on adventures around the world.

It’s not the first piece of advice of its kind to be shared either. Previously, another flight attendant cautioned travellers about wearing certain clothes on planes too.

What is her advice?

In a candid clip discussing the clothing, Cher said: “Since everyone gets fuming mad at me when I say don’t wear shorts when you travel, coming from a flight attendant, guess how many diapers got changed on the seats yesterday on my one flight? Four.

“Guess how many announcements we made for people to not do that? Three. People don’t care.

“Guess how many of those diapers were poopy? All four.

“They change them on the seats, and you want to rub your skin on there? You do.

“You want to. You’re dying to. Enjoy your staph infection. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Why should it be avoided?

There are a few reasons why it’s best to avoid wearing shorts on planes. Many flight attendants note that airplane seats are rarely deep-cleaned between quick turnaround flights and can harbour bacteria, body fluids or spills from previous passengers.

Wearing long trousers creates a physical barrier so your skin does not touch the upholstery directly. It’s much better to keep your legs covered.

As well as this, plane cabins often get very chilly during flights, and shorts leave you exposed to cold drafts. If surfaces are sticky, bare legs could also stick to chairs.

It’s also considered wise to cover your legs in case of an emergency. In a rare emergency evacuation, where evacuation slides are deployed, bare legs can suffer painful friction burns or scrapes as you slide down.

Therefore, there are various reasons why shorts should be avoided. As well as exposing you to germs, they can actually be problematic in other ways too.

This is why it’s best to avoid wearing them any time you board a plane. You’ll be glad you did it later down the line.

Travel experts say people are confused and think they only need a passport

Thousands of UK holidaymakers are being stopped at international borders and refused entry due to confusion around visas, permits, and entry requirements, new figures have shown/ Data obtained by Confused.com found that more than 2,800 British travellers were refused entry at the US and Australian borders between 2023 and 2025. ^{2,836 Brits were denied entry across the two countries over the three-year period. More were turned away in 2025 alone (1,607) than in the 2 previous years combined (1,229).}

In the US, the 2,533 refusals related to visa or travel-documentation requirements under the visa waiver programme (VWP). In Australia, 303 Brits were refused immigration clearance between 2023 and 2025.

The US figures show a sharp rise in recent years, more than tripling from 424 refusals in 2024. Of the 2,533 Brits turned away, men made up more than two-thirds (1,745), while 18–35-year-olds were the largest age group (1,498). Nearly 100 under-18s were also refused.

Incorrect documentation was behind over half of UK refusals at the Australian border. While some destinations now offer visa-free access, many still require certain permits or specific documentation to be allowed in the country.

Travellers often assume they can rely solely on their passport or arrange permits upon arrival, when in reality, permits can take time to process or come with additional costs. This leaves them at risk of being turned away at the border.

Further research suggests the problem is part of a broader lack of awareness and confidence among travellers. Half say they aren’t confident which countries require a tourist visa for entry and 54% say the visa application process is too complicated or confusing.

Over half of travellers cite visa fees as a deterrent.

Confused.com has launched a new visa checker tool, designed to help UK travellers quickly understand the entry requirements for their destination before they travel.

Tom Vaughan, travel insurance expert at Confused.com, said: “Being turned away at border control is something no traveller expects, but it’s a real risk if you’re unsure about the entry requirements for your destination. Visa rules can be complex and vary between countries, so even small mistakes can result in people being refused entry and losing out on their holiday.

“And it’s worth knowing that if you’re refused entry, it may not be covered by standard travel insurance. Insurers may treat refusals as a preventable risk rather than an unforeseen emergency. This means you could be left to bear the cost of return flights and non-refundable bookings yourself.”

He added: “Visas are just one part of getting ready for a trip. Travellers should also check their passport validity, make sure they have appropriate travel insurance and understand what it does and doesn’t cover, and keep important documents and emergency contacts easily accessible to avoid any last-minute issues.”

Destinations with visa requirements

European Union

• Requirement: European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) permit required for short stays (up to 90 days in a 180-day period).
• Cost: €20 application fee (exempt for under 18s and over 70s).

United States of America

• Requirement: Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) under the Visa Waiver Program.
• Cost: $40 USD.

Australia

• Requirement: eVisitor visa or Electronic Travel Authority (ETA), valid for stays up to 3 months.
• Cost: Free eVisitor visa, or a service fee of $20 AUD if applying via the ETA app.

China

• Requirement: Temporary visa-free entry allowed for short stays under a policy running until December 2026.
• Cost: N/A (Free during the temporary policy window).

India

• Requirement: e-Visa or regular paper tourist visa (passport must be stamped upon arrival).
• Cost: £25–£80 for an e-Visa (depending on duration); approximately £127 for a standard paper tourist visa.

Pakistan

• Requirement: Tourist visa required prior to arrival; Intent to travel must be submitted at least 24 hours before departure to obtain a Visa Grant Notice.
• Cost: Varies by visa type and duration (processing takes 7–10 business days).

Kenya

• Requirement: Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) applied for online in advance (recommended at least 2 weeks prior to departure).
• Cost: Approximately £16.