When Britain played the role of petulant child and ran away from its EU home, a wave of terror rippled through the U.S. business community as it continued to make overseas corporate travel plans, seemingly in the midst of what appeared to be an economic, political and social maelstrom. It was perhaps the most nervous reaction encountered since the days of Y2K, when everyone thought computers would melt down at the stroke of midnight and airplanes would fall from the sky.
But as a time-tested veteran of 25 years of corporate travel on both sides of the pond, I am here to be that comforting beacon in the darkness of business-travel uncertainty. Despite what has unfolded between Britain and the European community, your business-travel plans will not be collateral damage. Here’s why:
n No difference to border checks for American passport holders. Americans already present passports when entering European Union-member countries and Britain. So not much will change there.
n No difference to driving-license requirements for American citizens. Just keep paying attention to what side of the road you should be driving on and everything will be just fine.
n No difference to data or roaming charges for Americans making calls in the U.K. and EU. The good news is that EU law limits how much operators based in one member state can charge for calls, texts and data in another. The bad news is when the U.K. leaves the EU, British telecomm companies will (eventually) be free to charge whatever they want for roaming on the continent. The other good news: For the first two years after announcing it is leaving the EU, the U.K. would remain subject to EU treaties and laws, including the planned abolition of roaming rates in June 2017. Enjoy it while you can.
n No difference to medical agreements for non-EU citizens. Right now most U.S.-based insurers treat Europe as a “whole” when it comes to pricing for medical policies, etc. This will very likely remain the same for the next two years also.
n Advantage of better currency rates for U.S. citizens traveling to the U.K. or Europe. One of the most positive effects for American travelers to the U.K. is that U.S. dollars are worth a lot more in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote.
Therefore, taking all this into account, U.S. business travelers need not feel like children caught up in the middle of an ugly, global divorce. I see no severe fallout on the immediate horizon as a result of Brexit, so any commerce your company has planned with the U.K. and EU should be business as usual. Of course, things could change in the year 2999. We’ll talk again then. •
Franc Jeffrey is CEO of EQ Travel, with offices in the United Kingdom and Boston. He can be reached at fjeffrey@eqtravel.com.
