Written on 16^th May 2023

Brexit Impact on Summer Touring: What You Should Know Before Hitting the Road

With summer around the corner, festivals and tours are ramping up for the 2023 season. Demands are high and availability for hotels and flights is limited. It is important to plan ahead during this time to ensure desired accommodations and flights can be fulfilled, and that budgets stay on track.

Due to changes associated with Brexit, touring looks different in some places than it has the past. Cath Goldby, Senior Tour Consultant at TAG, has been touring with clients since 2006. Earlier this year, she hit the road with a valued touring client as part of TAG On-the-Road Service. She accompanied the tour throughout Europe and quickly noticed the Brexit impact.

"A lot has changed since I first began touring, especially when travelling in Europe without an EU passport," Cath reminisced after travelling abroad. "The 90-day Schengen visa limit was very challenging to navigate. The new rules state that no more than 90 days for every 180 days is permitted for all countries within the Schengen area." In other words, travellers to the 27 countries within the Schengen area (i.e. France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, etc.) can only visit for three months at a time, followed by a minimum of 90 days away before returning for any reason.

This rule may create challenges for touring personnel. Cath went on to explain, "As soon as you enter any country within the Schengen area, the 90-day clock starts. This counts for every country within the zone. Touring bands and crew due to be in Europe for extended periods of time throughout the year will feel a massive impact in how they navigate touring."

Cath recounted that her recent experience on tour was more than three months in Europe, "If the touring band, crew, dancers, etc. wanted to tour again or visit for personal reasons within that 180-day period, they had to go elsewhere for 90 days to break up the visa days allotted."

To enforce this new rule, a digital system is being introduced this year to track passports. In addition, some EU countries are starting to count passport stamps, in an effort to track how much travellers have been in and out of the EU.

We discovered that several Tour Managers aren’t yet familiar with the implications of this new, post-Brexit rule. To set the scene and expectations for future travellers, Cath continued, "Whilst away, I had to enter Amsterdam three times and, on the third visit, the Customs Officer asked me why I was coming back to Amsterdam so regularly over a short period. Freelancers should know that it will be their responsibility to track their days within the EU." Should travellers need assistance tracking days within Europe, they can download the Schengen Trips Calculator app for £2.99.

There are currently no Schengen departments to direct queries to. In order to help navigate through these changes, we are proud to offer TAG On-the-Road Service to bands and crew. With this paid service, TAG Travel Specialists can accompany touring personnel, on-site, to ensure the details of travel remain seamless so you can focus on putting on a great show.

Additional Brexit Support Resources:

CIBTvisas
ETIAS Travel Authorisation

TAG On-the Road Service

Booking TAG On-the-Road Service gives tours dedicated, around-the-clock Travel Specialists to help troubleshoot challenges due to Brexit, expertly advance hotels, oversee luggage and equipment drop-offs, and amend any travel changes in real-time. Reach out to your TAG Travel Specialist to learn more about how we can help smooth unexpected bumps on the road.

TAG Private Travel

After navigating the inevitable challenges throughout a tour, you deserve a holiday - but not just any holiday, a luxury escape. Planning personal travel can be overwhelming; leave it to our Private Travel Specialists to book the trip of your dreams. Email privateuk@tag-group.com to do the organising and before you know it, you'll be relaxing on your dream holiday, away from the every day chaos.