Travel to the EU post Brexit becomes more complicated

​Since today is the final day of 2022 (Happy New Year in Advance) I thought I would want to talk about travel to the EU from the UK post Brexit & the introduction of European Travel Information and Authorisation (ETIAS). 

Why I am talking about Brexit? It has been two years since the end of the Brexit transition period on 31st December 2020 when the UK left the Customs Union & the Single Market because of the fact that the UK left the EU on 31st January 2020

It is nearly two years since I talked about the effects of Brexit as I wrote on January 2021 & it is still clear to me that Brexit is not worth it for everyone and businesses affected by the policy that benefits nothing. Read more about the effects of Brexit 

I like to reiterate my points that I first talked about it in October 2021 given I know the differences between travel to the EU pre Brexit and post Brexit. Since I visited two EU countries: Spain in 2018 and France in 2019

Pre Brexit = UK passport holders were EU citizens until 2020 with the benefits of freedom of movement & the rights to live, study and work in the European Union unlimited. No passport stamp. 🇪🇺🛂

Post Brexit = UK passport holders are third country nationals like every single non European nationals (Japanese, Chinese, Canadians, Indians, Singaporeans, Australians, Americans, etc). No benefits of the freedom of movement. Only visa free travel to the EU up to 90 days (3 months which is limited) & passport stamp. 

Read more about post Brexit travel to the EU that I previously published back in October 2021. The link is here up above.

Which brings me to the introduction of the ETIAS which will soon be launched in the New Year. 

What is European Travel Information and Authorisation (ETIAS)? 

Like America’s ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation), Canada’s ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation), Australia’s ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) & New Zealand’s ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation), ETIAS is US style visa wavier travel system for visitors from non EU countries (including the United Kingdom). The countries that has visa free travel with the bloc of 27 EU member states. It is not a visa and it will be the system that will keep in check & having applications to be processed in order to allow anyone from third countries to enter the 26 countries in the Schengen Area plus 7 non EU nations like Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Vatican City, Monaco, San Marino and Norway. As the applicant (he/she) does not have a criminal record for example & following the rules by understanding that visiting Europe up to 90 days is leisure (holiday/vacation), business (temporary), etc & the validity of ETIAS application for the person travelling to the EU27 is three years. 

Furthermore, the ETIAS was meant to be launched this year 2022 but it has been pushed to the year that we will soon enter (2023). 

So what it means for British passport holders (regardless who voted in the 2016 Brexit referendum. Remain or Leave) including myself? Well in my opinion, it is another example of why Brexit continues to show that it benefits nothing to the UK. €7 (£6) ETIAS fee to enter any country in mainland Europe? Sometimes I really do despair for what this country have really become since leaving the European Union. It really makes me wonder why there are still no positive of being outside the European Union. Good thing that I didn’t voted for Brexit. 

For those who voted for Brexit & complaining about being in queues (non EU queues) at European airports & being happy with blue passports, should really suck it up & accept the fact it has consequences. I am not going to wish anymore energy about it but you do understand what I am coming from. 

So that is all I can say about it. 

Enjoy yourself on the final day of 2022. Stay tuned for more blog posts that I will release in 2023. Happy New Year. 🙂😀🎉🥳🎊

And if you want to know more about ETIAS. You can go on this website

And also click the link for the website for UK citizens (myself included). 

So yeah. Take care & goodbye for now. 

Five Guys? No thank you

I want to tell you something. Based on my own experience which unfortunately, it was not a good one. 

Earlier this month, I went to this particular US fast food restaurant. Five Guys. I went to the Five Guys branch in Charing Cross.

All my life, I have always known the likes of McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King & Subway. All American fast food chains that I know of but not Five Guys until this month. 

I always like to try new things but if there is something I don’t like, i’ll not try it again. With Five Guys, that is the case. 

I couldn’t believe when I ordered hot dogs, chips & bottled drink (coke), the total price was so ridiculously expensive. I never been to any of fast food restaurants where prices for the menu is overpriced. Good thing that I will not go there. Knowing that I wasted my money for that. & the taste of chips is tasted so different. So much of salt. 

At least there aren’t much of many Five Guy restaurant outlets in Central London. 

£14 (£14.25) was a total amount for hot dog, chips & coke (Coca Cola) at Five Guys Charing Cross restaurant branch. 

If it was an ordinary restaurant that is non fast food restaurant then okay but since it is a US fast food restaurant, the prices at the Five Guys menu aren’t decent. You will never see the likes of McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway or KFC behaved like this.

So I will not recommend anybody to go buy a meal at Five Guys. It is an absolute rip off.

Read more on the fact why Five Guys is so expensive ridiculously. Five Guys? No thank you.

My Christmas 2022 message

Season Greetings

It is 25th of December today. Yes, It is Christmas Day. 

This is my third time as an blogger, writing my third Christmas on this blog. 😀🙂😁🎁⛄️✨🎄🎅

I would like to wish you everybody especially my readers Merry Christmas Everybody. Happy Holidays whether you are celebrating Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah. 

Today blog posts, I am going to split into three separate paragraphs. My personal life, the UK & the world.

Let’s start with my personal life outside blogging.

My personal life

This year for me personally has been tough year. Mixture of good and bad. Overall, it is not quite bad year like 2020. However it is not good year either. 

Anyway from the circumstances in my personal life not writing much blogs as often to not getting job (yes, I still have not got a job which I will not go into details about it) & me losing my court motion case to Barclays in February this year & my legal challenge against Travel Unravel (which they keep spreading lies as if they didn’t defrauded me in January 2021 which is now nearly two years) up to this day are still taking so much long to the point that I now already lost faith in the judiciary & that I no longer give a damn about it. 

I even thought about ending it by contacting the court. Anyways I am not going to go anymore details about it because I find it frustrating when I talked about it. Read more about my legal challenge as I recently published few months ago. 

The UK

Apart from my personal life, this year generally, it is really an tough & difficult year for the UK. Three Prime Ministers: Boris Johnson, Liz Truss & Rishi Sunak to the death of Queen Elizabeth II & the current situation with inflation & cost of living crisis which already, the UK is in recession and two Christmases ago, I know nobody wants to hear about Brexit but unfortunately, I have to because I already know from day one that Brexit was never going to benefit the British economy & still, it is not benefiting the economy of the United Kingdom. 

Even the September mini budget delivered by then PM Liz Truss & then Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng have made it worse.

Read my 2020 blog post about the UK - EU trade deal which it does not benefit British businesses. Just read the recent news. the Brexit policy is nothing but a policy of isolation and disadvantage. There are no Brexit benefits. None. I am still waiting for the positive benefits. But since as someone who voted against Brexit in the 2016 referendum, it is very obviously there won’t be any of positive. In addition, two Christmases ago (Christmas Eve 2020). 

The announcement of the UK - EU trade deal = TCA - Trade and Cooperation Agreement). Everyone knew that it was & still is no better than the EU membership. 🇪🇺🇬🇧 The EU trade deal with combined combination of hard Brexit (UK out of the Single Market & The Customs Union). No wonder a month ago, Brexiteers like Nigel Farage hated the idea of the Swiss style deal with the EU which it would mean freedom of movement since we know Switzerland is not EU member but does operate in the Single Market. 

The World 

And lastly, the world. Apart from climate change, famine, conflicts,  inflation and the cost of living crisis worldwide. Given we are already back to normality due to two years of the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine have been on the news throughout 2022 & the Russian invasion of Ukraine is still going. I first talked about it earlier this year in February. My first blog post about Ukraine & my second blog post about Ukraine 🇺🇦 

So what is my this year Christmas message?

My Christmas message is simple. Be grateful. 

Be grateful that you are happy to be alive. Be grateful that you have got family and friends especially in this festive season. We all have one life and we have our own different challenges in our own lives but we find a way to overcome problems and situations. In the last couple of weeks, I have been giving Christmas cards to my own friends and family (particularly everyone I know) so that I don’t have to think anything else negative & that I can do something positive that is good for me physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. 

Anything I can do to take any negative things off my mind & not always thinking about it too much. In other words, not letting it bother me so much. Furthermore, a friend of mine (he goes by the name of Action Jackson aka UK Ambassador of Happiness) messaged me on WhatsApp just to wish me “Merry Christmas” after I messaged him with digital Christmas card (e card). 

He told me that I am an messenger of love and cheer. A polite compliment from my friend. I am indeed an messenger of love & that I always spread love and delight. I am also a shining example of courage and love, standing tall. 

For that, I am grateful that I am alive and well. I am grateful that I got my blog & my readers who do read my blog posts. I am grateful that I do have people in my personal life (family and friends). 

That is the spirt of Christmas. Gratitude = Feeling grateful. Whether you have opened your Christmas presents or not, regardless be grateful this year, you have moments in your life that are positive & that you will have a wonderful & prosperous new year ahead. For that here is my friend’s song “Happy 365” by Action Jackson. Check this out

And finally, last week I received my Christmas present from my friend who is an blogger (Roger Tichborne) & that is the mug of his band the False Dots. I received it at the Mill Hill Music Complex. 😀🙂

The Burnt Oak Boogie mug. Go and listen to their song. The Burnt Oak Boogie by the False Dots I am also grateful for that too. 🙂😀

So as an blogger, I do have the duty to write blogs (even I am not writing regularly like I was before although I am trying my best to get back to writing it on the daily basis. Even my friend Roger who is an blogger wrote on his blog post stating where are bloggers in Barnet Well I say that I have been busy in my life but hopefully, in the New Year I’ll make an effort to return to write blogs regularly on the daily basis. I hope and pray that it will be the case). 

I have many things that will soon be published in 2023 so stay tuned for that. Even some of my friends wanted to know when will I make music again. I said it is not an guarantee but I will try to make a effort to make it happen. I even first talked about my original music early last year in 2021. I have got a lots of things that I do want to see happening in the New Year 2023 including me going on holiday which I have not been out of the UK since 2019 when I last travelled outside the UK and it was France. 

So yeah, that is my Christmas 2022 message. 

Once again, I would like to wish you everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Have a blessed day and throughout the week in the festive season in the run up to the end of the year. 

All the best for 2023 and beyond. Take care and god bless you.