I had to pay £3,000 and drive 1,000 miles to Croatia to take my family on holiday due to a little-known passport rule
A father of three says he was forced to pay £3,000 and drive more than 1,100 miles across six countries to take his family on holiday after falling victim to a little-known passport rule.
Peter Holt, 50, says he was one of three people rejected at the boarding gate for a flight from Britain to Croatia because his passport was out of date, despite it not expiring until next year.
Before Britain left the EU, holders of valid British passports could travel freely across the EU, even if their passport expired the day after their return.
But since 2021 British passport holders traveling to any EU country will be refused entry if their passport was issued ten years earlier, even if there are months left.
Peter got his passport in July 2013 and was able to take the unexpired months with him, making the expiration date March 2024.
Peter Holt, 50, was forced to watch his family fly to Croatia without him because he had tried to travel with an expired passport
He traveled through six countries in his Mini Cooper in two days and eventually reunited with his family
The determined dad drove his car from Surrey to Croatia in two days, covering over 1,000 miles
But the post-Brexit rules, which he had no idea about, pushed this to July 2023.
The financial planning consultant watched in dismay as his wife Claire, 46, took their two sons Rocky, eight, and Axel and Hunter, both six, and flew them to Croatia on an easyJet flight.
He says no one noticed his passport problem until he got to the airport.
‘We had booked the holiday in February and there was no mention of a problem with the passport at the time.
“I had my boarding pass, went through bag check and passport control, but now I was rejected at the final stage,
“It just didn’t make sense – and it still doesn’t -.”
His family was overjoyed to see him again after being separated for several days
“We had booked the holiday in February and there was no mention of a problem with the passport at the time,” said Peter
The determined father, from Surrey, was forced to drive his Mini Cooper 1,100 miles to Croatia, crossing France, Germany, Austria and Slovenia, before finally joining his family in Croatia two days later.
‘I bought my ticket to go through the Channel Tunnel and travel,
“The funny thing is that both the English and French border control teams accepted my passport at the border crossing, which makes the story further mysterious.”
Peter drove about 500 miles on the first day of his journey, stopping at a Hilton hotel at 10:00 PM in Strasbourg, France.
He turned on Find My iPhone tracking services so that his family could follow him on his continental journey.
The British father traveled through France, Germany, Austria and Slovenia before finally joining his family in Croatia two days later
“The journey was fantastic, the roads were smooth, the scenery was fantastic and the driving through mainland Europe was just beautiful,” he said
He says the pan-European road trip cost him an extra £3,000 because of hotels, food and ferry costs
He then drove the remaining 608 miles through Germany, Austria and Slovenia in 12 hours to meet his family at their hotel in Pula at 8pm.
“My kids, my wife and I were just thrilled that I got there in such a short time,” he said.
“And to miss just two days of our two-week vacation was just amazing.”
Although he missed part of his vacation, he managed to do some sightseeing.
He said: ‘As sad as the situation was, the journey was fantastic, the roads were smooth, the scenery was fantastic and the driving through mainland Europe was just beautiful.
“I saw signs for places I’d seen on TV, like France’s Champagne regions and the Allianz Arena in Munich, I wish I could have stopped there.”
He is now warning other holidaymakers to check the expiry dates of their passports as his pan-continental journey has cost him a further £3,000 in ferry costs, food and hotels.
“I’m glad I made it, but the situation was just so unnecessary,” he said.
“I wish someone, be it easyJet or the UK Passport Office, had let me know.”
An easyJet spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Unfortunately, Mr Holt was unable to fly to Pula as their passports did not meet current validity rules. easyJet follows the rules on passport validity as set out by the authorities where we operate.
“We remind customers at the time of booking and before they travel to make sure they are aware of the requirements for the destination they are flying to. It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure they have valid travel documents.’