Summer 2025 travel tips: What you MUST know about passport rules and more!

So you might have seen that viral video of me abandoning my husband at the airport because of wild new passport rules that caught us completely off guard. It was honestly a nightmare scenario, but it’s happened to more people than you’d think

So what exactly went wrong? It turns out that new passport and entry requirements mean you’ve got to be extra careful about expiry dates and all sorts of paperwork that can trip you up last minute. So i’ve pulled together this easy-to-follow list of must-know travel tips and tricks for summer 2025. 

Passport prep: what you need to know

• If you’re from the UK your passport must be issued within the last 10 years (aim for 6 months validity ideally), especially if you’re heading to countries such as Turkey and Thailand that are longer haul and quite strict with it as they could turn you away.

• For Europe, 3 months validity after your return date is often enough, but check your destination’s rules carefully.

• Important: It’s the issue date, not the expiry date, that can get you in trouble, especially with airlines like Ryanair!

• Passport costs and renewal options

  If you’re needing to renew your passport its £94 online or £107 for postal for adults (16 and over) for the standard 34 page passport.

• For children under 16 it’s £61 for the standard online passport and £74 for postal.

• Make sure your organised with this as urgent passports cost a lot more! A one-day premium service is £222 for adults and £189 for kids or a one-week fast-track service is £178 for an adult and £145 for kids.

  Extra checks to be aware of. 

• Your blank pages count too! Many countries such as India, require at least two blank pages for visas or entry stamps so make sure you check this before you go!

• The condition of your passport matters too! Water-damaged or worn passports can get you denied at boarding even if they are valid!

• Remember you can now only stay in certain countries (like those in the EU) for up to 90 days within a 6-month period. Before Brexit you could stay as long as you wanted. 

So overall…

• 6-8 months ahead of your holiday: check your passports expiry and issue date and renew if needed

• 2-3 months ahead of your trip: confirm your blank pages and passport condition

• 1 week ahead: ensure your previous stamps, boarding passes and travel insurance is sorted

• Departure day: make sure you’ve got everything packed and ready to make the journey as stress-free as possible!