I think you'll be surprised how many people spend their time traveling around Europe having fun, being lazy, drinking beer and having sex. I mean, it sounds idyllic, but how many people -- particularly working classes -- do that?
I don't buy the idea that people only travel into Europe because of the EU. Freedom to travel is really freedom to work.
Sure, of course... But simply having the possibilities is nice...
Anyway for youngish people, at least in my friend circle, is pretty common.
Yesterday I was having dinner with an English friend, two weeks ago I spend a week in Berlin, pretty much every year we have a family trip somewhere in Europe.
Sure, I am young, with a lot of energy and money are not a huge concern right now; but most of my friends are in my same condition.
And actually I am a pretty cheap folk and I don't spend much money...
What exactly would stop you from doing that after Brexit? Are the borders of Europe suddenly closing to the English now? Are prices of plane tickets going to rise signifcantly?
For me, flying to Florida from Toronto is only $300 - that price is not bad to me but I'm not familiar with Ryanair.
UK has visa free access to 174 countries. EU can tank its tourism industry out of spite if it wants, but it won't be matching the decisions of the rest of the world when it does so. Weekend tourism is not exactly going to be banned unless the EU goes entirely mad and self destructs.
I'm a Canadian who just spent 4 months working in London at the end of last year. I was absolutely stunned at how often my coworkers would travel.
I would be excited on Monday to tell people what I got to see on the weekend, and coworkers would tell me about Barcelona and Greece etc. Just wild. The flight/train prices are so absurdly affordable that it just makes sense, personally and professionally, to travel.
I don't buy the idea that people only travel into Europe because of the EU. Freedom to travel is really freedom to work.