Myth vs reality: The 10 things that might ruin your summer holiday this year

What, you haven’t cancelled your holiday yet? But hadn’t you heard? Pools are empty in Spain, Greece is on fire and – yep, look just there – your passport has expired without you realising it.

Airport liquids confusion, air traffic control nightmares, furious anti-tourist protests. With the school holidays around the corner, the travel chaos-o-meter is quivering in the red – as it does every year if you believe everything you read – making it hard to differentiate the genuine pressure points from the stories designed to whip up a pre-holiday sweat.

Here we inspect 10 widely reported causes of travel disruption, and offer some perspective on whether or not it could affect your summer holiday.

You will be fined €750 for urinating in the sea in Spain

In late June it was reported that tourists could be fined up to €750 (£635) for urinating in the waters of the Costa del Sol. The rule would be imposed on 25 beaches in the Malaga principality, it was reported, and would join a list of fines including smoking on the beach (€2,000), using shampoo at an outdoor shower (€660), or stepping foot on the beach after midnight (€1,200).

The truth: The story is based on truth, but there’s nuance. The Marbella City Council has clarified that the rules would not apply to people urinating in open water. “The bylaw does not impose a sanction for peeing in the sea,” a spokesman told The Guardian. “It will not be applicable. The bylaw regulates possible antisocial infractions on the beach, just as any such acts are regulated in any public space such as on the city’s streets.” What is banned, it seems, is brazenly urinating into the sea from the shore or from breakwaters.

Your passport might have expired without you realising it

Some British passengers whose passports don’t expire for many months have been left baffled at the gate after being denied boarding.

The truth: This is something that all British holidaymakers should be aware of. Until September 2018, the Passport Office would tack any existing validity from an expiring passport onto the new one. This means that your passport, issued on July 1 2014, may expire on December 1 2024. However, since Brexit your British passport must have been issued no more than 10 years before you enter the EU/Schengen zone, and be valid for three months after the day you plan to come home. If you need a new passport, a one-week fast-track service is available for £166.50, or you can get a new passport within two days using the Premium service for £207.50.

You must show evidence of £97 to enter Spain (or risk being turned away)

There have been countless news reports claiming holidaymakers may have to show proof of funds amounting to £97 per day for the duration of their visit to Spain, or else risk being denied entry by Spanish border officers. The rule has been described by some news outlets as “controversial” and British tourists have supposedly “slammed” the rule and threatened to “boycott” Spain as a result.

The truth: This is true on paper, but not in practice. A spokesman for the Spanish Ministry of the Interior has told The Telegraph that the £97 rule has been misreported in Britain. “These are not systematic controls for tourists and no entry denial has occurred for this reason,” they said. “This is a hoax spread from time to time by the English media, lacking rigour and without any basis.” So while the rule does exist in the fine print of the Schengen Borders Code, it is important to be aware of the wider context. Namely: it is not a new rule, it does not only affect UK visitors, and there is currently no precedent of it causing any problems for British tourists.

There could be another air traffic control meltdown

Last August, over the summer bank holiday weekend, National Air Traffic Services (Nats) suffered a monumental IT glitch that grounded more than 700,000 passengers across UK airports. Some people fear that the same event could be repeated this summer.

The truth: It is a justified concern. Nats insists that it is well resourced for the summer ahead and says that the same issue could not occur again after a software fix. However, staff shortages remain a major issue. The air traffic control unit at Gatwick Airport has suffered continual shortages, including just a couple of weeks ago, that led to the cancellation of some flights. There are staff shortages in Europe, too; in early July, more than 125 flights from the UK were cancelled for this reason. French air traffic controllers (ATC) also strike regularly, and last month Ryanair cancelled almost 100 flights because of a strike at Paris Beauvais Airport. Wider French ATC strikes can also have a knock-on effect on any flights (for example, from Britain to Spain) passing through the air traffic zone.

Angry anti-tourist protesters could ruin your holiday

In recent months, there have been a number of anti-tourism protests in the Canary Islands, the Balearics, Barcelona and Venice. From afar, this can make a destination appear quite hostile.

The truth: By and large, the messaging at these protests is targeted at local politicians rather than the tourists themselves. So yes, there is a chance that your holiday could coincide with the occupation of a city or a beach, but it is unlikely to dent the overall enjoyment of your holiday. It is also unlikely that you’ll be the subject of any abuse, although protesters in Barcelona did recently target tourists dining on La Rambla with water pistols. There have been whispers about action at Palma de Mallorca airport this summer – if that comes to fruition, it could have a big knock-on effect for British holidaymakers.

The swimming pools are empty in Spain

Earlier in the year, Spain suffered a terrible drought. Some measures were introduced in the hardest-hit areas, such as Catalonia, where residents were banned from washing their cars, and swimming pools could only be topped up with recycled water or seawater. At the time, there were fears that drought measures could impact holidays over the summer.

The truth: North-eastern areas of Spain, particularly Catalonia, continue to suffer drought conditions, although steady rain followed the drought emergency in February, boosting reservoir reserves. Catalonia’s environmental authority has reassured the public that they are better prepared for extreme drought events this summer, but measures can be introduced at short notice. At the time of writing, there are no reports of swimming pools going empty in Spain. So pack your swimmers, unless told otherwise.

Just Stop Oil could cause chaos at airports

In late June, Just Stop Oil protesters breached the perimeter fence at Stansted Airport to spray private jets with the group’s signature orange cornflour concoction. This comes after the environmental group met in Birmingham to discuss action at national airports this summer.

The truth: While two Just Stop Oil protesters did indeed step foot on the airfield at Stansted Airport, private aviation was their focus and there is no recent precedent of a campaign group targeting an airport in an orchestrated manner. When The Telegraph asked Just Stop Oil whether holidaymakers should be wary of orange-T-shirt-wearing activists at airports, a spokesman said: “I wouldn’t say so. This is not focused on individuals flying. We’re not going to be talking about the ethics of people flying. People can be flying for all sorts of reasons. What we do as individuals means very little unless we can generate the political pressure for governments to act at a systemic level.”

I can bring as much liquid as I like onto my flight this summer

All UK airports were given a deadline of June 1 2024 to overhaul their security lanes to allow for new, state-of-the-art scanners that can detect liquids without the need for them to be removed from bags. This would spell the end of the dreaded 100ml rule, which has been in place since 2006, and mean you can leave your electronic devices in your bag.

The truth: While some airports did indeed hit the June deadline (City and Teesside, in fact, completed theirs in early 2023), the new liquid rules caused confusion at Birmingham Airport, prompting lengthy queues and ultimately a turnaround by the Government. So, for now, and probably the duration of the summer, tourists are under instruction to continue to follow the liquid rules.

Greek islands are on fire and I might have to evacuate

In June, Greece suffered from an unseasonably early heatwave, with 43C temperatures that forced schools to shut and the Acropolis in Athens to close its doors. More recently, there have been wildfires on Greek islands, elevating fears that this summer could bring a repeat of last summer’s dramatic evacuations.

The truth: Summer wildfires are common in Greece, and are usually brought under control by helicopters and planes that launch seawater over the affected area. Last year, following an extended dry and hot spell, there were particularly bad wildfires across Greece, notably on Rhodes, where some tourists had to be evacuated from their hotels. While the recent wildfires on Zakynthos, Chios, Crete and Kos brought reminders of the events of 2023, authorities say they have improved early-warning systems and are better prepared to tackle blazes this summer.

e-Gates keep failing and causing lengthy queues

Airports across the UK have experienced repeated shutdowns of their passport control e-Gates, leading to long waits.

The truth: Of all of the chaos points discussed, this is perhaps the one to be most wary of. Yet, mercilessly, it is also impossible to preempt or prepare for in any way (beyond packing some emergency snacks, perhaps). After the most recent e-Gate meltdown, in May 2024, which was the second in as many weeks, Caroline Carruthers, the chief executive of global data consultancy Carruthers and Jackson, told The Independent: “A similar meltdown could repeat itself for one of a million reasons at some point in the future.”