Do I need a UK passport to be entitled to free healthcare in Europe?

Simon Calder answers your questions on flying to Australia and where to visit on a campervan trip to Canada

The people who are in the strongest post-Brexit position are those with the good fortune to have Irish passports (Alamy/PA)

Q I have a query about the benefits of an Irish passport. When you live and work in Northern Ireland but have an Irish passport, you can’t get a European Health Insurance Card (Ehic). So when travelling within Europe, you need your British passport and UK Global Health Insurance Card (Ghic) to receive the free health treatment. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Alison McQ

A As I have written previously, in terms of documentation and ease of travel, the people who are in the strongest post-Brexit position are those with the good fortune to have Irish passports.

Thanks to being EU citizens they can speed through Schengen area formalities just as the British once did. And by 2 April they will comprise the only group of foreign people who don’t need an Electronic Travel Authorisation for the United Kingdom, due to the age-old Common Travel Agreement.

It is quite possible to be a UK citizen and an Irish passport holder at the same time. That is why I have said that I can understand why British citizens who have the good fortune to possess an Irish passport might choose to dispense with the UK version: it offers precious little extra benefit.

Having said all that, for the issue of healthcare in the European Union, the key consideration is your country of residence. If you live in Northern Ireland you qualify for a Ghic, which offers free or very heavily subsidised treatment at public hospitals across the EU.

The fact that you might also have an Irish passport is not relevant. Indeed, while it is always a good idea for a UK traveller to have a Ghic when travelling to Europe, it is not strictly essential to possess one in order to qualify for treatment on the same basis as local people. The hospital can make contact with the section of the UK NHS Business Services Authority that handles overseas medical care, and verify a patient’s status. But best to carry the card.

Cut your air passenger duty by stopping over in Istanbul en route (AP)

Q My wife and I are going to Australia for the first time in July, flying to and from Sydney. We live in Sheffield so Manchester is the best long-haul airport for us, but we will also consider one of the London airports. The airlines we have thought about are British Airways, Emirates, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas and Qatar Airways. What do you think?

Pepe D

A I think you should widen your search. If price and speed are your main considerations, then fly from London Heathrow or Gatwick on one of the Chinese airlines. They cross Russia en route to their hubs, reducing the journey time by a couple of hours. You can also pause for a few days in Beijing or Shanghai; I recommend the latter.

Whichever route you choose, I strongly recommend a stopover en route to Australia, both to help adjust to jet lag and because there are so many worthwhile places to explore along the way. Two of your potential choices – Dubai (Emirates) and Doha (Qatar Airways) – will be unbearably hot in July. More appealing prospects are Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia Airlines) and Singapore (Qantas or British Airways). Singapore is the more rewarding and is also served from Manchester airport by Singapore Airlines.

If you can take a few days over the journey, then go for two stops along the way: flying from Manchester to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines, and then later to Singapore. The advantage of spending at least 24 hours in Istanbul is that your air passenger duty liability falls by £81 to just £13 – so the chancellor subsidises your stopover. You can also stop in Singapore before Turkish Airlines’ onward flight to Sydney.

A good travel agent can arrange all this and usually offer extra value on stopover hotels.

If you are visiting the region, Quebec City is not to be missed (Getty/iStock)

Q I know you have travelled widely in Canada. What are your highlights in the “Maritimes” and Newfoundland? We are going on a five-week RV trip in June.

Simon P

A Eastern Canada is filled with outstanding travel experiences. The Maritimes comprise Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island; Newfoundland became part of Canada only in 1949. All can be combined by road and ferry. Newfoundland is a joy, with the Avalon Peninsula my favourite area. The capital, St John’s, is the easternmost city in North America. It makes an excellent base for exploring a raw, entrancing corner of the world with superb landscapes and seascapes at every turn.

You might want to take a side trip by ferry across to the French island of St Pierre – a fascinating geo-political anomaly. Otherwise, head for Nova Scotia; I recommend the long, overnight crossing from Argentia to North Sydney. Explore first Cape Breton, the northern chunk of the province that is a wild and beautiful island.

“Mainland” Nova Scotia, easily accessible by ferry, is probably the most intensively rewarding location: natural beauty combines with a deep history (by North American standards). Halifax, the capital, is the main metropolis for the Maritimes, with cultural attractions to match.

Spend at least a week in Nova Scotia. White Point Resort is an excellent location to treat yourselves to a night in a hotel, if your budget allows. And make sure you visit Digby Neck, a finger of land with amazing and empty beaches. You can take a ferry from the town of Digby to New Brunswick, a much- underrated province. I like Saint John (no relation to St John’s) as a working city, and Moncton is the best location to witness the extraordinary Bay of Fundy tides, the most extreme in the world.

The one place where I will question your plans: Prince Edward Island. I suggest you aim for the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec instead, for a Francophone experience amid superb scenery. Quebec City itself is my favourite city in Canada.

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