UKH

Earlier this year my wife and I decided to visit my dad in Ireland. Normally we take a weeks holiday at the start of November somewhere rural in Scotland so we thought we'd use that week.

Well as things now stand 31 Oct is looking like no deal Brexit and now I think we can't do this. Who knows how travel will be affected. Could we get caught up in delays at the border? What paperwork would be needed? My wife (English) does not have a passport. Will that be a problem? Will driving under  UK licence in Ireland be an issue? Medical care? Would we need medical travel insurance?

Anyone faced with similar? 

It's isn't recommended to travel to Ireland and back without a passport, even now.
Legally it's possible but can lead to problems with air and sea carriers and border officials (Mostly the case if your are not white or have an accent TBH), Normally they do only spot checks but with Brexit we can expect they'll be intensified.

I go two or three times a year and it's never occurred to me not to take out insurance.

I imagine your licence will be as valid as it is/will be in France but at least your steering wheel will still be on the right side.

EHIC covers existing conditions within the member countries. That ends with no deal Brexit and buying insurance that covers existing conditions may be expensive or unobtainable.

Yes, certainly.

You'll need passports; there's still time to sort hers.

Looks as if this'll be OK for Ireland:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/team-blog/2019/03/driving-abroad-after-br...

Yes, EHIC won't be valid in ROI if there's no deal.

All of these things can be sorted and will be manageable - just more expensive and more hassle, with more chance of getting caught out by failing to sort something.

But personally, I wouldn't entertain travelling between the UK and EEA (or for that matter further afield - there could easily be knock-on disruption) so close to the brexit date, unless essential - waiting for the initial chaos to settle seems a much better plan.

Ask car insurer for proof of insurance. Hard brexit means UK insurance will not be recognised as issued within EU.

You can travel by sea without a passport now, not a problem. Drivers license is fine..as for a hard brexshit,  then all bets are off.

Even by air but they do spot checks, in which case, if you don’t look British enough and don’t have a passport, good luck proving you are British.

It’s a murky area, people have tried to ask the home office through foi requests how they enforce the border for people not entitled to use the common travel area, they systematically refuse to answer. Typical of the authoritarian state we’ve now become.

Are there lots of people (including UKCers) travelling around Europe thinking that EHIC will provide adequate cover in the event of a medical emergency? My understanding has always been that it won't be.