I’ve been to 56 countries — this is where I’d go to dodge the EU fingerprint system

The next time you travel from the UK to Europe, you might notice some changes at passport control.

That’s because on 12 October 2025, the EU’s much-delayed new smart border system will finally come into force.

The Entry/Exit system, commonly known as the EES, is designed to strengthen security and ultimately make travel smoother. But there are concerns it could lead to long queues when people first register.

Instead of the manual stamping of passports at borders, non-EU nationals (including Brits) will be asked to hand over biometric details such as fingerprints and a photo, automating the registration of entries and exits.

The new system applies to all non-EU nationals entering the Schengen area, which covers 25 EU member states and four non-EU countries: Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

By April 2026, every airport, train station, and nautical border point in the Schengen area will have the system up and running. 

Ireland and Cyprus are the only EU member states that are not affected, but plenty of other non-Schengen destinations are also exempt.

I’ve spent a lot of time in 25 of the 27 EU countries, and I’ve visited most of the non-EU countries that surround them.

Here are my top three recommendations for destinations in countries exempt from the new system that are only a short flight from the UK.

Tbilisi, Georgia

Founded over 1,500 years ago, Tbilisi is the perfect antidote to Europe’s crowded cities.

Georgia’s ancient capital has it all: world-leading wine, an enchanting Old Town, trendy restaurants, and dark but fascinating history.

Still, it’s never been a popular city break for UK travellers, largely because getting there was, historically, a headache — up to 10 hours of flying time and an irritating stop in Istanbul or Kyiv, before the Ukraine war.

Not anymore. Flying to Georgia has been a breeze since easyJet and British Airways launched direct flights earlier this year.

Non-stop routes from London, which take around five hours, run Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Georgia is affordable, by Western standards, and people from over 90 countries can stay visa-free for up to a year. English is widely spoken in Tbilisi, particularly in the Kala, Mtatsminda, Vera and Chughureti districts.

There is more than enough to keep you occupied for a long weekend, but if you fancy a detour, get on the motorway and drive 40 minutes to Mtskheta, a Silk Road outpost that was once Georgia’s holy capital.

Today, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, with three impressive churches and riverside restaurants that serve excellent lobio (kidney bean and walnut stew).

I spent five days exploring every corner of Tbilisi in May, and I’m already planning my return.

Return flights: From £180 in November, flying from London Luton to Tbilisi with easyJet.

Büyükada, Istanbul, Turkey

Nicknamed Turkey’s ‘Gate to the East’, Istanbul is a magical meeting place straddling two continents, with bejewelled mosques, treasure trove bazaars and glorious street food at every turn.

It’s ancient, decadent, and at times, overwhelming.

But just a short jaunt across the Marmara Sea is Büyükada — a tiny island where immaculate beaches are framed by a pine forest backdrop. There are no cars, no cinemas, no theatres.

This oasis of calm that spans just two square miles is only an hour’s ferry from the bustling port of Bostanci, on Istanbul’s Asian side, but it feels like another planet.

There are small hotels, so you can spend a few nights here, strolling the tree-lined boulevards, sipping pomegranate juice and swimming with the city in the background.

It’s a side of Istanbul most tourists miss out on, and a welcome respite after navigating the crowds that throng the Hagia Sofia, Galata Tower and the Blue Mosque.

I’m told Büyükada is often overcrowded in summer, but when I visited in mid-September, it was lively yet quiet, a world away from the chaos of the city.

Return flights: From £56 in November, flying from London Gatwick to Istanbul with Wizz Air.

Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

It’s been a few years since I was in Bosnia, but I’ll always love everything about it: the people, the natural beauty, the troubled history that’s shaped a resilient country.

Known as the ‘Heart of the Balkans’, it was recently crowned one of Europe’s best-value city break destinations, and in my view, nowhere is more deserving of your time than Mostar.

Straddling the emerald green Neretva River in southern Bosnia, the city was decimated in the bloody Bosnian War of the 1990s.

Many treat Mostar as a pitstop between Sarajevo and the more popular Croatian coastline (you can drive between the two), but doing so would be a disservice to this truly fascinating place.

I recommend staying in the Old Town Hotel, a romantic base that’s perfect for exploring the ancient alleyways and wartime museums.

A non-negotiable is the Museum of War and Genocide Victims; the exhibitions give a powerful and at times emotional glimpse into the conflict and ethnic cleansing that decimated the country in the 1990s.

A short stroll takes you to the Old Town mosque. Climb the minaret for a breathtaking view of the Stari Most(Old Bridge), a UNESCO World Heritage site built in the 16th-century Ottoman era and reconstructed in 2004 after being shelled by Bosnian Croat forces in November 1993.

For a taste of Bosnia’s spectacular scenery, take a day trip to Kravice, where you can swim in waterfalls and the iconic blue-green lake.

You could also plan a twin-city break taking in Mostar and Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital that’s often described as a living museum. It’s a two-hour drive or a two-hour direct train, with one-way fares from £6.

Return flights: From £42, flying from London Stansted to Sarajevo with Ryanair.