Does anyone else remember this....

[John H]

I was tidying a few things up and found my old passports, one of which had the "V Form" page.
I seem to remember you could only take so much out of the country each year....the travel agent detailed on the page how much of the holiday cost was being sent overseas, you then bought your currency up to the amount allowed...again this was marked in your passport...you could only take about £15 out of the country in sterling.
If you'd owned property abroad in those days it would have presented a few problems!!

Regards all

John

[Spurs]

Never seen that before John . My first passport was 1975 it was Blue and I remember everywhere you went they stamped it I was taking a van to France and Belgium regularly and had to buy the one with extra pages . It was a game every time to get the guy to stamp it as close to another stamp as poss so I could get more in it.

[Mallard]

Late 60s I worked on the foreign exchange till in a bank. Saturday morning was always busy and often a business person or on one occasion a well known author would want currency . They’d Fill in the Bank of England exchange control form Confirming it was for business for which you could get more currency. Often one was pretty sure it was just a jaunt but couldn’t prove it so stamp the form. Some satisfaction when the author It was announced on the evening news ,,(who said , it was a book research trip,)
managed to wreck his yacht before he’d left Portsmouth harbour!

[kevinb]

£15 to spend on your holiday! Sheer luxury even now.

[John H]

Probably a £200 allowing for inflation Kevin, and Spain was unbelievably cheap in the days of the pesata😉
Hope all's well
I used get really upset if my passport didn't get stamped Spurs, I must admit when I go somewhere different now a days I always ask for a stamp.

Regards all

John

[kevinb]

Not quite as cheap now is Spain  though not bad , hope you are well, got a week old new grandson , he's a healthy little thing, cheered up mum and dad after last year's sadness, unfortunately we can't see the baby yet as parents are still isolating.

[John H]

That's brilliant news after the events of last year Kevin, congratulations to all.

Regards all

John

[kevinb]

Many thanks John.

[Tony Gillam]

In a previous life, I was also did a stint on "foreign" and well remember the old exchange controls and "V" forms.

[Mallard]

True it does seem like a previous life. I only covered the odd week and Saturday mornings but it did lead to the opportunity in 71 to do 4 months on the school cruise ship Nevassa which was a great perk as the exchange office had to be closed whenever in a foreign port.

[Spurs]

Wow that brings back memories I was a schoolboy on a trip round the med on the Nevassa in 1972 started in Venice went to Greece Egypt Malta Crete and flew back from Naples . Seems a long long time ago now

[Mallard]

O dear showing my age!  I was lucky enough to be on for trips out to the Azores and up to the North Cape and Iceland as well as the western Mediterranean. It was high summer and without air con would have been too hot farther east. It was still a British India ship when I was on just being taken over by p&o . We’d meet the other ship Uganda in various ports for crews football matches etc.

[Tony Gillam]

E'ee, thee 'twere lucky. All i got was a day out to the Royal Tournament at Earls Court.

[Mallard]

Maybe the wrong bank?
I had to fight for the place though. I was in charge of the accounting machine room ( OC Mech) for decimalisation , practically an all night stint and told HO I deserved some reward!
It was fantastic as the crew of the ship knew all the best sights , restaurants etc and made sure we ( 2 girls in the exchange) had some brilliant outings.

[Tony Gillam]

Nah, that was school trips I was talking about. All I got from the decimalisation was back ache taking deliverer of the new coinage.