The destination was decided in June, by simple majority: Britain is leaving the European
Union.
The journey, however, will be complex and perilous, beset by wrong turnings, chicanes
and elephant traps.
As Britain prepares to exit the EU, I hit the streets of London for a post-Brexit feeling
on the ground.
A hundred days ago and the forecasts were that Britain was about to fall apart.
Since then, Britain's kept going.
Big Ben still looms large over Westminster, the London Eye boasts a bird's eye view and
Tower Bridge stands proud over the Thames as it did in 1973 when Britain entered the
EU.
In fact, for international tourists visiting Britain from other countries, Brexit may not
be bad news at all.
"We're visiting our daughter who's studying abroad so, we're touring around the UK and
then to other parts around Europe."
Do you think it's cheaper after the Brexit vote to travel around the UK?
"It would appear so…apparently the rates have gone down from 1 to 6 to 1 to 3…so
it's better on the dollar."
The fall in the pound after the UK's decision to leave the EU means that their dollars now
stretch further and their holiday is more affordable.
"Yes it is because the relation to the dollar and pound.
It's easier and cheaper.
It will be more and more interesting for tourists to come here."
"Since the Brexit vote the pound has fallen 13-percent against the dollar and that's made
London landmarks like these a lot cheaper.
A family of four will save eleven dollars on their tickets to the Buckingham Palace
now costs 11 dollars less than before and that means more money to spend on afternoon
tea at the home of the Queen."
"And the cost to see the City from on top of the London Eye isn't quite as eye-watering
if you consider it used to be 16 dollars more expensive."
Last year more than 36 million visited Britain up five percent from the year before...
spending nearly 27-point-9 billion dollars.
And thanks to favorable exchange rates the hope is more will be tempted to come.
"Well the figures that we saw last week were for the month of July, so you are right, the
first full month since the referendum vote, which was at the end of June.
What they show is July was the best month we've ever seen in Britain for the number
of international visitors.
"
Burlington Arcade, the world's first ever shopping arcade, has been selling high end
luxury goods for nearly two hundred years.
At 196 yards long, it's guarded by the Beadles, the world's oldest and smallest private police
force wearing Victorian frock coats.
"Certainly since the referendum, we've seen an increase in tourist visitors to the Arcade.
Particularly from America, Canada, Far East, and Arab visitors.
The shops have reported to us anything from a 10-percent to a 50-percent increase.
Mainly I have to say on the higher end items people certainly take advantage of the exchange
rates."
For high-end luxury brands, like this British perfumery...
Brexit hasn't brought the sour aftertaste some were expecting.
Store managers like Zoliswa are nothing but gleeful at the post-Brexit boom.
"After the Brexit, we've had much more sales for our larger price products, the reason
being is with the currency difference now we've found that our clients travel from abroad
to get the best price."
One of their bestsellers in recent weeks has a price tag of 25-hundred pounds... and the
24 carat gold inside... you see because it's the cheapest ingredient that goes in this
bottle.
"Just last week we had a really large Chinese client come in and buy several of our products
and she loved the fact that it was British and she loved the fact that she could do tax
free here and she could take loads of products.
For her looking at the price difference was a great help too."
Tax-free shopping firm, Global Blue's latest figures show tourist spending on luxury goods
in Britain in August rose by 37 percent while its European peers saw an overall drop.
Analysts in the City say the figures offer further evidence that the UK is weathering
the short-term effects of the Brexit vote pretty well.
"We saw that the economy didn't collapse immediately after the votes... and the actual fact that
the sterling has gotten 13-percent weaker against most of the currencies.
Well that's actually allowed foreigners to buy UK assets much more cheaply."
Retail sales for August across the UK - up more than six percent from the same month
last year... also suggests consumer confidence has held up in the wake of the Brexit vote.
But, with Brexit negotiations not even started, there is no sugar coating some of the risks
the economy faces further down the road.
"In the medium to longer term, there are obviously clear risks.
Uncertainty is a big factor and that uncertainty leads to businesses and households pulling
back not spending as much as they otherwise would.
So that does suggest growth would slow next year and into 2018."
Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Theresa May made it official that 2019 is
the year the UK will be leaving the EU.
"We will invoke Article 50 no later than the end of March next year."
That means the UK will be leaving the EU two years later.
THAT pushed the pound to a new 31-year low against the dollar on fresh fears that British
exporters and banks could suffer out of the EU single market.
"One of the biggest issues or reason why London is so important and is base for global finance,
is that they have passporting arrangements into Europe, so essentially they could freely
trade fiancial services into Europe.
Now with Brexit, what's uncertain is whether that arrangement holds, does the passporting
arrangement hold?
If it doesn't and the financial sector moves from London, you've got this great big hole,
at the center of London's economy, but also the UK's economy as well.
"London has been a global financial hub for centuries but its role has only grown in recent
decades with bank deregulation and huge increase in international trade.
Now, post-Brexit whether it can hold up its status as the center for international banking
remains to be seen."