Know Before You Go...
...comforting advice from the FCO (UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office)
Of course you want your trip to go smoothly. Although most overseas trips do go without a hitch, travellers still can, and do, run into trouble whilst they are away.
The good news is that many of the most common problems can be prevented or made less stressful by taking a few simple precautions. So it makes sense to spend a little time getting prepared before you travel – you could save yourself a lot of worry later on.
With this in mind, BTCV is working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to help British nationals stay safe abroad. The FCO website offers straightforward travel advice, top tips and up to date country information to help you plan your holiday.
Travel tips from the FCO
• Make sure you have valid travel insurance, even if you’re only planning a short trip. And make sure it will cover you for wherever you’re going and whatever activities you plan to take part in while you’re there.
• Visit your GP as soon as possible before you travel. They will check that your vaccinations are up to date and give you helpful health advice for your trip.
• Read up on your destination, including local laws and customs. A good travel guide should give you this information, and it’s also worth talking to your travel agent or tour operator about possible risks.
• Make photocopies of your passport, visas, insurance details and any other important travel documents. Take one copy with you (packed separately from your real documents) and leave another copy with a relative or friend at home. Alternatively store them online using a secure data storage site.
• Register with the FCO’s LOCATE service to tell them where you’re travelling to so the embassy and crisis staff can provide better assistance in an emergency such as a tsunami or terrorist attack.
For lots more travel advice, take a look at the FCO website.
Country by country advice
You can also find travel advice for specific countries at FCO Travel Advice by Country. This includes areas of the country that may be risky to visit, the likelihood of terrorist activities and any health issues that you should watch out for.
The information is updated regularly, so by selecting the countries you plan to travel to, you can make sure you’re properly informed.
Don’t go to…
Sometimes there is such a high level of risk in a certain country, or part of a country, that the FCO recommends that you simply don’t travel there. In such cases, BTCV would have been watching the situation carefully and would cancel or postpone the trip. We would continue to keep you informed throughout.
Introducing your local British Consulate
You’ll probably know that British Consulate offices exist in foreign countries, to assist British nationals while they’re in the country. But do you know what they can actually do to help if you can get into difficulty – and what they can’t do?
For example, your local British Consulate can:
• issue a replacement passport if yours is lost or stolen;
• help if you are a victim of crime;
• make special arrangements if there’s a terrorism attack or a natural disaster.
But they can’t:
• get you out of prison;
• pay fines for you or put up bail;
• help you enter a country if you don’t have the correct visa.
You can get all the facts about the British Consulate services on the FCO website.
No internet access?
All this information and more is provided on the FCO website. However, if you prefer to use the phone or you can’t get access to the internet, you can get the same information by calling the 24hour FCO travel advice line: 0845 850 2829.