With the major UK holiday season nearly upon us the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) is re-emphasising its successful ”Know before you go” campaign.
Originally launched in 2001 it is an ongoing travel safety campaign run to encourage British nationals to be better prepared for their overseas trips with a view to avoiding common travelling traumas, risks and dangers.
It is a double header in that if people do prepare properly, the FCO can use its considerable resources in the best way possible and not for problems that could have been foreseen.
Earlier this week it chose the impressive Whitehall Dunbar Court hospitality area to host a reception attended by tour operators and the media.
Welcoming the guests was Director of Consular Services, Rob Macarie, a civil servant and therefore not involved with the recent changes at ministerial level, that saw David Miliband installed as Foreign Secretary.
Macarie emphasised the work of the department:” British people now make more than 65m overseas trips a year and there are more than 13m million British nationals living abroad. We have around 1,000 full-time consular staff in 200 posts dealing with 3.5m enquiries and 75 - 80,000 of the most acute cases each year.”
”The cases that they deal with are wide and varied from replacing passports, helping the victims of forced marriage and visiting prisoners to dealing with large-scale incidents such as terror attacks or natural disasters.”
What the Foreign Office has to say is simple and applies to everyone - Know Before You Go ” secure travel insurance, research your destination including local laws and customs, visit your GP at least six weeks before travelling overseas and make copies of important travel documents.
Listing this advice is important.
Top Tips:
” Check the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) Travel Advice on the website or call 0845 850 2829.
” Set up travel insurance and check that the cover is appropriate.
” Check what vaccinations you need at least 6 weeks before you go and consider whether you need to take extra health precautions - Department of Health
” Get a good guidebook and get to know your destination. Find out about local laws and customs.
” Ensure you have a valid passport that is in good condition and the necessary visas.
” Make copies of your passport (including any visa pages), insurance policy plus 24-hour emergency number, and ticket details. Leave these copies, your itinerary and contact details with family and friends.
” Take enough money for your trip and some back-up funds, for example travellers cheques, sterling or US dollars.