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Beware Brits abroad - 3 August 2007

In trying to make sure that holidaymakers and those on their way out to their overseas properties for the summer months are kept as safe as possible, the Foreign Office has released figures in conjunction with its ‘Know Before You Go’ campaign about what befalls the loveable British tourist overseas.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does point out that the incident figures quoted, detailing the key problems British holidaymakers have abroad. The majority of these incidents, it says, could be prevented by better preparation by travellers, and it is hoping to encourage greater awareness of the potential problems.

The report throws up some interesting figures, such as the disproportionate number of passports lost in the Czech Republic – attributed to the influx of hen and stag parties to the country.

Greece has the dubious honour of being the country with the most hospitalisations, some 955 individual reported cases. This highlights the need for adequate travel insurance to cover medical expenses – breaking a leg in Europe could cost £4,000, or in the worst cases, an air ambulance back from the US is up to £35,000. Even a simple bout of gastro-enterisis in the Mediterranean with an overnight stay in hospital will set you back around £600.

There is of course a more serious side to this, in the view that we give other nationalities of our own behaviour, which can impact heavily on how overseas property buyers are received in the area in which they choose to buy. Making sure the right impression of the British as a nation is important to anyone wishing to integrate into a new community abroad.

The full range of advice for British travellers outside of the UK is available for free at www.fco.gov.uk/travel

 

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