Know Before You Go – travel advice by Country

Travelling is exciting, but it can be daunting, therefore, accessing appropriate travel advice about the country or countries you will be visiting is important. It’s wise to get travel advice about a country and you should get to know the country, countries you will be visiting before you travel, so you will be more prepared when you arrive.

Even the most seasoned travellers should seek advice, as every country is different and although you may have visited that country before, political or environmental situations can change, sometimes overnight. Useful advice can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website, its easy to navigate, alphabetical list of countries are regularly updated with relevant advice.

Sometimes the advice you receive might seem overwhelming, but remember, it’s not scare you but designed to prepare you, not scare you; set out below are a few things that should need consider before you go:

• Areas of a country that should be avoided
• Areas of a country where only essential travel is advised
• Crime rates and how to protect yourself against crime
• Terrorist threats and where they might occur
• The current political situation of a country
• Weather conditions or natural disasters such as earthquakes and avalanches
• Motor advice including road laws and car insurance
• Public transport and how the facilities differ from those in Britain
• Local laws, religions and customs and how to abide by them
• Acquiring appropriate travel insurance to suit your travel destinations – goodtogoinsurance.com can cover travellers of any age, even those with pre-existing medical conditions
• Entry requirements including visas and passport validity – some countries need your passport to be valid for 6 months when you arrive
• Health risks including malaria, rabies and the prevalence of swine flu or bird flu
• Which travel vaccinations, if any, you require
• Money matters such as the use of travellers’ cheques, credit cards and where to obtain local currency
• What might affect travellers who hold a British Passport?

The FCO website contains very accurate information about these matters. After you’ve done your research, you can make an informed decision about where to go on holiday but be Travel Aware!