Foreign and Commonwealth Office releases findings of British
Behaviour Abroad Report 2012
The FCO has released findings of its British
Behaviour Abroad Report which shows a notable increase of 3% in the
number of British people requiring consular assistance while
travelling abroad. Those countries where British people were
most likely to get into trouble and require the help of the FCO
included Spain, the USA and France, although this is a reflection
of the popularity of those countries as a tourist destination.
Hospitalisations amongst British people
travelling abroad have seen a sharp increase with 70 people
admitted to hospital each week. Perhaps most significant is
that 30% of those hospitalisations happened in Spain where Majorca
and Ibiza have seen a 132% and 40% increase in British people being
admitted to hospital respectively. This reflects a worrying
trend in the number of young people encountering difficulties when
abroad, often through excessive alcohol consumption and associated
reckless behaviour. Proportionally, however, Brits are most
likely to end up in hospital while visiting Greece.
An alarming 48% of Brits surveyed do not
realise that they are not covered for hospital bills and medical
treatment if they do not have comprehensive travel insurance.
Those who do travel with good insurance need to be aware that there
may not be cover if they have been injured or run into difficulty
as a result of their own willful or reckless behaviour.
Minister for Consular Services Jeremy Browne
commented:
“Whilst the prospect of ending up in a foreign
hospital may be the last thing on your mind as you head overseas
for a summer break, sometimes things do go wrong on holiday and
many people deeply regret not taking out comprehensive travel
insurance.
“We witness many cases where people have
invalidated their policy – perhaps by not declaring a pre-existing
medical condition or not checking their policy covers a particular
activity, such as hiring a moped…”
Not only will the FCO not pick up those
hospital bills Brits find themselves unable to pay but travellers
may end up stranded until funds can be secured through family or
friends to pay for their repatriation to the UK.
As an FCO Know
Before You Go Campaign Partner, Blake Lapthorn's Travel
Compensation Claims team can only highlight the three
key tips all those travelling abroad should bear in mind before
jetting off:
- get comprehensive travel
insurance – and read the small print
- check the health
requirements – so you can get right vaccinations and
malaria medication if required
- research your destination –
the more clued up you are, the smoother your trip will be.
These are points that anyone leaving
the UK for a holiday or extended stay abroad should consider no
matter how familiar they may be their intended destination.
Every year Blake Lapthorn’s Travel and Insurance Litigation team is
faced with providing advice to clients who have overlooked these
cheap and easy tips to staying safe abroad. As well as
knowing where and when to get consular assistance, it is important
those injured abroad also seek expert legal advice on their return
home.
View the full report.
View the
FCO’s interactive World map showing the findings of the British
Behaviour Abroad Report 2012.
For further information, please visit the FCO website
at www.fco.gov.uk/travel or
call the 24-hour FCO travel advice line on 0845 850 2829.
Alternatively, please visit Blake Lapthorn's dedicated
claims website www.blclaims.co.uk,
call us on 0844 620 6600 or use the right hand links to
contact us.
