FCO urges travel insurance

in 

FCO

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office have again urged British people abroad to fully insure themselves against the problems that sometimes arise.

According to a recent report detailing the conduct of Brits abroad, a number of British citizens are falling victim to health problems and ending up hospitalised while overseas. In fact, the number of Brits becoming hospitalised has actually increased to 3,752 cases in total.

The country with the most cases was discovered to be Spain with 1,024 cases, with Greece coming second. Interestingly, Thailand, a country where foreigners are known to get in to bother, was found to be the least likely place for Brits to be hospitalised.

The fallout from these cases of medical need are that for the uninsured healthcare fees can be very expensive for foreigners abroad, let alone attached to layers and layers of red tape.

For this reason it is vital that all British citizens venturing abroad have adequate insurance plans, especially expatriates.

The FCO have also warned against getting in trouble with the law when abroad. General overseas arrests have fallen by more than 10 percent, and drug related arrests have fallen by 20 percent but the FCO has still issued the following statement: “We work hard to warn British nationals about the consequences of breaking the law abroad so it is really encouraging to see the overall number of cases of arrests and drug arrests falling. But last year there were still 5700 arrests of British nationals overseas. Prison conditions in some parts of the world can be very poor, overcrowded and, in some cases, dangerous and sentences can be much tougher than in the UK. People are mistaken if they think the Foreign Office can get you out of jail. We can’t, but we will work hard to try and ensure your safety, and that you get a fair trial.”

For British expats abroad life can often be radically different to that back home. To avoid causing offence and getting into trouble, consult our guide to expat culture shock, and also our detailed city guides that cover the many aspects of life in a number of popular global expat destinations.