Travel Guide

They can:

* Issue emergency passports;
* Contact relatives and friends and ask them to help you with money or tickets;
* In an emergency, cash you a sterling cheque worth up to £100 if supported by a valid banker’s card;
* As a last resort, in exceptional circumstances, and as long as you meet certain strict rules, give you a loan to get back to the UK, but only if there is no one else who can help you;
* Visit you if arrested or put in prison, and arrange for messages to be sent to relatives or friends;
* Help you get in touch with local lawyers, interpreters and doctors;
* Tell you how to transfer money;
* Arrange for next of kin to be told of an accident or a death and advise on procedures;
* Put you in touch with organisations who help trace missing persons;
* Speak to local authorities on your behalf;
* Give you a list of local lawyers.

But they cannot:

* Intervene in court cases; Read the rest of this entry »

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London provides excellent advice for travellers and you are strongly advised to log on to their web site at www.fco.gov.uk/travel before you go. They can also be contacted by telephone on 0207 008 0232/0233. Similar levels of advice to non-UK nationals can be obtained from their respective Consulates, Embassies and High Commissions though the FCO website is also a source of good general travel advice to anyone travelling abroad.

1. Take out comprehensive travel insurance including medical and repatriation cover. If you extend your stay, extend your policy. Declare any pre-existing medical conditions (including those of anyone you are travelling with) to your insurer
2. Familiarise yourself with your destination and local laws and customs. Check out the FCO travel advice available online at www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo or by calling 0207 008 0232/0233. The situation may have changed since your last visit. The FCO travel advice is regularly updated.
3. Ensure that your passport is valid for a minimum of six months at the date of your return and that it contains full up-to-date details of your next of kin.
4. Ensure that you have the correct visas. Remember to extend your visa if you decide to stay longer than you had originally planned for.
5. Check with your GP about any extra health care precautions and vaccinations you may need at least six weeks prior to travel.
6. Ensure that your travel agent is an ABTA member and flight arrangements are ATOL protected.
7. Make copies of your tickets, passport, insurance policy (plus 24-hour emergency number), itinerary and contact details. Take a copy with you and leave a copy with family and friends at home.
8. Take enough money and back-up funds for your trip. Check the validity, expiry date and cash available on your credit or debit card(s) and whether they can be used in the country you are visiting. Ensure you have a return ticket, or enough money to buy one,
9. Avoid any involvement with drugs. The penalties are severe and could you include the death sentence. Don’t carry parcels or luggage through customs for anyone else and don’t cross land-borders with people you don’t know. Carry a doctor’s prescription for any drugs you may need.
10. Take the contact details of the nearest British consulate with you. If you get into difficulties, seek the advice of the local authorities or the nearest British consulate.

One can find Bed and Breakfasts most anywhere in the United Kingdom. If you like the personal touch of being greeted by the same person every morning then a Bed and Breakfast is for you, as they are mostly family owned and run. A convenient feature of Bed and Breakfasts is one can often get a room in a Bed and Breakfast where hotels may not be available, like in the countryside or in the centre of a major city like Bath, London or Oxford. The tourist board rates Bed and Breakfasts.

They first use between one and five crown symbols (five having the most facilities). An inspector then visits the location and gives it one of the following ratings:
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July 13, 2007

This Travel Warning is being issued to update information on the general security environment in Israel, Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, and to reiterate threats to American citizens and U.S. interests in those locations. The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to remain mindful of security factors when considering travel to Israel and Jerusalem at this time. In addition, the Department of State urges U.S. citizens to defer travel to the West Bank and to avoid all travel to the Gaza Strip. This warning supersedes the Travel Warning issued January 17, 2007.

American citizens in the Gaza Strip should depart immediately, a recommendation that the State Department has maintained and renewed since the deadly roadside bombing of a U.S. Embassy convoy in Gaza on October 15, 2003. This recommendation applies to all Americans, including journalists and aid workers.
Read the rest of this entry »