Using incident figures to highlight their concerns and advice, the FCO hopes to raise awareness and prevent incidents and accidents amongst Brits abroad – for example, for the period April 2005 – April 2006, 1,368 Brits were arrested in the Unites States, 955 were hospitalised in Greece, 376 lost their lives in France and 6,078 British passports were lost in Spain.

In the top ten countries where Britons ran into trouble and required consular assistance were the Czech Republic, India, Thailand and Australia, suggesting that whilst British travellers are getting more adventurous, they are perhaps not preparing themselves with adequate information, vaccinations and travel insurance.

Comprehensive travel insurance protects travellers against a range of eventualities, such as lost luggage and passports, medical expenses, repatriation and legal fees.

Foreign & Commonwealth Office Minister, Meg Munn, said: “One of the most important tasks for the Foreign Office is our work to help British nationals in distress overseas. As this report shows, although some of the incidents people face are unavoidable, many can be prevented with a little planning and careful preparation.

“Simple precautions like researching your destination, getting comprehensive travel insurance, checking out medical requirements and taking copies of important documents could help avoid common travelling traumas, risks and dangers in the long-run.”

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