Travel advice
Before you book and again before you fly, check the official advice for where you are going. It takes two minutes and it is tied to whether your insurance is valid.
Start with the FCDO
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office publishes advice for every country: safety and security, local laws and customs, health, entry requirements and natural hazards. It is written for British travellers, kept current, and free.
It is the source airlines, insurers and we ourselves refer to, so it is worth reading properly rather than skimming the headline. The entry-requirements section in particular changes more often than people expect.
This is the bit that matters financially
If the FCDO advises against all travel, or against all but essential travel, to your destination, most travel insurance policies become invalid for that trip. Not reduced — invalid. You would be abroad with no medical cover at all.
Advice can also change after you book. Sign up for email alerts on the FCDO country page so you find out before you are at the airport.
What to check, and when
Before you book
Entry requirements and any travel warnings. Both can rule out a destination or a routing before you have spent anything.
Six to eight weeks before
Vaccinations and antimalarials, via your GP or a travel clinic. Some courses take weeks to complete, so this is the deadline people miss.
A week before you fly
Re-read the advice. Security situations, health rules and entry requirements change, and your booking does not update itself.
Other official sources worth knowing
- TravelHealthPro — the National Travel Health Network and Centre. Country-by-country health advice, vaccinations and outbreak news.
- IATA Travel Centre — the entry-requirements database airlines themselves check, including transit rules.
- Civil Aviation Authority — UK aviation regulator, and where flight-disruption complaints escalate.
- Register your travel plans — worth doing for remote or higher-risk destinations.
Practical things that make a difference
- Photograph your passport and insurance policy and email them to yourself. A lost passport is far easier to replace with a copy.
- Save the emergency assistance number from your insurance policy to your phone before you go, not after something happens.
- Leave your itinerary with someone at home — flight numbers, hotel, and roughly where you will be.
- Check what your policy excludes. Mopeds, hiking above certain altitudes and alcohol-related incidents are common exclusions. See travel protection.
Modern slavery
We are opposed to slavery and human trafficking in every form and in every part of our business and supply chain. Our statement is published at modern slavery statement.
Not sure a destination is a good idea right now?
Ask us. We would rather talk you out of a trip than sell you a bad one.