By 
You are on a café terrace on the first evening of a holiday, phone face up beside your glass, bag hooked over the back of the chair. Someone stops at the table holding out a map and asks for directions. By the time they have thanked you and walked off, the phone has gone with them, and with it your boarding passes, your banking app and the photos of your passport you meant to back up. Nothing about the trip was reckless. It just ran on the assumption that nothing would happen.
Most holiday problems are like this: ordinary, predictable and far easier to prevent than to fix. The five tips below are written for UK travellers and focus on the checks and habits that make the difference, from reading the right government page before you book to knowing exactly who to call if a passport or wallet disappears.
Tip 1: Research your destination the official way
The single most useful page for any trip abroad is the UK government's foreign travel advice for your destination, published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on GOV.UK. It is written for British nationals specifically, which matters for entry rules and consular help.
What to read on the FCDO page
- Warnings and insurance: whether the FCDO advises against all travel, or all but essential travel, to the whole country or to particular regions. Maps show which areas are affected. Travelling against this advice can invalidate a standard travel insurance policy.
- Entry requirements: passport validity, visas, any registration or permission you must arrange before you fly, and rules for children travelling with one parent.
- Safety and security: crime patterns, common scams, demonstrations, and local hazards such as rip currents, wildfires or road conditions.
- Laws and cultural differences: rules that can catch visitors out, from dress codes at religious sites to bans on certain medicines, e-cigarettes, drone flying or photographing government buildings.
- Getting help: local emergency numbers and the contact details of the British embassy or consulate.
Scroll to the top of the page and sign up for email alerts. If the advice changes between booking and departure, or while you are away, you will hear about it without having to remember to check.
Passport rules that catch people out
Passport problems stop more holidays at the airport than almost anything else. For most countries in the EU, both the date your passport was issued and its expiry date matter, and older UK passports that had extra months carried over from a previous one can fall short even though the printed expiry date looks fine. Many countries further afield require a set period of validity remaining after you arrive, and some insist on blank pages for stamps.
The EU has also introduced a digital border system that records fingerprints and a photograph for non-EU visitors at their first crossing, so allow extra time at border control. Requirements change, so check the entry requirements section of the FCDO page for your exact destination, and if your passport is borderline, renew it before you book rather than after.
Scams and local customs
The FCDO page and the destination's own tourist authority will often describe the scams that are common locally. Knowing them in advance makes them easy to spot. Well-known examples include strangers tying a "free" friendship bracelet on your wrist and then demanding payment, a gold ring "found" on the pavement and offered to you for cash, petition sheets on clipboards used to distract you while someone else goes through your bag, and taxi drivers at major sights who claim your hotel is closed and take you to a different one. For longer-haul trips, Important Things to Consider Before Traveling to Thailand shows how much local rules and customs can differ from home.
Tip 2: Protect your documents, cards and phone
Losing a wallet abroad is rarely a disaster in itself. What turns it into one is having everything in the same place at the same moment.
Copies stored separately
Before you leave, photograph the photo page of your passport, your driving licence, your travel insurance certificate and the emergency number for your insurer. Keep one set in a secure cloud folder or email account you can reach from any device, and a paper copy in a different bag from the originals. Leave a set with someone at home. If your phone is stolen along with your passport, the copy that survives is the one that was not on the phone.
Note your bank's emergency number for lost cards as well. It is printed on the back of the card, which is no help once the card has gone.
Hotel safes and their limits
A room safe is useful, but it is not a vault. Many are too small for a laptop, some can be opened by staff with a master code, and they offer little protection if the whole room is burgled. For high-value items, ask whether reception has a safety deposit box and whether they give a receipt. Read your insurance policy too: many set a limit on any single item and on valuables left unattended, and some only pay out if valuables were in a locked safe.
Split your cards and cash
Carry one card and the cash you need for the day, and leave a second card, ideally from a different bank, locked away at the accommodation. If one card is lost or blocked, the other still works. When a card terminal or cash machine offers to charge you in pounds rather than the local currency, choose the local currency: the conversion offered at the till is usually poorer than your bank's. Use cash machines inside bank branches where you can, and cover the keypad with your hand.
Distraction thefts on metros and terraces
Pickpockets in busy tourist areas, such as Las Ramblas in Barcelona, the crowds around the Trevi Fountain in Rome or the Paris metro, mostly rely on distraction rather than stealth. Watch for these patterns:
- Someone pointing out a stain on your coat, then offering to help clean it while a partner lifts your wallet.
- A crush at metro doors just before they close, with the thief stepping off as the train leaves.
- A map, menu or newspaper laid on your café table, covering a phone that is picked up with it.
- A bag hung on the back of a chair or left by your feet on a busy terrace.
Simple habits defeat most of this: phone in a zipped inside pocket rather than on the table, bag on your lap or with the strap looped round your leg, rucksack worn on your front in crowded carriages, and a firm "no, thank you" to anyone pressing something into your hands.
Tip 3: Sort out health cover and medicines before you go
Travel insurance that fits the trip
Buy travel insurance as soon as you book, not the week before, so that cancellation cover applies if you fall ill or a family emergency stops you travelling. When comparing policies, look past the headline and check:
- Pre-existing medical conditions: declare them all, including ones that feel minor or well controlled. An undeclared condition can be grounds for refusing a claim, even one that seems unrelated.
- Activities: riding a scooter or moped, skiing, diving, hiking at altitude and many water sports are excluded or need an add-on. Scooter cover often only applies if you hold the right licence for that vehicle at home and wear a helmet.
- Alcohol: many policies exclude claims for accidents that happen while you are drunk.
- Medical cover and repatriation: make sure it includes emergency treatment and getting you home if needed, and note the emergency assistance line.
- The excess and single-item limits for belongings, especially phones and cameras.
Insurance is also where small costs add up quickly, as Unexpected Holiday Expenses explains in more detail.
The GHIC and what it does not do
The UK Global Health Insurance Card, or GHIC, gives you access to medically necessary state healthcare in EU countries, and in some other countries, on the same terms as local residents. That might mean free treatment or it might mean paying the same contribution a local person would. It is free from the official NHS website, so ignore third-party sites that charge to process an application.
The GHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance. It does not cover private clinics, which are what many hotels and resorts will call first, mountain rescue, the cost of getting you home, or lost belongings. Carry both, and when you need treatment, tell the clinic you want state care if you intend to use the card.
Vaccines and health advice
The NHS Fit for Travel website lists recommended vaccines and health risks country by country, including malaria, dengue and other insect-borne diseases. Some vaccines need several doses spread over weeks, so book an appointment with your GP surgery or a travel clinic well ahead. A few countries require proof of yellow fever vaccination for entry, particularly if you have recently been in a country where it occurs.
Carrying medicines
Keep medicines in their original packaging with the pharmacy label showing your name, and carry them in your hand luggage with enough to cover delays. For prescription medicines, ask your GP for a letter listing the medicine, the dose and the condition it treats. Some medicines that are routine in the UK, including certain strong painkillers, sleeping tablets and decongestants, are controlled or banned in some countries. Check with the embassy of the country you are visiting before you travel, and see GOV.UK for the rules on taking controlled medicines out of the UK.
Tip 4: Stay connected and reachable
Share your plans
Leave a simple itinerary with a friend or relative: flight details, the address of each place you are staying, and any day trips, hikes or boat trips. Agree a light check-in habit, such as a message each evening, so that silence means something. If you change plans, update them. This is especially important for solo travellers and anyone heading into mountains, onto the water or off the main routes.
Emergency numbers
In every EU country, 112 connects you to emergency services, and it works from mobile phones. Operators in many places can handle calls in English. Outside the EU, numbers differ: the United States and Canada use 911, Australia uses 000, and some countries have a separate tourist police line. Find the local numbers in the "Getting help" section of the FCDO page and save them in your phone before you land, along with the address and phone number of the nearest British embassy or consulate and your insurer's assistance line.
Maps, roaming and charging
- Offline maps: download the area you are visiting in your map app before you go, so you can navigate without signal or data.
- Roaming: UK networks no longer all include free roaming in Europe, and charges outside Europe can be steep. Check your plan, or consider a local SIM or an eSIM, before you switch data on.
- Battery: a dead phone removes your maps, tickets and ability to call for help. Carry a power bank and a plug adaptor for the country.
- Address card: keep your accommodation's name and address written down, ideally in the local language, so you can show it to a driver even if your phone is flat.
Public wifi
Free wifi in airports, cafés and hotels is convenient, but anyone can set up a hotspot with a convincing name. Avoid logging into banking or entering card details on public networks; use your mobile data instead, or a VPN if you already use one. Be wary of texts and emails claiming your flight is cancelled or your bank card blocked, and go to the official app or website directly rather than following the link. Turn on your phone's find-and-erase feature before you travel so a stolen device can be locked remotely.
Tip 5: Plan your transport and nights out
Many holiday incidents happen late at night, when people are tired, have been drinking and are trying to get back to their accommodation.
Taxis
Take taxis from official ranks at airports and stations, or ask your accommodation to book one. In the arrivals hall, ignore drivers who approach you offering a ride, as they are often unlicensed. Licensed taxis usually display a licence number, a roof light and a meter. Check that the meter is switched on as you set off, or agree the fare before you get in where meters are not used. Some airports have set fares into the city, which are posted at the rank. If you are driving yourself, 5 Tips to Choosing the Right Car to Rent covers what to check before you sign.
Drinks and spiking
Drink spiking happens in holiday resorts as it does at home. Keep your drink with you, watch it being poured, and do not accept drinks from strangers. If you or a friend suddenly feel far drunker than you should, confused or unwell, tell bar staff, stay together, and get medical help quickly, because some substances can only be detected in tests for a short time. Report it to the police.
The FCDO also warns about methanol poisoning from counterfeit or locally made spirits in several countries. Be cautious with very cheap spirits, cocktails mixed from unmarked bottles and buckets of spirits sold on beaches. Symptoms such as blurred vision, severe headache or breathing difficulties can appear hours later and need urgent hospital treatment.
Scooters, mopeds and quad bikes
Hiring a scooter or quad on a Greek island or in South-East Asia looks like freedom, but it carries real risk. Roads can be steep, gravelly and poorly lit, and local traffic moves differently from what you are used to. Before you hire anything:
- Check that your UK licence covers that type and size of vehicle in that country. A car licence alone often does not cover larger mopeds or motorbikes, and some countries also require an International Driving Permit.
- Confirm that your travel insurance covers it, and on what conditions.
- Wear a helmet, even where locals do not.
- Photograph the vehicle before you ride off, so you are not charged for existing damage.
- Never hand over your passport as a deposit. The FCDO advises against it, and it leaves you with no leverage in a dispute.
Getting back safely
Decide how you will get home before you go out, not at closing time. Keep the fare in a separate pocket, agree with friends that nobody walks back alone, and stick to lit, busy streets rather than shortcuts along unlit beach roads or through parks. Avoid swimming after drinking or at night, when currents and rocks are hard to see and nobody is watching.
If something goes wrong
Even careful travellers lose things or fall ill. Knowing the order of steps saves time and makes insurance claims and replacements much smoother.
Theft or loss
- Cancel cards straight away using your bank's emergency number or app, and change passwords for any accounts on a stolen phone.
- Report the theft to the local police and get a written report with a reference number. Insurers almost always require one, and many set a deadline for reporting, so do it promptly.
- Tell your insurer and keep receipts for anything you have to replace.
- For lost luggage, report it at the airline's desk before you leave the baggage hall and get a property irregularity report.
A lost or stolen passport
If your passport is lost or stolen abroad, report it, then apply online through GOV.UK for an emergency travel document. This is a temporary document that lets you travel home, usually on a specific route, and it can be used for limited journeys only. You will need a digital photo, your travel details and a police report reference if you have one. There is a fee, and processing times vary, so check GOV.UK for the current details. If you need to travel urgently, contact the nearest British embassy or consulate.
Illness or injury
In an emergency, call the local emergency number first. For anything beyond minor treatment, call your insurer's emergency assistance line as soon as possible, ideally before you agree to expensive care; they can approve treatment, direct you to suitable hospitals and arrange to pay the bill. Keep every medical report and receipt.
What the embassy can and cannot do
British embassies and consulates, backed by the FCDO's round-the-clock line in London, can issue emergency travel documents, provide lists of local lawyers, doctors and interpreters, contact family for you, and visit British nationals in hospital or under arrest. They cannot pay your bills, give legal advice, get you out of prison or interfere in local court cases. The contact details are on the FCDO page for every country, which is one more reason to save them before you go.
Before you fly, spend ten minutes on the FCDO page for your destination, sign up for its alerts and save the embassy number in your phone; it takes a minute and costs nothing.
Official sources and further reading
Opening times, entry rules and prices change, so check them on the official sites before you travel:
- GOV.UK: foreign travel advice: Entry rules, safety and health notices for every country, kept up to date by the UK government.
- GOV.UK: foreign travel insurance: What travel insurance should cover and how to choose a policy.
- NHS: apply for a GHIC: The UK Global Health Insurance Card and where it applies.
