Legal information for backpackers

With best backpackers you are covered for you legal expenses should you have a problem while you are away. You are covered up to £10,000 for legal costs and expenses incurred to claim for compensation or damages if you are injured or you die during the period of your trip.

BACKPACKERS AND INDEPENDENT TRAVELLERS

BRITISH CONSULS

Each year more backpackers, young and old, set off to explore exotic and remote parts of the world. Most enjoy a trouble free trip. But proper preparation at home and sensible precautions abroad are vital. This information sets out what to do before you go, what to do if you get into trouble overseas, and how we can help.

We are committed to helping Britons in trouble overseas. The main Consulate in any country is part of the Embassy or High Commission which is usually in the capital city. There are often smaller consular offices, including Honorary Consulates, in other cities and towns.

Carry a list of British Consular Offices in the countries you plan to visit. You can get the addresses from your local library, from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London or from our website on the internet at: http://www.fco.gov.uk/directory/posts.asp

Working hours in most British Consulate offices usually follow the local pattern, but it is best to telephone first. Most British Consulates operate an answerphone service telling you the office opening hours and arrangements for handling emergencies at other times.

In countries where there is no British Consular Office you can seek help from the Embassies and Consulates of other EU member states.

BEFORE YOU GO

· Get information, including Travel Advice issued by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, on each country you plan to visit. Some places are not safe and should not be visited (see ‘Avoiding Trouble Spots’ section in the FCO website).

· Get full travel insurance to cover illness, injury and loss of money, baggage and tickets; if you intend to participate in high risk activities or hire a motorised vehicle, check your insurance covers everything.

· Ask your doctor or a specialist travel clinic about vaccinations and other health needs.

· Make sure you have enough money for your trip. Traveller’s cheques are the safest way of taking cash abroad.

· Take a credit card.

· Take a UK telephone charge card.

·Take a photocopy of your passport and visas and some spare passport photographs.

· Take a padlock and chain to secure your baggage at airports, railway stations, on buses, etc.

· If you have to carry medicine get a doctor’s note in case you are stopped by customs or lose your medicine and need to replace it.

· Read a good guide book.

· Leave details of your journey with your family and tell them of any change of plan.

AVOIDING TROUBLE SPOTS

Before travelling, take time to find out about your destination. Talk to your travel agent or tour operator about possible risks. Read a good guide book. Ask friends who have visited the area. Check the news for reports of problems in the places you plan to visit. Consult the FCO’s Travel Advice which is regularly updated. Things can change quickly and without warning, and none of these sources are infallible. As you will make the final decision on whether to travel to a particular place, make sure you are properly informed.

WHEN YOU ARE THERE

· Never get involved with drugs. You could face massive fines, long prison sentences in grim conditions, even the death penalty. We cannot get you out of prison.

· Obey the local laws. In most countries the use of cameras and binoculars may be prohibited, particularly near military sites. Use of binoculars and cameras in such areas, even for innocent purposes such as bird-watching and plane-spotting, can be misunderstood.

· Do not leave your baggage unattended at airports, train or bus stations.

· Never carry packages through customs for other people.

· Do not drive someone else's vehicle through customs, or across a border. Be careful who you lend your vehicle to.

· Do not drink alcohol in a country where laws do not allow it.

· Never hitch-hike.

· Telephone home regularly.

· If you are going to arrive late at night, book your hotel before you get there.

· Only change your traveller's cheques and money in banks, or authorised foreign exchange offices.

· Dress modestly and respect local customs.

· Be security conscious. Avoid unlit streets at night. Carry only the minimum amount of cash when sightseeing.

· It is normally safer not to resist violent theft.

WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU

· Issue an emergency passport to get you back to the UK.

· Contact family and friends and ask them to help you with money or tickets.

· Tell you how to transfer money.

· In an emergency, cash you a sterling cheque worth up to £100 if supported by a valid banker’s card.

· Help you get in touch with local doctors, interpreters, lawyers and local British organisations.

· Visit you in hospital and pass messages to your family if you wish.

· If you are arrested, we will visit you, advise about local lawyers and the local legal and prison systems, pass messages to your family if that is what you want, and give welfare support. If you are under 18, we must inform your parent or guardian of your arrest.

· As a last resort, and as long as you meet certain conditions, give you a loan to get you back to the UK. This loan must be repaid. There is no law that says we must do this. Each case is dealt with on its own merits and circumstances. You will be asked to sign an undertaking to repay the loan.

BUT WE CANNOT

· Intervene in court proceedings or get you out of prison. Nor can we give legal advice or get better treatment for you than is given to local nationals.

· Pay your hotel, medical, legal, travel, or any other bills.

· Get you somewhere to live, a job or a work permit.

TRAVEL ADVICE

For up-to-date information on problems affecting your safety in around 140 countries, see:

BBC 2 Ceefax p470 onwards or contact:

Travel Advice Unit, Consular Division, 1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE

Telephone 020 7238 4503/4504

Information is available on the internet at

http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel/

You should also read our leaflet British Consular Services Abroad. Telephone us for details of other leaflets in the ‘Consular Services’ series.

The contents above, from www.best-backpackers-insurance.co.uk is for information purposes only and we have tried to ensure that the information is as accurate as possible. We cannot accept any responsibility for any inconvenience, loss or injury as a result of the information above. You should always check and verify any critical information like visas, health and safety and customs with the relevant authorities before you travel since information can change at any time.