No international travel can be guaranteed to be safe. It is the traveller’s responsibility to determine the risks involved and decide whether they can mitigate and/or accept those risks. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) website is a helpful source travellers can turn to for specific advice about risks in each country and territory, as well as general advice on risks faced by different types of travel and traveller.
Before booking a trip, be sure to check FCDO’s website for your destination. The FCDO may advise travellers against “all but essential travel” or against “all travel” to a specific country for the following reasons:
- Armed conflict
- Military coups
- Civil unrest
- Disease outbreaks
- Natural disasters
- Terrorism “in situations of extreme and imminent danger” and/or “where the threat is sufficiently specific, large-scale or widespread to affect British nationals severely”1
If you travel against FCDO advice, your travel insurance may be invalidated. Thus, be sure to keep visiting the website as the date of your trip approaches to determine if the advice has changed. You also can sign up to receive email alerts about changes in the risk status of specific countries on your destination’s FCDO country page.
Each FCDO country page also covers health risks travellers may face, and the FCDO also refers travellers to TravelHealthPro for their expertise on health risks overseas. Their website also provides information on diseases and vaccinations for specific countries. In addition, Emcare Travel Clinic, which is located in the heart of Glasgow, has nurses who will meticulously review your itinerary, conduct a thorough risk assessment, administer essential vaccinations if deemed necessary, and provide health advice tailored to your specific trip. Arrange an appointment today by calling 0141 404 0075 or by booking online.
Sources
1. “About Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office travel advice,” UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, https://www.gov.uk/guidance/about-foreign-commonwealth-development-office-travel-advice. Accessed 29 April 2026.
See also Travel abroad – GOV.UK
