The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has recently launched a new service called LOCATE which will help it to track down Britons in the event of a crisis abroad, as a survey reveals that two thirds of us don't actually know where our travelling loved ones are and over half of us go abroad without leaving details of our trip with friends and family. People will be able to help the FCO to find them in a crisis by registering details of their foreign trip as well as emergency friend and family contact details at LOCATE. FCO has created LOCATE in response to the changing face of travel. More people are travelling today than ever before, with an estimated 68,000,000 foreign trips made by British nationals in 2006. Of those who go abroad, 96% take up to three trips a year and more than five million of us stay abroad for a year or more.
We're also travelling to traditionally more unstable regions. But it's not just in remote, exotic places where a crisis can happen, as demonstrated by last summer's fires in Greece and bombings in recent years in popular resorts like Turkey, Egypt and Bali.
Although the chances of being directly involved in a crisis are small, a fifth of Brits say they have been abroad during an incident and felt compelled to let someone at home know they were OK. But communication is often difficult at those times and not knowing an individual is safe can lead to worry for friends and family and a diversion of consular assistance away from those who really need it.
LOCATE is a two-way service and in the event of an emergency worried family members can register details of a loved one who may be caught up in the incident. If the traveller also confirms with the FCO that they are OK, LOCATE will match the two bits of information and the good news can be quickly passed to relatives.
Foreign Office Minister Meg Munn, said: "It's great to get off the beaten track when we're away from home, but things can change very quickly in any country. In our survey more than nine out of 10 Britons said they would feel reassured to know that in the event of an emergency abroad, the local Embassy could quickly find their location. Telling us where you will be, whether it's a short trip or you're travelling for a year, could help us either to get to you if you are in trouble, or know that you are safe so that we can concentrate our resources on helping those in need."
Frances Linzee Gordon, Travel Editor for Lonely Planet said: "More and more people want to head to remote places and visit areas away from the tourist hotspots. Whilst it's great that we can enjoy this freedom, we often lose touch with home and few of us ever think about the consequences of no one really knowing where we are. The new LOCATE service will allow you freedom by giving you personal peace of mind whilst you're exploring far-flung places, as well as providing reassurance for friends and family if they lose touch with you that you may be located during a crisis."
The FCO advises that travellers simply add LOCATE to their usual pre-travel checklist:
-Get comprehensive travel insurance
-Find out about vaccinations
-Research the local laws and customs of your destination/s
-Take photocopies of important documentation or store copies online using a secure data storage site
-If travelling in Europe, take your EHIC
Disclaimer: This text has been taken directly from the UK government FCO website.
Register with LOCATE
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