The government has issued a warning to those jetting off on holiday

Holidaymakers are being urged to be extra vigilant when checking the safety of their travel destinations before jetting off. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is highlighting the importance of heeding their travel advice a move that’s not only crucial for insurance purposes but also for personal safety.

Travellers should particularly be aware of locations that are prone to conflicts, such as political instability, warfare, terrorism, and extreme weather conditions. The FCDO provides updates through their travel advisories which categorise regions according to the threat level, warning against “all travel” or “all but essential travel”.

Currently, out of the 226 countries or territories assessed on the FCDO website, 68 have areas labelled as highly dangerous due to a combination of security risks, health concerns, and discrepancies with UK law, as reported by The Independent. Moreover, the situation in the Middle East has seen the FCDO issue fresh guidance following heightened tensions between Israel and Lebanon, presenting the risk of sudden conflict and broader regional consequences.

Recently, the FCDO stated: “On 1 October, Iran launched around 200 ballistic missiles at Israel. On 26 October, Israel carried out military action against Iran. Monitor this travel advice and other media as the situation is changing fast,” signalling the essential need for travellers to stay updated.

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The FCDO’s stance on essential travel is clear: “Whether travel is essential or not is your own decision. You may have urgent family or business commitments which you need to attend to. Only you can make an informed decision based on your own individual circumstances and the risks.”, reports the Mirror.

The FCDO cautions against all non-essential trips to certain areas, elaborating on the notion of essential travel by noting: “Whether travel is essential or not is your own decision. You may have urgent family or business commitments which you need to attend to. Only you can make an informed decision based on your own individual circumstances and the risks.”

FCDO advises against all travel

• Afghanistan – “The security situation is volatile”
• Belarus – “You face a significant risk of arrest”
• Burkina Faso – except to the capital, Ouagadougou
• Central African Republic – except to the capital, Bangui
• Haiti – “Due to the volatile security situation”
• Iran – “British nationals are at significant risk of arrest”
• Iraq – except to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
• Israel – against all travel to Gaza, The West Bank and Northern Israel. All but essential travel to the rest of Israel
• Lebanon – “Due to risks associated with the ongoing conflict between Israel, Lebanese Hizballah and other non-state actors”
• Libya – “The local security situation is fragile”
• Mali – except to Bamako
• Niger – except to the capital city of Niamey
• Russia – “Due to the risks and threats from its continuing invasion of Ukraine”
• South Sudan – “Due to the risk of armed violence and criminality”
• Sudan – “Ongoing military conflict in Khartoum”
• Syria – “Ongoing conflict and unpredictable security conditions”
• The Occupied Palestinian Territories –against all travel to Gaza, The West Bank and Northern Israel. All but essential travel to the rest of the OPTs
• Ukraine – “Ongoing risk of harm to British nationals from Russian attacks across all of Ukraine”
• Yemen – “Unpredictable security conditions”.

FCDO advises against all travel to parts

• Algeria – all travel to within 30km of Algeria’s borders with Libya, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Tunisia
• Armenia – within 5km of the full eastern border between Armenia and Azerbaijan
• Azerbaijan – Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas
• Benin – Northern border regions
• Burundi – Cibitoke and Bubanza provinces
• Cameroon – Bakassi Peninsula and within 40km of Central African Republic, Chad and Nigeria borders
• Chad – Borkou, Ennedi Ouest, Ennedi Est and Tibesti provinces, Kanem Province, including Nokou, Lake Chad region and within 30km of all Chad’s other borders
• Congo – Republic of Congo-Central African Republic border area in the Likouala Region, districts in the Pool Region and Mouyondzi District in the Bouenza Region
• Côte d’Ivoire – borders with Burkina Faso and Mali and Côte d’Ivoire-Liberia border
• Democratic Republic of the Congo – DRC-Central African Republic border, Eastern DRC, Kwamouth territory of Mai-Ndombe Province and areas in Kinshasa Province
• Djibouti – Djibouti-Eritrea border
• Egypt – Egypt-Libya border, North Sinai and Western Desert
• Eritrea – within 25km of Eritrea’s land borders
• Ethiopia – international border areas, Tigray region, Amhara region, Afar region, Gambella region, Oromia region, Somali Regional State and Benishangul-Gumuz region
• Georgia – South Ossetia and Abkhazia
• Indonesia –Mount Sinabung, North Sumatra, Mount Marapi, West Sumatra, Mount Semeru, East Java, Mount Ruang, Northern Sulawesi, Mount Ibu, North Maluku
• Jordan – within 3km of the border with Syria
• Mauritania – Eastern Mauritania, Mauritania-Western Sahara border, Tiris Zemmour, Adrar, Tagant, Hodh el Gharbi, Assaba and Guidimaka provinces
• Moldova –Transnistria
• Mozambique – Cabo Delgado Province, Nampula Province
• Myanmar (Burma) – Chin State, Kachin State, Kayah State, Kayin State, Mon State, Rakhine State, Sagaing and Magway regions, Tanintharyi Region, Shan State North, North Mandalay Region
• Nigeria – Borno State, Yobe State, Adamawa State, Gombe State
• Philippines – Western and central Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago
• Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia-Yemen border and Abha International Airport
• Somalia – eastern Somaliland and Western Somaliland
• Togo – Togo-Burkina Faso border
• Tunisia – Western Tunisia, including the Tunisia-Algeria border and Southern Tunisia, including the Tunisia-Libya border
• Turkey – within 10km of the Turkey-Syria border
• Venezuela – within 80km of the Venezuela-Colombia border, within 40km of the Venezuela-Brazil border
• Western Sahara – south and east of the Berm boundary line.

FCDO advises against all but essential travel

• Bangladesh – “There has been widespread violence across Bangladesh”
• New Caledonia – “Given ongoing tensions”
• North Korea – “The security situation can change quickly with no advance warning”

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of:

• Angola – Cabinda Province, border areas in Lunda Norte Province
• Brazil – Amazonas State
• Colombia – borders, Pacific coast, northern and central Colombia
• Ecuador – Coastal Region and within 20km of the Ecuador-Colombia border
• Ghana – Bawku Municipality
• Guatemala – within 5km of the Mexican border
• Kenya – Kenya-Somalia border and northern parts of the east coast
• Kosovo – Zvečan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic, and the northern part of the city of Mitrovica
• Laos – Xaisomboun Province
• Malaysia – Eastern Sabah coastal islands
• Mexico – Baja California, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Jalisco, Colima, Guerrero, Chiapas
• Papua New Guinea – Hela and Southern Highlands provinces
• Peru – within 20km south of the Peru-Colombia border and The Valley of the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro River
• Tanzania – Mtwara Region along the Tanzania-Mozambique border
• Thailand –parts of the south, near the Thailand-Malaysia border
• Uganda– Queen Elizabeth National Park and Semuliki National Park