Upon choosing a holiday destination, Brits are always advised to check what the current travel advice issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is.
The Government’s department keeps a close eye on all major developments around the world, including terror news, disease outbreaks and ongoing incidents, and informs UK nationals when it’s not safe for them to head to certain countries.
The FCDO also informs tourists about nations that may not be dangerous destinations but where they could find little consular support should they need it.
Travelling to nations against the advice of the Foreign Office could not only be dangerous for tourists as they may encounter the issues they had been warned about in the first place, but may also be a costly mistake.
Indeed, on top of receiving very limited consular support, the travel insurance may be invalidated if tourists head to a destination despite it being placed on the office’s “red list”.
To avoid tourists being left to their own devices or even in dangerous situations, Express.co.uk has compiled the list of nations affected by FCDO warnings.
Africa
The FCDO is either cautioning Britons against heading to some of the below areas in the African continent or has specific travel warnings in place for certain nations.
For example, while certain areas of Mauritania in western Africa aren’t covered by a red warning, the department advises against all but essential travel to central districts of the country and urges tourists not to head at all, among other areas, to most parts within 25 kilometres of the Western Sahara border.
• Burkina Faso: The FCDO advises against all travel everywhere in the country with the exception of the capital Ouagadougou, where all but essential travel should be avoided
• Chad: The FCDO advises against all travel in northern Chad and along the whole border, while speaks against all but essential travel to the southern part of the country
• Central African Republic: The FCDO advises against all travel to the whole of CAR
• Ethiopia: The FCDO advises against all travel in northern Ethiopia and along the whole border. Other areas are affected by advice against all but essential travel
To avoid tourists being left to their own devices or even in dangerous situations, Express.co.uk compiled the list of nations affected by FCDO warnings.
• Libya: The FCDO has been advising against all travel to Libya since 2014
• Mali: An FCDO warning against all travel is in place, except in the capital Bamako, where travelling for essential reasons is allowed
• Mauritania: An FCDO warning against all travel is in place for significant parts of the country
• Niger: The FCDO warning against all travel cover the whole nation
• Somalia: The FCDO advice against all travel to the whole nation with the exception of the three western regions of Somaliland, where it advises against all but essential travel
• South Sudan: An FCDO warning is in place across the whole nation
• Sudan: The FCDO warns against all travel to this country
• Western Sahara: The FCDO advises against all travel in areas within 30 kilometres north/west of the Berm and south/east of the Berm.
American continent
The FCDO is currently enforcing travel warnings in two countries in the American continent.
• Haiti: The FCDO advised against all travel to Haiti
• Venezuela: The FCDO warns against all but essential travel to most part of the country, and urges people not to travel to areas bordering with Colombia and Brazil.
Asia
There are four countries in Asia affected by FDCO travel warnings
• Afghanistan: The FCDO is currently telling tourists not to travel to Afghanistan
• Myanmar: The FCDO is now advising against all travel to Shan State North and North Mandalay Region, and other parts of the country are affected by travel warnings
• North Korea: The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the hermit nation
• Turkmenistan The FCDO warns no travel can be guaranteed safe. No commercial flights reach this nation and and only citizens are permitted to cross the border
Europe
Unsurprisingly, the FCDO has issued travel warnings on the two nations involved in the ongoing war in Europe – as well as Belarus, a key ally to Russia.
• Belarus: The FCDO advises against all travel to Belarus
• Russia: The FCDO advises against all travel to the country led by Vladimir Putin
• Ukraine: The FCDO advises against all travel to the war-torn nation
Middle East
Seven nations in the Middle East either directly involved in a conflict or taking part in a proxy war have been subjected to the FCDO travel advice.
• Iran: The FCDO has a red warning in place against all travel to Iran
• Iraq: The FCDO warns against all travel to Iraq, and asks Britons to travel to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq only for essential reasons
• Israel: The FCDO warns against all but essential travel to Israel, currently fighting a war against Hamas, and asks people not to head at all to the northern border with Lebanon and Syria
• Lebanon: Travelling to the whole of Lebanon would be against the advice of the FCDO
• Occupied Palestinian Territories: The FCDO warns against all travel to both Gaza and the West Bank – excluding East Jerusalem and Route 1 between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, where people should go only for essential travel reasons
• Syria: The FCDO advises against all travel here
• Yemen: The FCDO advises against all to Yemen
Oceania
• Nauru: While the FCDO says most visits to this nation are “trouble-free”, it notices there isn’t a British Consulate in Nauru and that consular support is severely limited to travellers
