Foreign Office

Anyone travelling to these destinations could invalidate their holiday insurance

There are certain spots around the globe that are considered quite risky, and travellers heading there receive guidance on safety precautions they should adopt to avoid mishaps.

However, only 55 locations feature on the ‘do not travel’ list, which has been flagged with a warning by the Foreign Office.

Anyone journeying to these places will be voiding their holiday insurance, meaning if things go pear-shaped, they’ll be left without support. Officials also caution that they could be jeopardising their safety. If you require consular assistance locally, it will likely be difficult to obtain.

For specific countries, the Foreign Office also advises against all but essential travel, implying you should reconsider any holiday plans The Foreign Office cautions: “Get advice and warnings about travel abroad, including entry requirements, safety and security, health risks and legal differences.”

It explained: “No foreign travel can be guaranteed safe. FCDO publishes travel advice to help you decide if it’s safe enough for you to travel to a particular destination. In some instances we also give information about how to reduce the risks you may face there. All environments contain some level of risk and you should consider what precautions you should take.

“You must take personal responsibility for your own travel. Only you can decide whether you should travel to a country or stay there, and what activities to take part in.”

People may face different risks due to their:

• gender
• ethnic background
• sexuality
• health

The Foreign Office has general guidance for specific types of traveller to help you understand some of these risks.

The FCDO sometimes formally advises British people against ‘all but essential travel’ or ‘all travel’ to a particular country. It said:

“Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against advice from FCDO. We only advise against travel if we think the risk to British nationals is unacceptably high. For example, this could be due to:

• armed conflict
• military coups
• civil unrest
• disease outbreaks
• natural disasters

“For terrorist threats, we only advise against travel:

• in situations of extreme and imminent danger
• where the threat is sufficiently specific, large-scale or widespread to affect British nationals severely

“We may advise against travel to:

• a whole country
• parts of a country

“The ‘Warnings and insurance’ section of each travel advice page lists all the areas where we advise against travel. If you want to know about changes to travel advice for a specific country, you can sign up to receive email alerts about updates.”

FCDO advises against all travel

1. Afghanistan – “The security situation is volatile”
2. Belarus – “You face a significant risk of arrest”
3. Burkina Faso – “Due to the threat of terrorist attacks and terrorist kidnap”
4. Haiti – “Due to the volatile security situation”
5. Iran – “British nationals are at significant risk of arrest”
6. Mali – “Due to unpredictable security conditions”
7. Niger – “Due to the rise of reported terrorist and criminal kidnappings”
8. Russia – “Due to the risks and threats from its continuing invasion of Ukraine”
9. South Sudan – “Due to the risk of armed violence and criminality”
10. Syria – “Ongoing conflict and unpredictable security conditions”
11. Yemen – “Unpredictable security conditions”

FCDO advises against all travel to parts

1. Algeria – all travel to within 30km of Algeria’s borders with Libya, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Tunisia
2. Armenia – within 5km of the full eastern border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the M16/H26 road between the towns of Ijevan and Noyemberyan
3. Azerbaijan – within 5km of the Azerbaijan-Armenia border
4. Benin – northern border regions
5. Burundi – Cibitoke and Bubanza provinces, former Kayanza province, former Bujumbura Rural province and the RN5 road north of Melchior Ndadaye airport
6. Cambodia – within 50km from the border with Thailand
7. Cameroon – Bakassi Peninsula, parts of the Far-North Region, North-West Region and South-West Region and within 40km of the Central African Republic, Chad and Nigeria borders
8. Central African Republic – against all travel except to the capital, Bangui
9. 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
10. Congo – within 50km of the Republic of Congo-Central African Republic border in Likouala Region
11. Côte d’Ivoire – within 40km of borders with Burkina Faso and Mali
12. Democratic Republic of the Congo – within 50km of the border with the Central African Republic, the province of Kasaï Oriental, the Kwamouth territory of Mai-Ndombe Province and provinces in Eastern DRC
13. Djibouti – Djibouti-Eritrea border
14. Egypt – within 20km of the Egypt-Libya border and the North Sinai Governorate
15. Eritrea – within 25km of Eritrea’s land borders
16. Ethiopia – international border areas, parts of the Tigray region, Amhara region, Afar region, Gambela region, Oromia region, Somali region, Central, Southern, Sidama and South West regions and Benishangul-Gumuz region
17. Georgia – South Ossetia and Abkhazia
18. India – within 10km of the India-Pakistan border and Jammu and Kashmir
19. Indonesia – Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, Mount Sinabung, Mount Marapi, Mount Semeru, Mount Ruang, Mount Ibu
20. Iraq – advises against all travel to parts of Anbar province, Basra province, Diyala province, Kirkuk province, Ninawa province, Salah al-Din province, Sadr City and within 30km of federal Iraq’s borders with Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
21. Israel – against all travel to Gaza, parts of the West Bank and Northern Israel
22. Jordan – within 3km of the border with Syria
23. Kenya – Kenya-Somalia border and northern parts of the east coast
24. Lebanon – areas in Beirut and Mount Lebanon Governorate, the South and Nabatiyeh Governorates, the Beqaa Governorate, the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, the Akkar Governorate, the city of Tripoli and Palestinian refugee camps
25. Libya – advises against all travel to Libya except for the cities of Benghazi and Misrata
26. Mauritania – Eastern Mauritania and within 25km of the Malian border
27. Moldova –Transnistria
28. Mozambique – Cabo Delgado Province
29. 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
30. Nigeria – Borno State, Yobe State, Adamawa State, Gombe State, Kaduna State, Katsina State, Zamfara State and the riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states
31. Pakistan – within 10 miles of the border with Afghanistan, areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and the Balochistan Province
32. Philippines – western and central Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago
33. Saudi Arabia – within 10km of the border with Yemen
34. Somalia – advises against all travel except the western regions Awdal, Maroodijeh and Sahil
35. Sudan – against all travel except to the Hala’ib Triangle and the Bir Tawil Trapezoid
36. Palestine – against all travel to Gaza, parts of The West Bank and Northern Israel
37. Thailand –parts of the south, near the Thailand-Malaysia border, the Hat Yai to Padang Besar train line and within 50km of the whole border with Cambodia
38. Togo – within 30km of the border with Burkina Faso
39. Tunisia – parts of Western Tunisia, including the Tunisia-Algeria border and Southern Tunisia, including the Tunisia-Libya border
40. Turkey – within 10km of the Turkey-Syria border
41. Ukraine – all regions of Ukraine with the exception of some western regions
42. Venezuela – within 80km of the Venezuela-Colombia border, within 40km of the Venezuela-Brazil border, Zulia State
43. Western Sahara – within 30km of ‘the Berm’ boundary line and areas south and east of the Berm boundary line

FCDO advises against all but essential travel

With regard to the definition of ‘essential travel’, the FCDO says: “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.”

1. North Korea – “The security situation can change quickly with no advance warning”

British tourists have been warned by the Foreign Office after deadly fighting erupted between two countries, with rockets fired across the border and travel insurance likely voided in affected areas

British holidaymakers travelling along a well-trodden backpacking trail have been issued a stark warning by the Foreign Office following deadly clashes between two neighbouring nations.

The UK Foreign Office issued an urgent notice to all travellers heading to Thailand and Cambodia this holiday season – as parts of the country grapple with “regular attacks”.

Residents in areas of Thailand and Cambodia sought refuge last week as both countries launched volleys of rockets across their shared frontier. Both nations have blamed each other for violating a Trump-mediated ceasefire that brought an end to intense five-day hostilities earlier this year.

Authorities have urged British holidaymakers to avoid travelling within 50km of Thailand’s entire border with Cambodia. The only exceptions are a few islands, which should only be visited if absolutely necessary. These include Koh Chang, Koh Kood and the other islands in between.

If you’re planning a trip to Thailand, make sure to read all of the Foreign Office advice.

The escalation comes as Cambodia’s senate president Hun Sen vowed to mount a fierce battle against Thailand. Last week’s unrest included brutal airstrikes and saw at least 20 people killed.

An orange alert has been issued, covering Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat Province, alongside the districts of Chana, Thepa, Na Thawi, and Saba Yoi in southern Songkhla Province.

Approximately one million UK citizens travel to Thailand annually. In recent years, it has become commonplace for some visitors to take brief excursions over the land crossing into Cambodia by catching a coach from Thailand’s capital, Bangkok.

However, the frontier has remained shut for most of this year due to violent outbreaks, with current UK Foreign Office guidance as of this week advising that British citizens should steer clear of “all but essential travel” to areas within 31 miles of Thailand’s border with Cambodia.

The guidance states: “Land borders and crossings between Thailand and Cambodia continue to be suspended. Some tourist destinations in border areas, such as the Khao Phra Wihan/Preah Vihear temple, the Ta Kwai/Ta Krabey temple, and the Ta Muen Thom/Tamone Thom temple, are closed. There are also unexploded landmines in the border area. We advise against all but essential travel to the affected border areas.”

Whilst travelling to a region marked as ‘essential travel only’ by the Foreign Office isn’t against the law, doing so will likely invalidate your travel insurance – even if it remains valid in other parts of the same nation considered safe. This leaves you personally responsible for expenses such as medical emergencies, cancellations, or repatriation, and securing help from the British Embassy becomes considerably more challenging should problems arise.

What’s the reason behind the Thailand and Cambodia conflict and what part did Donald Trump play?

The ongoing strife between Thailand and Cambodia is a flare-up of a border disagreement that has been simmering for several decades, which until this year had only led to occasional skirmishes.

In May, the death of a Cambodian soldier in one such skirmish sparked an intensification of hostilities, culminating in five days of full-scale warfare in July. The fallout saw at least 48 fatalities and displaced 300,000 people.

A peace agreement mediated by Donald Trump was inked by the Thai and Cambodian governments in Malaysia in October, with the US President having threatened to withhold trade deals with either nation if they rejected the pact. However, this week saw a resumption of hostilities after the ceasefire was violated – with each party pointing the finger at the other for firing the first shot.

Thailand’s military alleges that Cambodia launched an assault on Thai positions with artillery, rockets and drone strikes earlier in December, following accusations of previous attacks in the days before. Conversely, Cambodia asserts that Thai forces initiated the conflict, in the Preah Vihear province.

Yvette Coop[er has issued an alert and the Foreign Office has given advice

The Government has issued a travel warning for UK citizens after the terror attack in Australia. At least 12 people have been killed and 29 injured in a terrorist attack targeting a Jewish celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney.

Two individuals armed with guns opened fire on a crowd in the Archer Park area of Bondi Beach at 6.47pm local time on Sunday, New South Wales Police said. The attack has been declared a terrorist incident targeting a Hanukkah celebration at a park next to the beach on the first day of the Jewish festival of lights, the force confirmed.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told a press conference: “At approximately 6.47 this evening, two individuals began firing on crowded a group of families on Bondi Beach at Archer Park. I very sadly need to report that, as of now, there are at least 12 individuals that have been killed.

“This attack was designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah, what should have been a night of peace and joy celebrated in that community with families and supporters, has been shattered by this horrifying evil attack.”

Police in the UK are stepping up patrols in Jewish communities. A Met Police spokesman said: “While there is no information to suggest any link between the attack in Sydney and the threat level in London, this morning we are stepping up our police presence, carrying out additional community patrols and engaging with the Jewish community to understand what more we can do in the coming hours and days.

“We always encourage the public to be vigilant at events and in public places. If you see anything suspicious, trust your instincts and tell us.”

Hanukkah, also known as Chanukah, is an eight-day festival of light usually observed in December.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has told any British people caught up in the Bondi Beach shooting to contact the consulate for support.

In a post on X, she said: “The scenes from Bondi Beach are deeply shocking and distressing. My thoughts are with everyone affected and Australia’s emergency services.

“British nationals should follow local police and authorities’ advice and can contact the British Consulate General Sydney for support.”

The UK Foreign Office site reads: “Terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Australia.” It adds: ” There is a high threat of terrorist attack globally affecting UK interests and British nationals, including from groups and individuals who view the UK and British nationals as targets. Stay aware of your surroundings at all times.”

The Foreign Office said: ” Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreign nationals. You should be vigilant, keep up to date with local media reports and follow the advice of local authorities.”