Law firm Simpson Millar has recently named Spain, Greece and Turkey as the most dangerous destinations for Brits on vacation, especially when it comes to sickness and injury.
Nick Harris is the head of travel at the law firm, and according to him the prevalence for inclusive holidays during the peak of summer goes hand in hand with outbreaks of illness and swimming pool incidents.
“260 people fell ill at one hotel, all at the same time last year” he said, and went on to say that Simpson Millar claim millions of pounds from holiday operators each year.
However a few thoughts from a law firm does not equal good research. Sure, Mr. Harris mentions robberies, bugs from swimming pools and balcony falls can be problematic in these countries, but saying that there is “literally danger at every turn” is simply scaremongering. The prevalence of accidents in these countries can also be attributed to the fact that such a huge number of British tourists travel there each year.
Unfortunately, many tourists have decided that traveling abroad is an excuse to behave badly. But the truth is, any of these things could happen at home in Britain if they were engaging in the same type of behaviour.
Greece is a country that desperately needs tourists at the moment. Sure, tourists should be aware of the risk of car and moped accidents, violence and sexual assault, but one could argue the same about almost any country.
Women are regularly harassed in Europe, the Middle East, and Central and South America. Tourists die every day after scooter and car accidents in places like Bali and Thailand, but the answer is not to stay home (unless you genuinely want to see more of Britain) but instead to be aware of the risks and use your brain while abroad.
The infographic is well worth a look, as it has symptoms of some of the most common illnesses that people are likely to get while travelling, and helpful information about how to avoid getting sick. It’s also important to remember that many illnesses can be prevented by simply getting vaccinated a few weeks before you travel- especially illnesses like Hep A and Typhoid.
Worryingly, the Foreign Office has reported that more than 17,000 Brits on holiday have ended up in A&E over the past five years. While many of these were due to preventable accidents, some were simply illnesses like food poisoning and gastric bugs.
But if we break that down it averages out to just 3400 per year. Obviously this is not ideal, but for a country with a population of more than 64 million we can put these statistics in perspective.
Millions of Brits travel each year, and as long as they are making informed and smart decisions and purchasing travel insurance before they leave, it’s likely that the only problem they’ll have on their holiday is a little too much sun.
