Alice Draper works at the
FCO, managing their Go Gap Year and Know Before You Go Campaigns , aiming to keep all travellers safe abroad. She kindly offered to answer a few questions for us about what it is like to work there.
What services do the FCO provide to travellers abroad?If you're sick we can contact your family, liaise with your insurance company and come and visit you in hospital if needed. If you've been arrested we can put you in touch with local lawyers and interpreters and give you information about the local legal system and if you are being ill treated or your personal safety is at risk we can take it up with the police or prison authorities. We will also help you out if you've been mugged or assaulted, and if you run out of money we can help you arrange a transfer of funds from the UK
Are there common misconceptions about the amount of help the FCO can give travellers in trouble?
We sometimes find people think that we are able to release them from prison or that we can enforce UK law overseas - we can't! Travellers also mistake us for an emergency bank - unfortunately we can't pay for your hotel bill and travel tickets. We even had one Brit who had escaped from prison and turned up at the embassy expecting us to help him get home!
What is the most useful advice the FCO provides to travellers and how can they access it?
Our advice varies from country to country so the key thing is to do your research into the country and any local laws and customs which may affect you -
www.fco.gov.uk/travel is the place to start. Wherever you are going you need to arrange suitable travel insurance, check that your passport and any visas are valid and make sure someone knows where you are going (Go to
www.fco.gov.uk/locate and at least tell us!). It's also useful to take copies of all your important travel documents and ensure you have access to backup funds to tide you over in case there is an emergency.
How did you end up in your current position working for FCO and would you recommend it as a career?I'd definitely recommend it! Its hard work but very rewarding and of course there is the chance to work abroad. We move jobs every two or three years, taking our new skills from one job onto the next, so if you want to try something completely different, you can.
What are your must-have items when travelling?I guess it depends on how long I'm away for, and what I'm going to be doing. We've got a list of essentials on GoGapYear
www.gogapyear.com/gap-year-essentials. My number 1 essential is baby wipes - they really come in handy for cleaning up, removing make up etc. One lightweight little black dress that you can dress up or down always goes in - you never know when you might need to look a bit fancy!
Finally, where do you go on holiday and why? I tend to stay pretty close to home, so Europe mostly, I love a summer holiday on one of the Greek islands. I like city breaks too - Rome in particular was amazing. My dad lives in France so I like to pop over there for the weekend when I want fancy a last minute break from the UK.
Thanks Alice, and we'll remember to pack the baby wipes next time!
