Staying in Touch
You‘re away from home, maybe for the first time, and haven’t got a care in the world. This is ‘your time’ and it‘s the perfect opportunity to do your own thing. But don’t forget it's worth keeping in touch with those back home.
LOCATE
Use our new LOCATE service to tell us where you're travelling to so our embassy and crisis staff can provide better assistance in an emergency such as a tsunami or terrorist attack.
It only takes a few minutes to register your contact details and travel plans online and the local British embassy will know you‘re coming. There’s no need to contact them directly.
Going on another trip? Simply, login and update your Locate account and we'll let the next British embassy know.
Register with LOCATE now using the online form.
Here are a few things to bear in mind before you go:
- Tell friends and family your plans before you go and keep in regular contact, especially if you change your plans. If there's an emergency, at least people will know where to start looking for you.
- Make a copy of your itinerary and other important documents, such as your passport, your insurance policy, tickets etc. Leave these with a trusted friend or family member back home before you leave.
- Consider taking a roam-enabled mobile so that you can contact people at home and vice-versa.
- Set up an email account such as Hotmail or Yahoo! that you can access from anywhere in the world to help you keep in contact. There are public internet cafes in most major cities around the world and it‘s a good way to inform those back home of where you are and what you’re doing.
- Don‘t promise too much. Telling your parents you’ll call home every day is unrealistic and will only cause them to worry when you don‘t. If you are to be out of reach for a few days, let family and friends know where you’re heading to and with whom. Also let them know when you plan to be back in touch.
Useful details
Make sure that at least one person (in addition to yourself!) knows where you are and all your essential details! You can complete the form below and consider e-mailing it to yourself and forwarding it to a trusted friend or relative. Make sure you have all the information to hand before completing the form - if you move away from this page before you've clicked send, all the information will be lost.
Alternatively, you can print it out and leave it with them. You should also attach a photocopy of the information page of your passport and your insurance policy document.