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Foreign Office brings travel safety advice to the classroom

8 Apr 2011 01:55 PM

Even in the current economic climate, young people still have a strong desire to see the world with almost half of 11-18 year olds considering taking a gap year abroad after leaving school or college.

The Foreign Office provided assistance in 18,646 consular cases in 2010 and regularly deals with young British nationals who run into problems abroad as a result of being unprepared. 

To help teachers explain to students the importance of preparation before travel the Foreign Office has re-launched its 'Know Before You Go' resource www.fco.gov.uk/schools, aiming to teach young adults how to travel safely.

The website includes engaging podcasts, unique blog-style film clips, an interactive globe and a ‘holiday hotspots’ quiz to bring travel advice to life in the classroom and prepare students for travelling abroad.

A recent poll revealed that 3 in 4 university students said they would have found a session on how to prepare for a trip abroad useful when they were in sixth form or college.

Khalida Cox from the Foreign Office’s Know Before You Go campaign says:

“As we’ve all recently seen, a country’s situation can change from one day to the next so there has never been a more important time for young people to be fully prepared before they head overseas. I would urge teachers looking for something a bit different to use our resource to help ensure their students are safe and prepared when they travel abroad.”

Further information

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