The Diplomat

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, recalled yesterday the recommendations published by his department so that Spaniards can “travel safely” abroad during these summer holidays.

“From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation we are also working so that this summer you can travel safely on your vacation,” declared the minister through a video broadcast yesterday on his official account on the social network X, “For this reason, we launched the ‘Travel Safe’ campaign,” he added.

In this context, Albares asked Spanish travelers to remember “five recommendations for safe travel.” The first is to “always consult the travel recommendations on the Ministry’s website.” The second recommendation is to register in the ‘Travel Registry’ application and the third, “contract travel medical insurance.”

“Always respect local legislation and customs,” because “actions that are legal in Spain may not be legal in other countries,” the minister continued, referring to the fourth recommendation. Finally, Albares asks Spanish travelers to write down “the consular emergency telephone number of our embassies and consulates in the destination country” and to call “in case of any emergency.”

In 2023, as the Ministry recalled in a press release at the beginning of July, Spaniards made more than 19 million trips abroad, a figure that will be “predictably higher” due to the recently concluded European Football Championship in Germany. and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in France, which will be held from July 26 to September 8.

For this reason, Foreign Ministry is going to multiply the information effort for travelers through social networks. The #ViajaSeguro campaign will be visible through the accounts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the social network X, on Instagram, on LinkedIn and on Facebook.

The messages will also remind you that the 178 Spanish consulates abroad have emergency telephone numbers available 24 hours a day to communicate any adverse circumstances related to the trip. Through these emergency lines, and that of the Ministry’s headquarters, people will also be able to receive first assistance in case of need. These telephone numbers can be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In any case, this campaign emphasizes two tools that the Department makes available to citizens: Travel Recommendations and the Traveler Registry. Through the Ministry’s website you can access the Travel Recommendations, which collect useful information for each country such as the documentation necessary for the trip, vaccines or security conditions. These are data that are constantly updated with the information provided by the Spanish embassies. There are also practical recommendations that help travelers who have chosen that country as their destination.

The Traveler Registry collects, with the maximum guarantees of confidentiality, the personal and travel data of any person who voluntarily fills out the forms. In case of emergency, it facilitates the attention and location of travelers. The #ViajaSeguro campaign emphasizes the convenience of communicating travel information through this Registry. Use is free and makes it easier to locate people to check their status in case of emergencies due to natural disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.), armed conflicts and other situations.

Finally, the name of the campaign itself reflects the importance of always contracting medical or travel insurance that covers possible expenses derived from multiple incidents: from flight cancellations or suspensions of transportation services in the destination country, due to various circumstances, to medical care needs derived from health problems, including hospitalizations due to accidents or medicalized repatriations. “Having medical or travel insurance facilitates this necessary care, which, in addition, in certain countries, can be very expensive,” Foreign Ministry warned.
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