Advice for Canadian travellers: spring break

News release

February 11, 2019 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

In the coming weeks, many young Canadians will be travelling to sunny destinations to spend their spring break. The Government of Canada wants to encourage those travelling to be well-informed so that they can have a safe and enjoyable journey abroad.

It is important to remember the following:

  1. Before leaving Canada, check the Travel Advice and Advisories for in-depth information on your destination.
  2. Everyone, including healthy Canadians, should purchase the best travel insurance they can afford. Travel insurance should include health, life and disability coverage that will help travellers avoid incurring major expenses, such as the cost of hospitalization or medical treatment outside Canada.
  3. Register with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service to receive the latest updates in case of an emergency abroad or a personal emergency at home.
  4. Be aware of your surroundings and always stay with your friends. Note that there have been reports of alleged sexual assaults at tourist resorts carried out by resort staff and, in some cases, by other tourists.
  5. For those who plan on going to parties, bars or nightclubs while abroad, it is important to follow some safety rules:
    • Alcohol should only be consumed responsibly. Some localities may not tolerate excessive drinking.
    • While illegal drugs are commonly used in some parts of the world, their purchase, consumption, import and export are banned almost everywhere. Note that cannabis, while legal in Canada, is illegal in many foreign jurisdictions.

Canadians requiring emergency consular assistance abroad can contact the Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa anytime, and from anywhere, by calling collect +1 613 996 8885 or by sending an email to sos@international.gc.ca.

Quotes

“The Government of Canada takes the safety and security of all Canadians abroad very seriously. We encourage spring-break travellers heading to international destinations to visit Travel.gc.ca before they leave.”

- Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs)

Quick facts

  • Travel.gc.ca has up-to-date Travel Advice and Advisories for more than 230 destinations worldwide—a key reference in travel planning for Canadians and the travel industry.

  • Every year, Global Affairs Canada helps thousands of Canadians who run into problems while they are travelling, working, studying and living in other countries.

  • In 2017, our consular officers abroad opened cases for:

    • more than 10,000 passports reported lost or stolen abroad; and
    • 916 cases requiring medical assistance for Canadians abroad, of which close to one third of these cases occurred in popular sun destinations.

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Media Relations Office
Global Affairs Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
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