Model Behaviour

Going on holiday is an opportunity to let loose and have a little fun, even if it means breaking a few social conventions and a pair of heels. But, there will always be people who take this sentiment a bit too far, which can cause their country to garner a reputation for being troublesome holidaymakers.

The British Behavior Abroad (BBA) report shows that despite being raised to mind our manners, 6439 Britons were arrested abroad last year. (View the full report here.) But it's not all gloomy stats in 2011: this year's records show that the number of overseas arrests has dropped by 11.5%. It is unclear what has caused this trend in good behaviour...would it be too unimaginative to blame the recession?

Jokes aside, despite the positive trend in arrests, the number of Britons requiring hospital treatment abroad is on the rise. According to the BBA , proportionately, Britons were most likely to end up between the foreign walls of a Thai hospital while abroad. Thailand recorded 246 cases last year; a mixture of expats getting sick and tourists getting into accidents.

To put us in a further spot of bother, recent studies show that 1 in 6 Britons travel abroad entirely uninsured, opening themselves up to the possibility of costly medical expenses.

There is an age old saying when it comes to travelling: "If you can't afford insurance, you can't afford to travel". Responsible holidaymakers always stay out of trouble, but you can't always avoid a stay in the hospital.