With the summer holidays approaching, and more people about to travel abroad, Europ Assistance, the total solution for travel insurance, have come up with some top tips to make your trip easier: 1. When packing your suitcase be careful with bottles and tubes contain liquids or creams. Make sure tops are securely fastened and that the contents can�t leak out and damage your clothes. 2. If you take medication on a regular basis, make sure you take enough supplies to last the length of your trip. 3. Pack a small first aid kit for emergencies, including insect repellent and cream for mosquito and insect bites. 4. Make sure you have a signed, valid passport and visas appropriate for your destination, if required. Also, before you go, fill in the emergency information page of your passport! 5. Always take a copy of your insurance policy with you, so you know who to contact in case of an emergency. Leave a copy of your travel insurance policy with a friend or relative at home. You never know when it might be important for someone else to know who your insurer is. 6. Read the Consular Information Sheets (and Public Announcements or Travel Warnings, if applicable) for the countries you plan to visit. If you have internet access, check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office web site at http://www.fco.gov.uk/ for the latest advice before you travel. 7. Familiarise yourself with local laws and customs of the countries to which you are travelling. While in a foreign country, you are subject to its laws. 8. Make 2 copies of your passport identification page. Leave one copy at home with friends or relatives. Carry the other with you in a separate place from your passport. This will make it easier to replace your passport if it is lost or stolen. 9. Leave a copy of your itinerary with family or friends at home so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency. 10. Do not leave your luggage unattended in public areas. Do not accept packages from strangers. 11. To avoid being a target of crime, try not to wear conspicuous clothing and expensive jewellery and do not carry excessive amounts of money or unnecessary credit cards. 12. In order to avoid violating local laws, deal only with authorized agents when you exchange money or purchase art or antiques. Fiona McDonald, Deputy Director of Travel & Leisure at Europ Assistance, said, �As the second largest travel insurer in the UK, we are keen that people enjoy themselves while on holiday. The tips highlight some of the more important rules to remember when travelling in a foreign country.� -ends- For further information please contact: Madeline Wall Media Relations Manager Europ Assistance Tel: 01444 444602 Email: madeline_wall@europ-assistance.co.uk For more general information on Europ Assistance please visit www.europ-assistance.co.uk Stephen Forster srf Email: Stephen@communicationmatters.co.uk Notes to Editor: About Europ Assistance On call around the clock 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Europ Assistance provides assistance in 208 countries and territories throughout the world. The company possess an established reputation for innovation, linked to a worldwide ability to deliver multi-facet assistance services to over 100 million customers worldwide. Europ Assistance was established in the UK in 1973, where they have enjoyed considerable success by becoming the Group�s largest corporate partner provider. More than 90% of the UK�s turnover is now derived through corporate clients, whose brands and products are supported fully and often seamlessly by Europ Assistance. At the core of the UK operation are two Customer Assistance Centres, one in Haywards Heath, West Sussex and the other in Navan, County Meath in Ireland. These centres are linked seamlessly in terms of technology and telephony to form in effect one virtual centre.