Your Passport and Purse or Wallet is Stolen Abroad

Your bag is stolen. Try not to panic. Write out a list of everything that was in your bag, including credit cards, money and traveller's cheques.

Report the theft to the police and insist they give you a written report, including a list of the items that were in your bag. You'll need this to make an insurance claim.

Cancel any credit cards and cash cards (keep emergency numbers in your hotel safe). Otherwise, take all reasonable steps to contact your bank and the company that issued your credit cards and traveller's cheques.

Get in touch with the nearest British Embassy or Consulate (for a list of locations by country go to www.fco.gov.uk). Either office will be able to arrange a money transfer to you from relatives or friends at home, as well as a replacement passport or emergency travel documents. This costs between £35.50 and £56.60 (2005 prices) and the process will be far easier if you have a photocopy of your passport, or at least a note of its number, as well as the date and place of issue.

Contact your travel insurance company. A typical policy will cover the cost of your new passport, the items in your bag, the travel costs to reach the police station, or embassy, and the cash you had in your purse (though this is usually limited to £250). Keep the receipts when you buy foreign currency as this will make it easier to claim on your insurance.

Block your mobile phone. Contact your network provider immediately to avoid being charged for calls made by the thief.

Source: Travel feature in Good Housekeeping, August 2005

Dress Code

Here are some examples of how to dress for a range of occasions.

Smart Casual
Aim to look presentable but understated and not too formal. For women, an unstructured jacket with a dress or a long skirt, or smart trousers with a silk shirt for women. For men, either a smart jacket with trousers and an open-neck shirt, or for a slightly more informal event, trousers, polo shirt and jumper.

Elegant Casual
For women, a well-fitted knee or calf length dress with overshirt, elegant cardigan or wrap. For men, a smart daytime suit in a dark colour, with a shirt and tie.

Lounge Suit
Smart but not dressy. For women, a knee length cocktail dress with a wrap, or a pair of evening trousers and a silk shirt. For men, a casual suit with an open shirt or polo shirt.

Black Tie
For women, it's best to ask the hostess what dress she is expecting, full-length or knee length. Accessorize with your best jewellery. Easier for men, a dinner jacket teamed with trousers with one row of braid and worn with soft-collared shirt and a black tie.

White Tie
Grander than black tie, and reserved for for formal events. Women should always wear long, formal evening dress (short dress and trousers not acceptable). Long evening gloves are correct, though few wear them. For men, a black evening tail coat, matching trousers with two rows of braid, stiff 'boiled' shirt, detachable wing collar, white bow tie and white evening waistcoat. Black patent shoes and black silk socks are a must.

Cocktail
Usually relaxed affairs. For women, a smart day dress or knee-length party dress. For men, a smart suit with a shirt and tie.

Come As You Are
Dress casually, but not sloppy. For women, smart casual trousers or skirt with jumper or tunic top. For men, smart trousers with casual shirt or polo shirt. [The original article ruled that jeans and trainers were not acceptable; in 2018 designer versions might be deemed ok.]

Source: feature in Good Housekeeping, September 2000.

What to Store in the Hotel Safe

When abroad it is recommended that you store the following items in the hotel safe.

• A photocopy of your passport or a note of its number and the date and place of issue.
• A note of the numbers on your credit and debit cards, with the emergency phone numbers for each issuer.
• The contact number for your travel insurance company and your policy number.
• The location and phone number of the nearest British embassy or consulate.
• A contact number for your mobile phone company.
• Receipts for any foreign currency you buy.
• A photocopy of your E111 form.

Source: Travel feature in Good Housekeeping, August 2005

Health Emergencies Abroad

Your child injures their foot on the beach, you or your partner fall ill - they need to see a doctor but neither you nor anyone else in the family speaks the local language. So what do you do if you have a health problem while abroad?

Start by calling your insurance company's 24-hour medical emergency number for advice, including help with language problems.

You need to do this first, in any case, because otherwise you may not be able to reclaim the cost of any treatment.

Your insurer may even arrange to pay directly for treatment, rather than reimburse you later.

Don't forget to keep the receipts for anything you have to pay for, so you can claim the money back.

If you have an E111 form for the person requiring treatment, you'll get free or reduced-cost treatment. The E111 is valid in most countries in Europe but covers only what residents of that country receive in emergency care, not necessarily what you would receive under the NHS - so you may have to pay for ambulances, for example. The form would not pay for the patient to be flown home, either. An air ambulance could cost thousands of pounds, which is why travel insurance is essential.

Source: Travel feature in Good Housekeeping, August 2005

Reducing Prisoner Numbers the Dutch Way

In the Netherlands, 19 prisons have been closed in the past few years, with more  expected to close next year (2017), at a time when the UK and much of the world struggle with overcrowded prisons. How does this work?

The Dutch way is to look at the individual and try to remove the reason for the crime. If someone has a drug problem, they treat the addiction, if they are aggressive they provide anger management help, and debt counselling is given to those with money problems. Inmates must be willing to change but over the last ten years, the strategy has increasingly been effective.

Some persistent offenders (known as 'revolving-door criminals') are eventually given two-year sentences and tailor-made rehabilitation programmes. Fewer than 10% then return to prison after their release. (In England and Wales, and the US, roughly half those serving short sentences re-offend within two years; the figure is often higher for young adults).

In high-security prisons, offenders are helped to adapt to normal life on completion of their sentence. Large exercise yards include trees, picnic tables and volleyball nets; fresh air reduces stress levels for both inmates and staff. Inmates are allowed to walk unaccompanied to the library, clinic and canteen and they can learn to cook in the prison kitchen.

Dutch judges often use alternatives to prison such as community service orders, fines and electronic tagging of offenders, believing that it is better for people to stay in their jobs and with their families. Jail is increasingly used for those who are too dangerous to release or for vulnerable offenders who need the help available inside.

Some critics argue that the drop in recorded crime (25% over the past eight years) results from the closure of police stations, as a result of budget cuts, which makes crime harder to report, and low detection rates.

Some closed prisons have been converted into asylum reception centres, providing work for some former prison guards, while the desire to protect prison service jobs has resulted in some foreign inmates from Norway and Belgium serving their sentences in the Netherlands.

Source: The Dutch prison crisis: a shortage of prisoners, by Lucy Ash. BBC News item, 10 Nov. 2016

Source: Updated report. Why there are so few prisoners in the Netherlands, in the Guardian, 11 Dec. 2019