Veggie sausages, Strictly results and vampires…
Who was booted off Strictly Come Dancing? Are there vampires in Poland? Does the British High Commission sell vegetarian sausages?
These were just some of the strange questions put to the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office by Brits abroad in 2018.
The FCO received more than 330,000 calls from Britons who needed help overseas this year – 4,900 from those who had been arrested and more than 3,400 from those in hospital.
But it also received some more unusual enquiries, including a man who wanted to know if there were vampires in Poland after a woman he was due to meet for a date had asked his blood type.
A caller from the US called the FCO to see which contestant had been voted off Strictly Come Dancing the previous night and a caller in the Netherlands called with questions about the plot of Braveheart.
A man in Thailand called to request diplomatic backing because he was refusing to pay for a massage that he’d fallen asleep during.
A Brit in the Canary Islands called to request a new hotel room after a stray cat peed on his bed, while a man in New Delhi wanted to know if the British High Commission was selling vegetarian sausages.
"I can regretfully confirm that the Foreign Office isn’t able to offer advice on vampires, rogue stray cats or Strictly contestants. And our capacity to deploy veggie sausages remains sadly lacking," said a spokesman.
"But in all seriousness, getting into trouble abroad can be daunting and upsetting.
"If you find yourself in an emergency in another country, contact the nearest British Embassy, High Commission or Consulate and our consular staff will do everything they can to help."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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