According to the latest figures released by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, more Australians are hospitalised looking for something more beautiful, more exciting, more dangerous in Thailand every year than in any other country, with some 168 antipodes landing themselves in Thai hospital beds in the last year alone.
In news accompanying the launch of a new campaign featuring the unfortunate true story of a friend-of-a-friend encouraging young Australians to both register their holiday with Smart Traveller and take out comprehensive travel insurance, its being reported that there was an 8.5% increase in Australians being hospitalised overseas in 2011-12, with a total of 1372 Australians admitted for treatment abroad in last financial year.
Thailand has been deemed ‘the most dangerous destination for Australian travellers’, followed suit by Indonesia, the United States, China, Italy, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, India, Cambodia and Vietnam due to a higher concentration of bucket-fuelled, risk-taking YOLO vibes converging in tropical climes where motorcycle accidents, brawls and dehydration are amongst the most common occurrences necessitating hospital treatment.
With almost nine million Australians taking leave overseas in 2012-13 – an increase of almost one million from the year prior – Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is today urging all Australians to take necessary precautions and only seek help from Australian consular services as a last resort. Depending on your level of preparedness and propensity toward risk-averse life choices, you can then tweet obnoxious photos of your hotdog knees on a beach or in a hospital bed at Bishop here. Safe travels, y’all.
via The Herald Sun
