Stags and Hens in Trouble Abroad

Seems the British Embassy staff has been flooded with requests for assistance from UK tourists partying it up abroad before returning home to get hitched. Troubles range from lost passports to arrests for public drunkenness to rare but unfortunate deaths. Most British travelers have headed to other European cities such as Prague, Budapest, Tallinn, Barcelona or Madrid, often with tour packages like Last Night of Freedom or The Stag Company.

To slow the continuous flow of troubles, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office just released a list of travel tips for UK partiers headed overseas: Don't rely on one person to make the arrangements; Know your alcohol limit; Read up on your destination so that you have an idea of the geography; Know the local laws and customs; and be sure to get travel insurance. All pretty straightforward stuff to think about before traveling.

Just like destination weddings, there has been a growing interest in destination bachelor (stag) and bachelorette (hen) parties. It seems they are all the rage these days, but not just in the UK. I was invited to two bachelorette parties this year, one in Vegas and one in South Beach. There were a ton of Brits in Vegas when I was there in June, including one group of guys from the UK that we spoke with at the Rio's Voodoo Lounge. They were all there for a stag party, but so was half of Vegas that weekend, and folks were visiting from all over the place - Canada, Australia, Asia. I think the FCO's list could serve as a reminder to hen/stag partiers in almost any nation around the world. But I do wonder now, what became of that chap Simon from Leeds that I spoke with in Vegas? I hope he wasn't one of the revelers that the British government has been rolling their eyes at.

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Stories