Holiday Extras unveils summer destination risk checker

Holiday Extras has launched a new interactive tool designed to help British holidaymakers assess travel risks ahead of the summer season.

Named ‘Know Before You Go’, the tool combines live data from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) with historical seasonal risk patterns to provide a consolidated risk assessment for individual destinations.

The introduction of the tool comes against the backdrop of a challenging international travel environment, shaped by both the conflict in the Middle East and recurring seasonal disruptions.

The tool evaluates destinations across four core risk signals commonly monitored by security professionals and government advisories: political instability, crime and security, health risks, and natural disaster exposure. These factors are weighted against current FCDO advisory levels.

Additionally, the tool features a seasonal data layer illustrating how disruption patterns shift throughout the year, enabling travellers to identify whether their planned trip falls within a peak risk window.

Seamus McCauley, head of public affairs at Holiday Extras, said: “While conflict in the Middle East and perennial risks are genuine concerns, they won’t impact travel plans for most of us – but the relentless news cycle and headlines, paired with the way our perception of risk is calibrated, may nevertheless prompt some of us to opt out and miss an opportunity to jet off.

“There is no way to remove all risk or stop disruption completely, but this tool has been designed to put minds at ease and make it easy for travellers to assess the risk level of the destinations they’re considering.”

The company has integrated the tool as the first of seven recommended planning steps for travellers, which also include reviewing live FCDO advice, securing appropriate travel insurance, and ensuring essential documents are accessible.