If you are going anywhere overseas you should check the advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT).

There is a tendency for some experienced travellers to adopt a blasé approach to some of DFAT’s warnings and this was particularly noticeable in relationship to the warning against travel to Bali that has been in force for almost 4 years. Since the October ’05 bombings this cynicism has been much less pronounced.

Some of the advice can be a bit, well, obvious. Travellers are usually advised to avoid large political demonstrations in most countries and ‘pay close attention to your personal safety’. But these advisories contain essential information.

How many backpackers are aware for example that the four southern provinces of Thailand experience sporadic bouts of Islamic separatist violence and therefore should be avoided? Or that the four north eastern states of India are relatively lawless and dangerous for travellers? Well this information is clearly set out in DFAT’s regularly updated travel advisories.

Recently DFAT launched smartraveller.gov.au ; the ‘must see destination’ of the TV adverts. It lives up to its billing with individual travel advisories on all countries as well as plenty of useful travel advice and the opportunity to register your overseas trip with DFAT. Check it out.