Travel question of the day: How can I minimise risk on a trip to Brussels?
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Your support makes all the difference.Q I'm going to Brussels next Monday, what precautions could I take to avoid the terrorism that Belgium has been affected by recently?
Mark Lanyon
A Well, you could look at the Foreign Office travel advice for Belgium, which says: “There is a high threat from terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including on public transport and transport hubs and in other places visited by foreigners.”
The dreadful suicide bombings on 22 March, in which 32 innocent people died, took place at Brussels airport and Maalbeek metro station. Of course you could avoid the underground system (the Belgian capital is a very walkable place), but it is very difficult to avoid transport hubs on a trip to a foreign city. Presuming that the Foreign Office has good reasons for its advice, then, you could opt to spend as little time as possible in a hub such as Brussels Midi – terminus for Eurostar trains.
The Belgian capital is on high alert, with armed police and soldiers highly visible in many locations. It is conceivable that terrorists may try another attack on the city, but history suggests they are likely to choose a softer target. So personally I would not behave any differently now than I would have before the March attacks. Brussels remains a welcoming and fascinating city, with a vast amount to see and do as well as some of Europe’s finest food and drink. I hope your trip goes well.
Every day, our travel correspondent, Simon Calder, tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder
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