The Foreign Office has flagged 28 countries where methanol poisoning poses a serious threat to holidaymakers, including predicted travel hotspots for 2026 such as Mexico, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan. Methanol, an industrial alcohol sometimes illegally mixed into spirits, can cause blindness or death within 48 hours.
Experts from CounterSpike, specialists in preventing drink spiking, advise travellers to buy alcohol only from licensed outlets, avoid unlabelled bottles and street-side drinks, and consider duty-free spirits. Clear spirits are most at risk of contamination, while bottled beer is safer.
Methanol is tasteless and colourless but may smell like paint thinner. Symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, impaired judgement, dizziness, rapid breathing, vision problems, and seizures. Anyone experiencing these should seek medical help immediately.
The full list of countries includes popular destinations like Costa Rica. Alex Bodikian, Co-Founder of CounterSpike, urged British travellers to proceed with caution and familiarise themselves with signs of contamination. More information is available on the government's Travel Aware website.
