Travel-friendly carbon monoxide (CO) alarms are now on sale across the United Kingdom, following a successful campaign to raise awareness of the danger posed by the deadly gas to holidaymakers.
Colourless and odourless, carbon monoxide can be emitted by fuel-burning household appliances and vehicles, and build up undetected in badly ventilated spaces where it can poison humans and animals. Symptoms such as tiredness, dizziness, headaches, and shortness of breath can initially be mistaken for the flu, making some victims ignore the threat. Most people make a full recovery when removed from the source of the gas, but left to continue untreated, poisoning can lead to death.
While many homes and residences have detectors, there have been fatalities in short-term rental accommodation, including 12 people in a Georgian ski resort in 2024. The death of 24-year-old British man Hudson Foley, from carbon monoxide poisoning at a homestay in Ecuador in August 2023, led his family to launch the Pack Safe Appeal to encourage travellers to pack carbon monoxide detectors to take with them on their adventures.
In what Cathy Foley, Hudson’s mother and founder of the Pack Safe Appeal, has now described as “a huge milestone for us and an incredible step in our efforts to save lives,” portable “UltraFire Travel Carbon Monoxide Detectors” have become available to purchase at 14 UK airports, including Edinburgh, London Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester and Newcastle, as well as one railway station, at a cost of £25 (nearly €29).
“Designed with travel in mind,” according to manufacturer details, the detectors are compact and lightweight, making them “ideal for backpackers, holiday makers, and campers” and “suitable for homes, hostels, Airbnb’s, and especially rooms with a fuel burning appliance.” Capable of giving off an 85dB alarm, they are supplied with a travel strap that can be clipped to a backpack or inside of a tent, as well as a screw pack for wall mounting.
Information is also a key part of the Pack Safe drive. Earlier this year, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) addressed the issue in its guidance after a parliamentary question from Dr Al Pinkerton, an MP involved in the appeal.
Going away this summer? 🌍 Don’t leave safety behind.
— Carbon Monoxide: Alarms Save Lives (@alarmssavelives) August 30, 2025
Holiday homes, hotels, caravans, and tents may not always have CO alarms installed. A portable carbon monoxide alarm is the only way to detect this invisible threat while you’re away.#holidayessentials #carbonmonoxide pic.twitter.com/OmJaqpVhK5
Pinkerton, the FCDO’s intervention “an important step,” but emphasised the difference that having detectors on sale at key departure points will make, saying “awareness alone is not enough. Having portable CO alarms readily available in airports will help prevent more tragic deaths from this silent killer.”
