The US issues travel warnings regularly for its citizens when it considers a particular country as dangerous for traveling. Travelers and frequent flyers often ignore the security and safety aspects while traveling abroad. Before planning your journey abroad, check for travel warnings and alerts for the particular country or countries that you are planning on visiting.
Travel Warnings
The US State Department issues warnings showing a list of countries that the government considers as highly avoidable and unsafe for its citizens. A country that was earlier friendly with the US might have turned hostile due to political reasons. If you do not understand the heat of the situation and want enjoy your holiday on the beaches of that country, you are inviting trouble. You can be subject to harassment and even a loss of life. In certain countries, US citizens are killed just because they are US citizens. If you would have read the travel warnings, you might have avoided that trip. Browse through the State Department’s website or newspapers to find the recent government travel warnings update. From the website, you can also find the earlier incidences of abuse with regard to US citizens. Proper information about travel warnings would help you in avoiding any touring in the wrong places.
Travel Alerts
Travel alerts are warnings for a short term period due to recent terrorist violence, political unrest and potential terrorist threats. The alerts would normally contain warnings about threats that may cause security risks to US travelers. The student demonstrations in Paris during 2006 are an example of a travel alert. Travel alerts can be in the form of natural disasters, terrorist attacks, political coups, election related violence, health or illness, high profile sports events or international conferences etc.
The US government will offer you emergency evacuation from a troubled country. However, this comes at a price. You will be given a repatriation loan through the Office of American Citizens Services and Crisis Management (ACS). You may have to wait for the funds to arrive and you would definitely need to repay the loan. It is not necessary that the government will rescue you from a troubled country free of cost. However, there have been some instances in the past when the government offered rescue services without any repayment.
Helpful US Government Websites
For the latest travel warnings, you may visit http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html
For the latest travel alerts, you can go to http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1766.html
Apart from the warnings and alerts, you will also find some valuable information associated with traveling abroad.
For information regarding repatriation loans and emergency travel help, you can visit the information page of the ACS, The Office of American Citizens Services and Crisis Management. http://travel.state.gov/travel/travel_1744.html
It is better to register with the US Consulate or embassy in the country that you are going to travel. This will help the US government to rescue you easily if you are trapped in an emergency. In addition, you can refer to the consular sheets in order to see the travel warnings and alerts for countries. These are listed in an alphabetical order. You can get up-to-date information on security and health conditions of the various countries. You can see these consular sheets by clicking on the following link. http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1765.html