Warning! For ALL Travelers... - Terrance Talks Travel

Worldwide Travel Advisory

The U.S. State Department has just issued a worldwide travel advisory for all Americans traveling anywhere overseas, especially to popular tourist destinations and/or “hot spots,” such as Israel and Lebanon.

Why?

The travel advisory cites “increased tension in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests.”

Should I cancel my travel plans?

It depends on where you are going and your level of concern about your safety. You should definitely check the U.S. State Department‘s site to see the latest travel warnings and advisories. If you are traveling with a tour group, find out what they are doing to ensure your safety. If you are traveling on your own, be sure to sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. If you are traveling on a cruise, cruise lines are always tracking what is going on in the world and making changes accordingly. For example, they just evacuated some Americans from a Royal Caribbean cruise in the Cyprus area last week.

More about worldwide travel advisory…

When you check for travel advisories, you will notice there are different levels with Level 1 being the lowest and Level 4 being the highest. As of the time I posted this, there are Level 4 warnings for Israel, Belarus, Burma (Myanmar), Afghanistan, Sudan, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Niger, Somalia, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen, Burkina Faso, Central Africa Republic, and Russia. But there are plenty of Level 2 and Level 3 warnings for other locations, as well.

FYI: The Biden administration added Israel to its limited group of countries whose citizens are allowed to travel to the U.s. without obtaining a travel visa. This will go into effect on November 30, 2023.