With international travel booming post-pandemic and many people on the move (sometimes to the point of creating overtourism problems), it is important to find out about your destination before you go there. A simple Google search can be very helpful, especially when dealing with government-issued documents. travel tips.
Although it may not seem like it, many countries around the world have implemented warnings for U.S. travelers. To help you navigate international travel more easily and to give you a better understanding of how different types of advisories impact your travel, we've put together a handy guide to the countries for which the U.S. Department of State has issued new (or updated) travel advisories. throughout the month of January. This guide will be regularly updated as further notices are issued.
Each advisory in the list below is classified under a different degree, which highlights the level of danger assessed by the department. Level 1 is the lowest level and is described as “exercise normal precautions”. Level 2, on the other hand, warns travelers to “exercise increased precautions.” Levels 3 and 4 are the highest levels and tell travelers to “reconsider travel” and “do not travel” respectively.
Among the latest travel advisories are warnings focused on two extremely popular tourist destinations with Americans, both located in the Caribbean: Jamaica and the Bahamas. THE Bahamas travel advice is a Level 2 “exercise increased precaution” advisory, while the Jamaica travel advisory is a Level 3 “reconsider travel” warning. These are particularly timely warnings as both destinations are particularly popular vacation spots for spring breakand those trips are just around the corner for many Americans.
For more information and to view a complete list of active travel advisories for Americans, you can visit Department of State website. To stay informed about travel advice that may impact your next international trip, you can also register with the smart traveler registration program (STAGE).
Read on for details on new travel advisories for Americans from last month:
Travelers should reconsider traveling to Jamaica due to crime and strained medical services, according to the U.S. government. U.S. government personnel have been explicitly told not to travel to the specific parishes outlined in the latest travel advisory.
Authorities are advising travelers to reconsider traveling to Colombia due to crime and terrorism, and they are also warning travelers to exercise increased caution due to civil unrest and kidnappings.
Additionally, some areas have been placed under the “do not travel” advisory level. These include:
- Departments of Arauca, Cauca (excluding Popayán) and Norte de Santander
- The Colombia-Venezuela border region
Due to the ongoing conflict, U.S. officials are advising travelers to reconsider or avoid traveling to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
Specifically, the State Department has issued a “do not travel” advisory to Gaza due to terrorism and armed conflict, and it encourages U.S. visitors to “reconsider travel” to Israel and the West Bank due to terrorism and armed conflict. civil unrest.
The State Department advises U.S. citizens to exercise increased caution when traveling to Cuba due to crime.
Travelers should reconsider traveling to Niger due to crime, civil unrest, terrorism and kidnappings.
Due to arbitrary enforcement of laws, risk of wrongful detention, and limited availability of health care, U.S. citizens should reconsider travel to Nicaragua. Additionally, they should exercise increased caution in the country due to crime.
The State Department has placed a “do not travel” label on Iran due to the risk of terrorism, civil unrest, kidnappings and arbitrary arrests of U.S. citizens. Additionally, travelers should exercise increased caution due to unwarranted detentions.
According to the official advisory, travelers should reconsider traveling to Papua New Guinea due to crime, civil unrest and piracy. Additionally, they should also exercise increased caution due to kidnappings, unexploded ordnance, uneven availability of health services and the risk of natural disasters.
Authorities have also issued a “do not travel” advisory in the following areas:
- Central Bougainville, particularly areas near the Panguna mine
- The Highlands region, excluding the towns of Mt. Hagen and Goroka
Authorities advise avoiding travel to Burma due to civil unrest, armed conflict and arbitrary application of local laws. Travelers should also reconsider travel to Myanmar due to limited and/or inadequate medical and emergency medical resources, as well as areas with landmines and unexploded ordnance. Finally, they should exercise increased caution in the event of unjustified detentions.
Travelers should reconsider traveling to Saudi Arabia due to the threat of missile and drone attacks.
Additionally, the advisory encourages increased caution due to terrorism, risk of arrest based on social media activity, and importation of prohibited items. Due to the threat of missile and drone attacks and terrorism, U.S. authorities advise travelers to avoid travel to the following areas:
- Within 80 km of the Saudi-Yemeni border, as well as the cities of Abha, Jizan, Najran and Khamis Mushayt
- Abha Airport
- Qatif in the Eastern Province and its suburbs, including Awamiyah
Travelers should exercise increased caution in the Bahamas due to crime.
According to official travel advisories, travelers should reconsider travel to Lebanon due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnappings, unexploded landmines and armed conflict.
Additionally, authorities have placed some areas under the “do not travel” advisory level. These are:
- South of Lebanon
- The border with Syria
- Refugee settlements
