• Home
  • About Evelyn Kanter
  • Evelyn Kanter’s Books & Apps
  • Evelyn Kanter In The News
  • Workshops
  • NYC Travel Guru

Evelyn Kanter ecoXplorer

green living, smart spending

  • Green Hotels
  • Green Cars
    • Best Cars under $20,000
    • Test Drives
    • Diesel Cars
    • Electric Cars
    • Hybrid Cars
    • Hydrogen Fuel Cell
    • Luxury Drives
  • Travel Deals
    • Free
    • Budget Travel
    • Discount Tickets
  • Xplore More
    • Safety and Health
    • How To
    • Five Best
    • Travel Pioneers
    • Motorcycles
    • Vintage Cars
  • Scam Alert
  • Where to Go Next
    • Historic Travel
    • Epic Adventures
    • National Parks
Home » New US State Dept. Advisories for Travelers

New US State Dept. Advisories for Travelers

1 Comment

travel warningsIt should be no surprise that some places are safer to visit than others.

Violence against tourists always makes headlines, and it’s partly why the U.S. State Dept. has revised its system of traveler alerts and warnings to simplify them.

The new system ranks each country with one of four color-coded levels, and there are additional warnings within a country, for specific cities or regions, where a traveler may be more likely to face harm.

So while Mexico overall is Level 2 (“exercise increased caution” due to crime), five Mexican states where crime, especially by drug cartels, is a greater threat are the top Level 4 (do not travel).

The localized warnings are on each country’s page.

You should check the traveler’s advisory page before plunking down money on an exotic bucket list trip.

There are now four color-coded advisory levels

Level 1 – Blue – Exercise Normal Precautions

This is the lowest advisory level for safety and security risks.  Countries on the safe list currently include:

  • Bucket list destinations such as Australia and Fiji,
  • European favorites including Ireland and Portugal.  However, Belgium and France are Level 2 (exercise increased caution) because of terrorist activity,
  • Scandanavian favorites including Norway and Finland
  • Asian destinations Japan, Taiwan, and, surprisingly, Myanmar, which has seen recent violence against the Rohingya people and current protests against their return.
  • South American nations Peru and Chile

state department travel warningsLevel 2 – Yellow- Exercise Increased Caution

The State Department says that travelers to these countries should “Be aware of heightened risks to safety and security.”

This is a broad category and could be considered an overly cautious designation since it includes the potential for terrorism and such countries as Italy, Belgium and Denmark, all of them singled out for possible occurrences of terrorism of what the State Dept. website describes as “civil unrest”.

Also, it takes into account high crime rates, so South Africa, Brazil and Mexico are on this list.

And it includes such frauds against tourists as credit card skimming.

Level 3 – Orange – Reconsider Travel

“Avoid travel due to serious risks to safety and security,” says the State Department.

This list currently includes Pakistan, Haiti, El Salvador and Russia.

travel warningsLevel 4 – Red – Do Not Travel

The top advisory level is “due to greater likelihood of life-threatening risks. During an emergency, the U.S. government may have very limited ability to provide assistance.

Not surprisingly, the Dept.of State advises that U.S. citizens not travel to the country at all, or to leave as soon as it is safe to do so.”

Also not surprisingly, this list includes Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, all embroiled in terrorism and/or civil war, and also the totalitarian regime of North Korea.

Also on this list are the Central African Republic, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan

Travel warnings for specific parts of a country

Overall country levels are not the entire story.

In Mexico, five states are on the highest “do not travel” list for widespread crime, including assassinations and turf battles between gangs in which innocent bystanders have been injured or killed, along with crime specific to areas popular with U. S. citizens.

These five states are Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas.

Eleven other states are ranked at Level 3, including such specifics as the recommendation to avoid a particular highway.

Crime and terrorism are not the only things the State Dept. tracks.  Floods and fires are on the list, too, so a country or region could receive a temporary Security Alert, such as the recent flooding in Venice, the wildfires in Greece and Canada’s British Columbia over the summer, even the severe water shortage in Capetown, South Africa.

So be like Santa – make your bucket list and check it twice, even if you are headed to a “safe” country.

 

Thanks for visiting ecoXplorer. Stay up to date with the latest news about green travel, green cars, smart spending and frugal living by subscribing. It's free. RSS feed.
Welcome back to exoXplorer. Stay up to date with the latest news about green travel, green cars and smart spending by subscribing. It's free. RSS feed.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Related

Filed Under: How To, Safety and Health

What do you think? We value your comments and love hearing from you.Cancel reply

Most Popular Recent Posts

  • AMC Theatres $5 Movie Tickets on Tuesdays
    AMC Theatres $5 Movie Tickets on Tuesdays
  • Amazon Prime Day Scams to Avoid
    Amazon Prime Day Scams to Avoid
  • Car Rental Do's and Don'ts
    Car Rental Do's and Don'ts
  • NYC Guide: Best Free & Cheap Things to Do In July, August & Beyond
    NYC Guide: Best Free & Cheap Things to Do In July, August & Beyond
  • Scam Alert: Kars4Kids Car Donation Charity
    Scam Alert: Kars4Kids Car Donation Charity
  • Overlanding Across Libya from Tripoli to Benghazi and El Alamein
    Overlanding Across Libya from Tripoli to Benghazi and El Alamein
  • Best Viewing Spots for 2025 Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks
    Best Viewing Spots for 2025 Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks
  • How to Help Victims of Texas Floods
    How to Help Victims of Texas Floods
  • Valle Nevado Opens 2025 Ski Season in South America
    Valle Nevado Opens 2025 Ski Season in South America
  • Scam Alert: Mideast Peace Charities
    Scam Alert: Mideast Peace Charities

ecoXplorer is your guide to smart spending and eco-friendly living

ecoXplorer is published by Evelyn Kanter, an award-winning journalist with 20+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter and guidebook author – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.

Evelyn Kanter is the Past President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA), a past Board Member of a prestigious professional group for travel journalists, and a member of several other top international organizations of journalists.

Evelyn Kanter is Senior Editor of SeniorsSkiing, which focuses on the 50+ outdoor enthusiast.

Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com or evelyn@evelynkanter.com.

Search ecoXplorer by category

© 2010-2025 ecoXplorer by Evelyn Kanter. All articles and photos are protected by US (C) Copyright laws. Any unauthorized copying is strictly prohibited. Plus, it’s just not nice.

  • Home
  • About Evelyn Kanter
  • Evelyn Kanter’s Books & Apps
  • Evelyn Kanter In The News
  • Workshops
  • NYC Travel Guru

ecoXplorer.com is an independent information service which is compensated by advertisers and sponsors. This site includes some links to other websites which are compensated for by our sponsors when you click them.

 

Loading Comments...