Thread: Official Travel Alerts, Warnings, and Information

You can go to the website of the US Department of State at anytime to see the current Travel Alerts and Travel Warnings that have been issued for countries where potential problems exist.

What's the difference between a Travel Alert and a Travel Warning?

TRAVEL ALERT:
Travel Alerts are issued to disseminate information about short-term conditions, generally within a particular country, that pose imminent risks to the security of U.S. citizens. Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, coups, anniversaries of terrorist events, election-related demonstrations or violence, and high-profile events such as international conferences or regional sports events are examples of conditions that might generate a Travel Alert

See them here: Current Travel Alerts



TRAVEL WARNING:
Travel Warnings are issued to describe long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable. A Travel Warning is also issued when the U.S. Government's ability to assist American citizens is constrained due to the closure of an embassy or consulate or because of a drawdown of its staff.

See them here: Current Travel Warnings

GENERAL Information for Any Country

You can also find general information about your destinations, by seeing the State Department's 'Country Specific Information' at this link, where individual countries are accessible through an alphabetical index:

Country Specific Information


Country Specific Information is available for every country of the world. These pages include such information as location of the U.S. embassy or consulate in the subject country, unusual immigration practices, health conditions, minor political disturbances, unusual currency and entry regulations, crime and security information, and drug penalties.

Great info, Sheila!

I guess the travel alerts and travel warnings are like tornado warnings and tornado watches. One is when the conditions are right for dangerous weather for form and the other is when a twister is actually seen, or at least that's what I learned when I lived in the Midwest.