What to Know
- The U.S. Department of State issues travel advisory levels for more than 200 countries -- continually updating them.
- U.S. travel advisories are issued in four levels: exercise normal precautions, exercise increased caution, reconsider travel, and do not travel.
- Drug trafficking, crime, terrorist threats and civil uprisings are some of the factors behind the travel advisory levels given to the countries on the list.
Are you planning a trip abroad? Do you wonder if your destination is safe?
The U.S. Department of State issues travel advisory levels for more than 200 countries -- continually updating them.
Drug trafficking, crime, terrorist threats and civil uprisings are some of the factors behind the travel advisory levels given to the countries on the list.
With the recent deaths of a 9-year-old New York City boy who was shot and killed less than an hour after arriving in the Dominican Republic for a spring break family trip and the discovery of a missing man from Indiana who was found dead in a clandestine burial pit in Mexico after a traffic accident led to his alleged murder are just some of the recent headlines that has caused pause for some people to travel abroad.
However, the safest way to travel, is to be aware ahead of time of where one is going and the precautions one should take.
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U.S. travel advisories are issued in four levels: exercise normal precautions, exercise increased caution, reconsider travel, and do not travel.
News
As of Tuesday, May 9, there are 18 countries that were issued a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory by the State Department. Level 4 is the highest level in the advisory system due to the likelihood that travelers may encounter life-threatening risks.
"This is the highest advisory level due to greater likelihood of life-threatening risks. During an emergency, the U.S. government may have very limited ability to provide assistance. The Department of State advises that U.S. citizens not travel to the country or to leave as soon as it is safe to do so. The Department of State provides additional advice for travelers in these areas in the Travel Advisory. Conditions in any country may change at any time," according to the State Department.
The countries under the Level 4 advisory (and the dates when there listings were updated) are:
| Sudan Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | April 22, 2023 |
| Belarus Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | April 12, 2023 |
| Burma (Myanmar) Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | February 27, 2023 |
| Russia Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | February 13, 2023 |
| Iran Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | January 26, 2023 |
| Mali Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | January 18, 2023 |
| Venezuela Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | January 12, 2023 |
| Iraq Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | January 3, 2023 |
| Somalia Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | December 1, 2022 |
| Haiti Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | December 1, 2022 |
| Ukraine Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | October 20, 2022 |
| Afghanistan Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | October 20, 2022 |
| Yemen Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | October 5, 2022 |
| Syria Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | October 5, 2022 |
| South Sudan Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | October 5, 2022 |
| North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | October 5, 2022 |
| Libya Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | October 5, 2022 |
| Central African Republic Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | October 4, 2022 |
| Burkina Faso Travel Advisory | Level 4: Do Not Travel | October 4, 2022 |
Meanwhile, 29 other countries are at Level 3: Reconsider Travel. This level, according to the State Department, encourages travelers to avoid certain places due to safety and security risks.
When it comes to this level, the State Department says: "Avoid travel due to serious risks to safety and security. The Department of State provides additional advice for travelers in these areas in the Travel Advisory. Conditions in any country may change at any time."
The countries under a Level 3: Reconsider Travel advisory (and the dates when their listings were updated) are:
| Papua New Guinea Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | April 11, 2023 |
| China Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | March 10, 2023 |
| Ethiopia Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | March 9, 2023 |
| El Salvador Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | March 6, 2023 |
| Honduras Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | March 1, 2023 |
| Guatemala Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | March 1, 2023 |
| Burundi Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | February 13, 2023 |
| Pakistan Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | February 8, 2023 |
| Lebanon Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | February 1, 2023 |
| Nigeria Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | January 20, 2023 |
| Uganda Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | January 18, 2023 |
| Colombia Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | January 4, 2023 |
| Nicaragua Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | December 5, 2022 |
| Trinidad and Tobago Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | November 8, 2022 |
| Tuvalu Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | October 5, 2022 |
| Saudi Arabia Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | October 5, 2022 |
| Niger Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | October 5, 2022 |
| Mauritania Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | October 5, 2022 |
| Marshall Islands Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | October 5, 2022 |
| Kiribati Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | October 5, 2022 |
| Jamaica Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | October 5, 2022 |
| Hong Kong Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | October 5, 2022 |
| Guyana Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | October 5, 2022 |
| Guinea-Bissau Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | October 5, 2022 |
| Egypt Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | October 5, 2022 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | October 4, 2022 |
| Cote d'Ivoire Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | October 4, 2022 |
| Chad Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | October 4, 2022 |
| Macau Travel Advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel | April 18, 2022 |
The rest of the countries on the list are at a Level 2 and Level 1.
According to the State Department, a country with a Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution advisory warns travelers to aware of their surroundings and also to be cognizant that conditions could change at any time.
"Be aware of heightened risks to safety and security. The Department of State provides additional advice for travelers in these areas in the Travel Advisory. Conditions in any country may change at any time," the description for Level 2 reads.
Meanwhile, places with a Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions advisory have the lowest advisory level when it comes to security risk.
"This is the lowest advisory level for safety and security risk. There is some risk in any international travel. Conditions in other countries may differ from those in the United States and may change at any time, the State Department's website says when it comes to Level 1.
However, there are two countries on the list, as of Tuesday, that have a travel advisory that is out of the ordinary: Israel, the West Bank and Gaza as well as Mexico. These two countries have an "Other" advisory level and were given that level within the past year in October and March.
| Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Travel Advisory | Other | March 6, 2023 |
| Mexico Travel Advisory | Other | October 5, 2022 |
In the instance of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, its travel advisory reads, that there are terrorist groups, lone-wolf terrorists and other extremists plotting possible attacks, with some areas having more risk than others.
The State Department warns travelers not to travel to "Gaza due to terrorism, civil unrest, and armed conflict." It also warns travelers to "exercise increased caution when traveling to: Israel due to terrorism and civil unrest" as well as "West Bank due to terrorism and civil unrest."
Mexico's travel advisory warns of "violent crime -- such as homicide kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery," which according to the State Department is both widespread and common in the country.
Mexico's warning is broken down specifically by region, as follows, as outlined by the U.S. State Department:
Do Not Travel To:
- Colima state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Guerrero state due to crime.
- Michoacan state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Sinaloa state due to crime and kidnapping
- Tamaulipas state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Zacatecas state due to crime and kidnapping.
Reconsider Travel To:
- Baja California state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Chihuahua state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Durango state due to crime.
- Guanajuato state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Jalisco state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Morelos state due to crime.
- Sonora state due to crime and kidnapping.
Exercise Increased Caution When Traveling To:
- Aguascalientes state due to crime.
- Baja California Sur state due to crime.
- Chiapas state due to crime.
- Coahuila state due to crime.
- Hidalgo state due to crime.
- Mexico City due to crime.
- Mexico State due to crime.
- Nayarit state due to crime.
- Nuevo Leon state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Oaxaca state due to crime.
- Puebla state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Queretaro state due to crime.
- Quintana Roo state due to crime and kidnapping.
- San Luis Potosi state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Tabasco state due to crime.
- Tlaxcala state due to crime.
- Veracruz state due to crime.
Exercise Normal Precautions When Traveling To:
For additional information the countries listed, or those in Level 1 or 2, visit the U.S. Department of State's website, or click here.
