don't travel to

Places the U.S. Government Warns Not to Travel Right Now

You may want to reconsider traveling to these countries right now.

Do Not Travel to These Countries

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Crime, civil unrest and terrorism are common risk factors for countries that end up on the State Department's "Do Not Travel" advisory list.

In 2024, tourism across the globe is “well on track” to return to pre-pandemic levels, according to projections by UN Tourism.

Global conflicts and natural disasters , ranging from a series of coups across Africa to catastrophic earthquakes in the Middle East affected international travel patterns throughout 2023. Still, international tourist arrivals reached 87% of pre-pandemic levels in 2023, according to estimates by UN Tourism .

In January 2024 alone, about 4.6 million U.S. citizens left the country for international destinations, 17% higher than the same month in 2019, according to the International Trade Administration . But some destinations warrant more caution than others.

On Oct. 19, 2023, following the outbreak of war between Israel and Gaza and flaring tensions in the region, the U.S. State Department issued a worldwide caution advisory due to “increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests.” Prior to this update, the most recent worldwide caution advisory was issued in 2022 after a U.S. strike killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden’s successor as leader of Al Qaeda, causing “a higher potential for anti-American violence.” The worldwide caution advisory remains in effect.

The U.S. State Department also issues individual travel advisory levels for more than 200 countries globally, continually updating them based on a variety of risk indicators such as health, terrorism and civil unrest. Travel advisory levels range from Level 1, which means exercise normal precautions, to Level 4, which means do not travel there.

About 10% of countries – 19 total – have a Level 4: “Do Not Travel” advisory as of Mar. 4. In Level 4 countries, the U.S. government may have “very limited ability” to step in should travelers’ safety or security be at risk, according to the State Department. Crime, civil unrest, kidnapping and terrorism are common risk factors associated with Level 4 countries.

So far in 2024, the State Department made changes to the existing Level 4 advisories for Myanmar, Iran and Gaza, and moved Niger and Lebanon off of the Level 4 list.

Places With a Level 4 Travel Advisory

These are the primary areas the U.S. government says not to travel to right now, in alphabetical order:

Jump to Place: Afghanistan Belarus Burkina Faso Central African Republic Myanmar (formerly Burma) Gaza Haiti Iran Iraq Libya Mali Mexico North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) Russia Somalia South Sudan Sudan Syria Ukraine Venezuela Yemen

Afghanistan: The Central Asian country is wrestling with “terrorism, risk of wrongful detention, kidnapping and crime,” according to the State Department. U.S. citizens are specifically at risk for wrongful detention and kidnapping. In 2022, the government reinstituted public floggings and executions, and women’s rights are disappearing under Taliban control. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul halted operations in August 2021. Since the Taliban took control , many forms of international aid have been halted . Meanwhile, in 2023, some of the year’s deadliest earthquakes killed more than 2,400 in Afghanistan while the country continues to face a years-long extreme drought.

Belarus: Belarus, which shares a western border with Russia and a southern border with Ukraine, has been flagged for “Belarusian authorities’ continued facilitation of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the buildup of Russian military forces in Belarus, the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, the potential of civil unrest, the risk of detention, and the Embassy’s limited ability to assist U.S. citizens residing in or traveling to Belarus.” The U.S. Embassy in Minsk halted operations in February 2022.

Burkina Faso: Terrorism, crime and kidnapping are plaguing this West African nation. Terrorist attacks may target hotels, restaurants and schools with little to no warning, and the East and Sahel regions of the country are under a state of emergency. In late November 2023, hundreds died in clashes between state security forces and rebels near the country’s border with Mali. In June, more than 2 million people in Burkina Faso were displaced due to “violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.”

Central African Republic: While there have not been specific incidents of U.S. citizens targeted with violence or crime, violent crime and sudden closure of roads and borders is common. The advisory states that “Embassy Bangui’s limited capacity to provide support to U.S. citizens, crime, civil unrest, and kidnapping” is a factor in its assessment. Recent data from UNICEF suggests the country has the worst drinking water accessibility of all countries in 2022.

Myanmar (Formerly Burma): Armed conflict and civil unrest are the primary reasons to not travel to this Southeast Asian country, which experienced a military coup in early 2021. Limited health care resources, wrongful detentions and “areas with land mines and unexploded ordnance” are also listed as risk factors. After Ukraine and Israel, Myanmar had the highest conflict-related death toll in 2023.

Gaza : Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization as designated by the State Department, controls much of the Gaza Strip, which shares borders with both Israel and Egypt. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas fighters broke across the border into Israel, killing hundreds of civilians and soldiers in a brazen attack that stunned Israelis. On Oct. 10, Israel hit the Gaza Strip with “the fiercest air strikes in its 75-year conflict” according to Reuters . The conflict has since escalated into war between Israel and Hamas, with regular Israeli airstrikes leading to extensive civilian casualties in Gaza. As of mid-December, nearly 85% of Gaza’s population were displaced from their homes, according to UN estimates . The region continues to face shortages of food , water, electricity and medical supplies , with conditions deemed “far beyond a humanitarian crisis.” The State Department warns of terrorism and armed conflict within Gaza’s borders.

Haiti: In July 2023, the Department of State ordered all non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members to leave the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince in response to the increased risk of kidnapping and violent crime in the country , as well as armed conflict between gangs and police. The travel advisory states that cases of kidnapping “often involve ransom negotiations and U.S. citizen victims have been physically harmed during kidnappings.” The travel advisory also states that “U.S. citizens in Haiti should depart Haiti as soon as possible” given “the current security situation and infrastructure challenges.” A series of gang attacks in late September 2023 caused thousands to flee their homes, and many aid groups have been forced to cut or suspend operations amid escalating violence in recent months.

Iran: Terrorism, kidnapping and civil unrest are risk factors for all travelers to Iran, while U.S. citizens are specifically at risk for “arbitrary arrest.” U.S.-Iranian nationals such as students, journalists and business travelers have been arrested on charges of espionage and threatening national security. Executions in Iran rose sharply between 2021 and 2022, bringing the country’s total to nearly 580 people over the year, according to a report by Amnesty International released in May 2023.

Iraq: The State Department cites “terrorism, kidnapping, armed conflict [and] civil unrest” as cause for the country’s Level 4 distinction. Iraq’s northern borders, and its border with Syria, are especially dangerous. Since the escalation of conflict in neighboring Israel in October, there has been an increase in attacks against Iraqi military bases, which host U.S. troops and other international forces. In October 2023, non-emergency U.S. government personnel and eligible family members were ordered to leave the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.

Libya: Following the end of its dictatorship over a decade ago, Libya has been wrought with internal conflict between armed groups in the East and West. Armed conflict, civil unrest, crime, kidnapping and terrorism are all risk factors. U.S. citizens have been targets of kidnapping for ransom, with terrorists targeting hotels and airports frequented by Westerners. The U.S. Embassy in Tripoli halted operations in 2014. In mid-September 2023, floods, which some say were intensified by climate change , killed thousands in eastern Libya. Clashes between armed factions escalated across the country in the latter half of 2023, including in the capital city of Tripoli and in Benghazi.

Mali: After experiencing military coups in 2020 and 2021, crime, terrorism and kidnapping are all prevalent threats in this West African landlocked nation. In July 2022, non-emergency U.S. government employees and their families were ordered to leave the country due to higher risk of terrorist activity. A U.N. report in August 2023 said that military groups in the country, including both Mali security forces and possibly Russian Wagner mercenaries, were spreading terror through the use of violence against women and human rights abuses. Democratic elections were supposed to occur in February 2024, but Mali’s military junta postponed the plans indefinitely. In December, the U.N. officially ended a decade-long peacekeeping presence in the country, which had been among the agency’s deadliest missions, with hundreds of the mission personnel killed since 2013.

Mexico: Each state in Mexico is assessed separately for travel advisory levels. Six of the 32 states in Mexico are designated as Level 4: Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas. Crime and kidnapping are listed as the primary risk factors throughout the country. Nearly 112,000 people were missing across the country as of October, a number the U.N. has called “alarming.”

North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea): U.S. passports are not valid for travel “to, in, or through” this country, home to one of the world's longest-running dynastic dictatorships. The travel advisory states that the Level 4 distinction is due to “the continuing serious risk of arrest and long-term detention of U.S. nationals.” In July 2023, a U.S. soldier fled across the border into North Korea, where he is believed to be in North Korean custody, the first American detained in the North in nearly five years. He was returned to U.S. custody in September 2023.

Russia: The travel advisory for Russia cites its invasion of Ukraine , harassment of U.S. citizens by Russian government officials and arbitrary law enforcement as a few of the reasons for the Level 4 designation. Chechnya and Mount Elbrus are specifically listed as Level 4 regions. Terrorism, civil unrest, health, kidnapping and wrongful detention are all noted as risks.

Russia Invades Ukraine: A Timeline

Somalia: A severe drought resulting from five failed rainy seasons in a row killed 43,000 people in 2022, and caused a famine amid conflict with Islamist insurgents . Violent crime is common throughout Somalia , pirates frequent its coast off the Horn of Africa, and medical facilities, where they exist, have limited capacity. Crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health and kidnapping are all risk factors. In January 2024, some passengers aboard a U.N.-contracted helicopter were taken hostage by al-Shabaab militants after the vehicle crashed in central Somalia.

South Sudan: Crime, kidnapping and armed conflict are the primary risk factors for South Sudan, which separated from Sudan in 2011, making it the world’s newest country . Weapons are readily available, and travelers have been victims of sexual assault and armed robbery.

Sudan: The U.S. evacuated its embassy in Khartoum in April 2023, and the country closed its airspace due to the ongoing conflict in the country, only permitting humanitarian aid and evacuation efforts. Fighting has escalated in the region between two warring generals seeking to gain control after a military coup in 2021 ousted the country’s prime minister. Civil unrest is the primary risk factor for Africa’s third largest country by area. Crime, terrorism, kidnapping and armed conflict are also noted. The International Criminal Court began investigating alleged war crimes and violence against African ethnic groups in the country in 2023. Millions have fled their homes due to conflict, and the U.N. has said its efforts to provide aid have been hindered by a lack of support, safety and resources. As recently as December 2023, the United Nations warned of catastrophic famine , with millions of children at-risk for malnutrition .

Syria: The advisory states that “No part of Syria is safe from violence,” with terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed conflict and risk of unjust detention all potential risk factors. U.S. citizens are often a target for kidnappings and detention. The U.S. Embassy in Damascus halted operations in 2012. Fighting in neighboring Israel has escalated since October, and the conflict has spilled over into Syria, where the U.S. has carried out air strikes following drone and rocket attacks against American troops in Syria and Iraq, triggered by the Israel-Hamas war.

Ukraine: Russian setbacks in their invasion of Ukraine buoyed hopes in Ukraine in 2023. However, Ukraine is a Level 4 country due to Russia’s invasion, with crime and civil unrest also noted as risk factors. The country’s forces shot down two Russian fighter jets on Christmas Eve 2023, in a move Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said “sets the right mood for the entire year ahead.”

Venezuela: Human rights abuses and lack of health care plague this South American nation, which has been in a political crisis since 2014. In 2019, diplomatic personnel were withdrawn from the U.S. Embassy in Caracas. Threats in the country include crime, civil unrest, kidnapping, wrongful detention and poor health infrastructure.

Yemen: Six of the nine risk factors defined by the State Department – terrorism, civil unrest, health risks, kidnapping, armed conflict and landmines – are all present in Yemen. Despite private companies offering tourist visits to the Yemeni island of Socotra, the U.S. government argues those arranging such visits “are putting tourists in danger.” Civil war and cholera are also both present throughout the country. The U.S. Embassy in Sanaa halted operations in 2015. The country has experienced a relative lull in the civil war fighting, but as peace negotiations have gotten traction, flare ups in the fighting have jeopardized progress. Most recently, the U.S. and U.K. have carried out a series of airstrikes in the country, targeting Iran-backed Houthi sites.

Other Countries to Watch

Since Jan. 1, the State Department has updated travel advisories for 17 different countries as well as for the West Bank and Gaza, adding information about specific regions or risk factors, or simply renewing an existing advisory. Travel advisory levels can change based on several factors in a nation, such as increased civil unrest, policies that affect human rights or higher risks of unlawful detention.

The State Department has given about 25 countries an assessment of Level 3, meaning it recommends people “reconsider travel” to those destinations.

On Oct. 14, one week after the deadly Hamas attack on Israel, Israel and the West Bank were both moved from Level 2 to Level 3, while Gaza remains at Level 4. The region’s travel advisory was updated in November to reflect travel restrictions for certain government employees who have not already left the area, and it was updated again on Jan. 3.

Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in early October, the U.S. State Department raised Lebanon ’s travel advisory level from a Level 3 to a Level 4 level due to “the unpredictable security situation related to rocket, missile, and artillery exchanges” between Israel and Hezbollah or other militant groups. In December, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut returned to normal staffing and presence, and on Jan. 29, the country was moved back to Level 3. Crime, terrorism, armed conflict, civil unrest, kidnapping and unexploded landmines are listed as the country’s primary risk factors. However, the country’s borders with Syria and with Israel, as well as refugee settlements within Lebanon, are specifically noted as Level 4 regions.

China became a Level 3 country in late 2020, with an update in December 2022 citing “the surge in COVID-19 cases, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, and COVID-19-related restrictions” as the reason for the advisory. In June 2023, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) was moved from the Level 3 to the Level 2 list, but travelers are still advised to be cautious in the area due to “arbitrary enforcement of local laws.” Meanwhile, Macau remains at Level 3.

Following an attempted coup in August 2023, Niger was elevated to Level 4 in August and the Department of State ordered all non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members to leave the U.S. Embassy in Niamey. In early January 2024, the overall risk level for the country was lowered back to Level 3. Despite the new classification, the State Department still asks non-emergency government personnel and eligible family members to depart the country.

In mid-December 2023 there was an explosion at Guinea’s main fuel depot which has since affected access to health care and basic goods and services. The country was subsequently designated a Level 3 nation after having previously been Level 2. Concerns about civil unrest, health, crime and fuel shortages impacting local infrastructure were listed as the primary risk factors contributing to the change.

Several Level 3 countries are among the worst countries for human trafficking, as designated by the State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report . Level 3 countries on this list include Papua New Guinea, Guinea Bissau, China and Chad. There are also nine Level 4 countries designated as among the worst for human trafficking: Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Syria, South Sudan and Venezuela.

Over 70 countries are currently at Level 2, meaning the State Department recommends travelers “exercise increased caution” when traveling to those destinations.

Botswana became the newest Level 2 country on Feb. 26 after having previously been Level 1, with crime noted as the primary risk factor.

France, which saw nationwide protests throughout 2023, has civil unrest and terrorism noted as risk factors for its Level 2 status, and Sweden’s Level 2 status is associated with risks of terrorism.

The Level 2 travel advisory for the Bahamas was updated in January to reflect water safety concerns. The advisory warns that “activities involving commercial recreational watercraft, including water tours, are not consistently regulated” and notes that government personnel are “not permitted to use independently operated jet-ski rentals on New Providence and Paradise Islands.” It also warns visitors to be mindful of sharks, weather and water conditions. The advisory also says that crime is a primary risk factor with gang-on-gang violence contributing to high homicide rates in some areas. Visitors are asked to “be vigilant” and to not physically resist robbery attempts.

Bangladesh 's Level 2 travel advisory was updated in October 2023 to add a note about the country’s general election , which took place Jan. 7, 2024. The advisory states “demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.” The U.S. has since claimed the country’s election was not free nor fair.

In November 2023, several Level 2 travel advisories were updated with new cautionary information. The advisory for Ghana was updated to reflect threats against LGBTQI+ travelers specifically, noting “anti-LGBTQI+ rhetoric and violence have increased in recent years.” Meanwhile, the advisory for South Africa was updated in February to note that routes recommended by GPS may be unsafe with higher risk for crime.

Turkmenistan was moved off of the Level 2 list to become the newest addition to the Level 1 list on Jan. 22, meaning normal precautions are recommended but there are no risk factors causing travelers to practice increased caution.

The State Department asks travelers to pay attention to travel advisory levels and alerts , review country information pages for their destinations and read related country security reports before going abroad.

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Places to Avoid in Mexico According to The U.S. State Department | Here’s Where You Should And Shouldn’t Travel

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Some places in Mexico, including Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, are extremely popular destinations for Americans traveling during spring break and Easter.

The U.S. State Department, however, has issued a number of advisories for U.S. citizens traveling to various Mexican states in recent weeks. Now, as violent crime and kidnapping rates increase across Mexico, Americans considering travel to all but two of the states in Mexico should be aware of renewed and increasing warnings, the State Department cautions.

“Violent crime — such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery — is widespread and common in Mexico,” the State Department explains . “The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in many areas of Mexico, as travel by U.S. government employees to certain areas is prohibited or restricted. In many states, local emergency services are limited outside the state capital or major cities.”

Is Mexico Dangerous For Tourists?

While there are so many wonderful things about Mexico, drug cartels and violent crime have crept back into the news in recent years. This is why a lot of people are concerned for their safety in Mexico when planning a trip. 

In general, Mexican drug cartels do not want to harm American tourists, but it is also true that the armed groups operate independently. If you visit popular tourist destinations, it is very common to be offered illegal drugs by a passerby. You should always say no, as these individuals are almost always connected to a major drug cartel.

Foreigners have a negative idea about how dangerous Mexico is because the U.S. State Department has high standards when it comes to risk aversion, and their travel warnings regarding Mexico may sometimes seem like fear-mongering. However, this doesn’t apply to places in Mexico that are truly dangerous and should be avoided.

American citizens, as well as Europeans, Canadians, and other tourists outside of Latin America, are generally very safe in Mexico so long as they don’t seek out illegal activities. Sought-after tourist destinations are generally not among the riskiest areas in Mexico.

Places to Avoid in Mexico According to The U.S. State Department

Here are the State Department’s recommendations for U.S. citizens considering travel to Mexico.

Do Not Travel To

The State Department recommends U.S. citizens not to travel to five states in Mexico due to increasing levels of crime and kidnapping.

Those states are Colima (where Manzanillo is located), Michoacan, Sinaloa (where Mazatlán is located), Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas (home to Zacatecas City).

Guerrero — where Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, and Ixtapa are located — is also on the State Department’s “Do not travel” list because crime is widespread in those areas.

Reconsider Travel To

The State Department recommends U.S. citizens reconsider travel to five states in Mexico due to crime and kidnapping.

Those states are Baja California (where Tijuana is located), Chihuahua, Guanajuato (where Guanajuato City is located), Jalisco state (home to Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta), and Sonora.

The states of Durango and Morelos are also on the State Department’s “Reconsider travel” list due to high crime rates.

Exercise Increased Caution When Traveling To

The State Department recommends U.S. citizens exercise increased caution when traveling to 17 areas of Mexico, primarily due to crime rates but also the threat of kidnapping in some places.

Those states are Aguascalientes, Baja California Sur (where Cabo San Lucas , San Jose del Cabo, and La Paz are located), Chiapas, Coahuila, Hidalgo, Mexico State, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca (home of Oaxaca City and Huatulco), Puebla, Queretaro, Quintana Roo (where Cancun , Cozumel, Tulum, and Riviera Maya are located), San Luis Potosi, Tabasco, Tlaxcala, and Veracruz.

Mexico City is also on the list due to high crime rates.

Exercise Normal Precautions When Traveling To

The State Department recommends U.S. citizens exercise normal precautions when traveling to Campeche and Yucatan, where Chichen Itza and Merida are located.

Know Before You Go

If you decide to travel to Mexico, the State Department offers some guidance.

“Exercise increased caution when visiting local bars, nightclubs, and casinos,” the State Department recommends. “Do not display signs of wealth, such as wearing expensive watches or jewelry. Be extra vigilant when visiting banks or ATMs.”

The State Department also recommends that travelers in Mexico keep both traveling companions and friends or family at home up to date about their travel plans.

Finally, if you are alone and take a taxi or Uber, be sure to take a photo of the taxi number and/or its license plate and text it to a friend or family member, the State Department recommends, especially if you’re a woman. Mexico is considered one of the five most dangerous countries for women .

You can find a detailed explanation of the threats in each state in Mexico and learn more about being safe while traveling within Mexico in the State Department’s Mexico Travel Advisory .

What Are Mexico’s Most Dangerous Cities?

The most dangerous places in Mexico are Tijuana and Acapulco, followed by Ciudad Victoria and

Ciudad Juarez in the third place. Mexico’s northern border and Central Mexico are among the least safe places in Mexico. Tijuana is even considered the most dangerous city worldwide.

Are Popular Tourist Destinations in Mexico Dangerous?

Major tourist areas popular with American tourists like San Miguel de Allende or the coastal city of Mazatlan are typically not among the most dangerous places in Mexico. However, criminal activity can occur in otherwise safe tourist zones in the southern region as well, so you better exercise caution. 

Are Beaches in Mexico Safe?

The most popular beaches in Mexico such as Playa del Carmen are considered low-risk. Reports of gang activity and cartel-related violence in the media are scaring the public away, but Washington and Mexican authorities are ensuring that policing standards stay high in popular destinations.

Is the Mexican Government Doing Enough to Counter the Organized Crime?

Mexican authorities claim to be doing all that they can to combat organized crime, and many local authorities are. However, with crime rates high and prosecutions low, people’s confidence in the state and its institutions is waning further.

Is Mexico City Dangerous for Tourists?

While Mexico City has areas with safety concerns, many tourist areas are generally safe. Exercise caution, stay in well-traveled areas, and follow local advice. Take usual precautions, and enjoy the rich cultural offerings and Mexico City historical sites.

How Can I Stay Safe in Mexico?

Mexican drug cartels do not want to harm tourists but you should exercise extreme caution anyway. Reconsider your need to travel to violent cities and remote areas as criminal groups frequently maintain roadblocks. Also, use ATMs in public spaces and during the daytime.

Jim Fulcher has been a writer and editor his entire career. In addition to writing, he also enjoys traveling--particularly in an RV. Over the course of numerous trips, Jim has driven an RV through West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. His favorite national park is Yellowstone, which he has visited three times.

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Russia Travel Advisory

Travel advisory june 27, 2024, russia - level 4: do not travel.

Reissued after periodic review with minor edits.

Do not travel to Russia due to the consequences of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces. U.S. citizens may face harassment or detention by Russian security officials, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, limited flights into and out of Russia, and the possibility of terrorism. The U.S. Embassy has limited ability to assist U.S. citizens in Russia. The Department has determined that there is a continued risk of wrongful detention of U.S. nationals by Russian authorities. U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Russia should leave immediately.

The U.S. government has limited ability to help U.S. citizens in Russia, especially outside of Moscow. The U.S. Embassy is operating with reduced staffing, and the Russian government has restricted travel for embassy personnel. Furthermore, all U.S. consulates in Russia have suspended operations, including consular services.

There have been reports of drone attacks and explosions near the border with Ukraine as well as in Moscow, Kazan, and St. Petersburg. In an emergency, you should follow instructions from local authorities and seek shelter.

Russia may refuse to recognize your U.S. citizenship if you are a dual U.S.-Russian citizen or have a claim to Russian citizenship. Russia has denied consular officers visits to detained dual U.S.-Russian citizens. The Russian government has forced citizens with dual nationality to join the Russian military and prevented them from leaving the country. In 2022, the Russian government mobilized citizens for its invasion of Ukraine. Military conscription continues.

In Russia, the rights to peaceful assembly and free speech are not always protected. U.S. citizens should avoid protests and taking photos of security staff at these events. Russian authorities have arrested U.S. citizens who joined protests. Moreover, there are many reports of Russians being detained for social media posts.

U.S. citizens should know that U.S. credit and debit cards no longer work in Russia. Due to sanctions, sending electronic money transfers from the U.S. to Russia is nearly impossible.

Commercial flight options are minimal and are often unavailable on short notice. If you wish to depart Russia, you should make independent arrangements. The U.S. Embassy has limited ability to assist U.S. citizens in leaving the country, and transportation options may suddenly become even more restricted.

Click  here  for Information for U.S. Citizens Seeking to Depart Russia.

U.S. Embassy staff generally are not allowed to fly on Russian airlines due to safety concerns. Recently, the FAA downgraded Russia's air safety rating from Category 1 to Category 2. Additionally, the FAA banned U.S. flights in some Russian areas, including the Moscow Flight Information Region (FIR), the Samara FIR (UWWW), and the Rostov-na-Donu (URRV) FIR within 160NM of the boundaries of the Dnipro (UKDV) Flight Information Regions. Check the FAA's Prohibitions, Restrictions, and Notices for more information.

Country Summary: 

Russian officials have interrogated and threatened U.S. citizens without cause. This includes former and current U.S. government and military personnel and private U.S. citizens engaged in business. U.S. citizens may become victims of harassment, mistreatment, and extortion.

Russian authorities may not notify the U.S. Embassy about the detention of a U.S. citizen and may delay U.S. consular assistance. Russian security services also target foreign and international organizations they consider “undesirable.”

Russian security services have arrested U.S. citizens on false charges, denied them fair treatment, and convicted them without credible evidence. Furthermore, Russian authorities have opened questionable investigations against U.S. citizens engaged in religious activity. U.S. citizens should avoid travel to Russia.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has destabilized security in southwestern Russia. In October 2022, the Russian government declared martial law in the following border areas with Ukraine: Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Rostov, and Krasnodar. Under martial law, authorities can set curfews, seize property, and restrict movement. The Russian government may detain foreigners, forcibly relocate residents, and limit public gatherings. U.S. citizens should avoid all travel to these areas.

Russian authorities have questioned, detained, and arrested people for “acting against Russia's interests.” Local authorities have targeted people for posting on social media or supporting "anti-Russian" groups and punished individuals for criticizing the government or military. The Russian government's current "LGBT propaganda" law bans discussion of LGBTQI+ related topics. In November 2023, the Supreme Court labeled the so-called "international LGBT movement" as extremist. This decision effectively made it a crime to support the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons in Russia.

Terrorists continue to plan attacks in Russia. The March 2024 Crocus City Hall incident proved they can strike suddenly. Terrorists may target tourist areas, transport hubs, and markets. They may also target government buildings, hotels, clubs, restaurants, and places of worship. Parks, events, schools, and airports are also potential targets.  U.S. government employees under Embassy (Chief of Mission) security responsibility are not permitted to travel to the North Caucasus, including Chechnya and Mt. Elbrus. U.S. citizens should avoid travel to those areas.

The international community does not recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea and does not acknowledge Russia’s purported annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya. Russia staged its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in part, from occupied Crimea and there is a heavy Russian military presence in these areas. There is intense fighting across these regions and Russian authorities there have abused both foreigners and locals. Authorities have specifically targeted individuals who are seen as challenging Russia’s authority.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv administers consular services to U.S. citizens in Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya. However, the conflict limits the Embassy's ability to help U.S. citizens in these areas.

Read the  country information page  for additional information on travel to Russia.

If you decide to travel to Russia:

• Read the information on what the U.S. government can and cannot do to assist you in an emergency overseas .
• Consider the risks involved in having dual U.S.- Russian nationality.
• Have a contingency plan in place that does not rely on U.S. government help. Review the Traveler’s Checklist .
• Follow news for any important events and update your plans based on the new information.
• Ensure travel documents are valid and easily accessible.
• Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas .
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). This will allow you to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter .
• Review the Country Security Report for Russia.
• Visit the CDC page for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel.

Travel Advisory Levels

Assistance for u.s. citizens, russian federation map, search for travel advisories, external link.

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Which Countries Does The US Warn Against Travel To? (Full List)

The list of counties which the U.S. State Department advises against travel to increased from 34 to 151. Which countries are on the “do not travel” list?’

May 11, 2021 UPDATE: The United Kingdom has dropped from Category 4 to Category 3 while Israel has dropped from Category 4 to Category 2 .

State Department “Do Not Travel” List

The State Department divides nations into four categories:

• Level 1 – “exercise normal precautions” – 0 country
• Level 2 – “exercise increased caution” – 17 countries  
• Level 3 – “reconsider travel” – 41 countries
• Level 4 – “do not travel” – 151 countries

Here’s the list of Level 4 countries , which Americans are urged to avoid right now:

• Afghanistan
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Burkina Faso
• Burma (Myanmar)
• Central African Republic
• Cote d’Ivoire
• Czech Republic
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Dominican Republic
• French Guiana
• French West Indies
• Guinea-Bissau
• Liechtenstein
• Netherlands
• North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)
• North Macedonia
• Papua New Guinea
• Philippines
• Republic of the Congo
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and The Grenadines
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Saudi Arabia
• Solomon Island
• South Africa
• South Sudan
• Switzerland
• The Bahamas
• Timor Leste
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turkmenistan
• Turks and Caicos Islands
• United Arab Emirates

The State Department notes the updated list “reflects an adjustment in the State Department’s Travel Advisory system to rely more on existing epidemiological assessments.”

But no further explanation is given as to how countries were placed in which category.

Bhutan has also lost its Category 1 status and is now in Category 2 status.

The U.S. is warning against travel to 151 countries, up from just 34 countries in late April. While this list is not a travel ban, the practical effect of this latest update will be to slow international travel. It also suggests that the United States will not be re-opened to citizens of the European Union in May, as has been rumored.

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About author.

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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17 comments.

I would rather travel to most of the countries in the list than travel to NYC, California, Portland or Seattle.

The State Department…

Why do we give them such a large budget? They bungled Korea for 70 years. Meanwhile. DENNIS RODMAN was able to make a diplomatic breakthrough. Think about that, we are listening to an agency who has less success than DENNIS RODMAN. Maybe they should try and actually solve problems instead of merely managing them, which allows them to justify their 6 figure government salaries.

And we should listen to their advice on where to travel?

They are being realistic: opening for travel is way more distant than most people believe ( …or want to believe…); in Churchillian terms we might have seen “the end of the beginning “ but that’s about all. The huge ethical, political and logistical issue remain: how to ensure there is sufficient vaccination around the world to give a reasonable level of safety PRIOR to the need for booster shots …because ,in the absence of virtually universal vaccination, the outbreaks will come again and again. Everyone’s worst nightmare is happening now in India: people dying in the streets outside hospitals, not a ventilator to be had ( and this in the world’s biggest producer of vaccines). Yet still some people will clamour for premature reopening of borders, mostly because they want to go on vacation ( although more often than not they couch this in economic terms: as if the world turns on the need for some road warrior/points junkie to have a ‘face to face’ meeting in Paris. Total BS). And usually preface this self-serving desire by quoting meaningless stats about recovery rates/ comparisons with seasonal flu. It’s beyond pukeworthy.

Stop blaming vacationers. Had their not been political rallies and riots, infection rate would be 70% lower, both in India and US.

Based on the invisible criteria the USA should also be Level 4 and domestic travel restricted. Here in the UK (level 4) I would say we are in a lot better shape than America. This is all meaningless political theatre.

I believe the term is virtue signaling. If one mask is good, two masks means you are just that much more serious about protecting others. When recommending against domestic travel just doesn’t feel good enough, toss in most foreign jurisdictions to maintain equity. If you are smart, you’ll understand this is what you must claim you are doing to maintain acceptable conversations at in-person gatherings with your vaccinated peers. If you don’t listen, well, you aren’t part of the group of people that are important anyway. If this was actually about public health, there would be a related increase in bans on flights from high risk areas – looking at you India. So much for following the science.

What a complete joke. This is just more “woke” political nonsense.

Thanks for ruining summer, Uncle Joe and Fauci

Liechtenstein is on the list… WHERE IT BELONGS!!!

This list is quite ridiculous it just doesn’t make sense…

Level 2: Palau, South Korea, Thailand (really? Palau has zero cases since the start of the pandemic and compare to South Korea that has 500-700+ daily cases and Thailand over 1000 cases per day)

Level 3: Iceland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Taiwan, Australia. All these countries has way less cases per day than South Korea or Thailand. Hong Kong about 0 to 3 local cases per day, same with the others mostly imported.

Level 4: Macau? (Is this a joke? Since the pandemic Macau only had a total of 49 cases and 0 deaths)

It’s so freaking hypocritical that Trump endured such criticism for limiting travel (was called racist, and so on), then the (deep) State Department has the gall to add ONE HUNDRED FIFTY countries to their list?

“Do as I say, not as I do”

FINALLY someone recognizes those evil ass Canadians for what they are. Right up where they belong with North Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Yemen. Build that wall Eh!

This is a ridiculous list and only encourages non compliance with this and other “guidelines”. Why create such a distrust in government by going fro 34 to 134 in 24 hours? How about a little nuance?

Forget Australia. The national budget, delivered today, says borders will not begin to reopen until mid 2022. In economic terms that’s not a net loss, as Australians used to spend AUD20 billion more on overseas travel p.a. than total receipts from incoming tourists. But it’s a TOTAL PITA !

Listen up, folks. Here’s the deal. We will encourage international travel once Kam and I are ready to declare victory over this virus. So just sit tight for another 18 months and we’ll have this licked by the mid-terms.

What the bureaucrats at State Department and CDC don’t understand, is that with each passing day this crap continues to go on, they lose credibility with the people, at least those who pay attention to this stuff and who can think for themselves. I’m in Ethiopia this week, having a great time. I had a great flight coming over too, on an almost fully packed 777. They’re leading from behind.

Thailand had reduced the mandatory quarantine period for arrivals to 7 or 10 days, depending on location….but has now increased it back to 14 days, for everyone/all locations, effective May 1st

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Tourists' Caribbean arrests highlight value of US travel warnings, expert says

If you’re planning a trip abroad, your first stop should be the u.s. state department website, where you can get important safety and security information about your destination, by leslie gaydos and ale zimmermann • published april 29, 2024 • updated on april 29, 2024 at 5:41 pm.

Three Americans detained in Turks and Caicos Islands for possession of ammunition are facing a possible 12-year prison sentence after they were arrested for what they say were innocent mistakes.

The situation is a good reminder to be aware of local laws anytime you’re leaving the United States.

STAY IN THE KNOW

If you’re planning a trip abroad, your first stop should be the U.S. State Department website , where you can get important safety and security information about your destination.

“Oftentimes people do a bit more digging to unknown destinations that they've never been to or destinations that might have an increased caution warning on the State Department website,” says Katy Nastro, a travel expert at flight-finding site Going. “We tend to not think about doing those same sort of steps before we travel to leisure destinations like a Caribbean island, or anywhere that we might have been to before.”

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But it’s a good idea to check the State Department website before each trip so you can make informed decisions.  The State Department issues travel advisory levels for each country of the world based on conditions, from the minimum Level 1 to a Level 4, which is a do not travel advisory.

“It also advises against different regulations or things that have popped up recently,” says Nastro. “If you go on the State Department website right now and look under Turks and Caicos, there is an advisory to check your bags for things like ammunition that you cannot travel to and have on you when you're traveling to Turks and Caicos.”

Nastro says it’s also a good idea to familiarize yourself with local laws to avoid any run-ins with local authorities.

“One perfect example of sort of being aware of local laws and regulations is chewing gum in Singapore. This is something that has been talked about in the past, because a lot of times tourists would come to the country and not be aware that, you know, spitting chewing gum and chewing gum in and of itself is banned,” she says. “Also being aware of what you're saying. In some countries, you're not allowed to speak ill of the government or, you know, have slanderous language specific type of words. Again, being aware, top line, of some of the differences in local laws and regulations before you travel to a country can really equip yourself to be a better and smarter traveler.”

The State Department website also provides information on local customs and norms. In some countries, tight-fitting clothing and sleeveless shirts and shorts are not acceptable.

“A lot of information can be found through various Facebook groups,” says Nastro. “Going has an incredible travel community that you can join where people actually swap tips and insights into what a specific destination is like after just having traveled there… as well as following local news outlets to get a better sense of what's happening on the ground.”

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You may also want to consider signing up for the state department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. It’s a free service that sends you emails with updates on weather, safety and security from the local U.S. embassy or consulate.  

If there’s an emergency, it also helps them contact you with instructions on what to do. You can sign up here:  step.state.gov .

More on the Turks and Caicos Islands ammunition arrests

US tourists face 12 years in prison for accidentally bringing ammo to Caribbean island

TSA reviews airport security after Turks and Caicos ammo arrests

Mother's warning after son's 8-month Turks and Caicos prison sentence: ‘It's not behind us'

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What countries to avoid on your travels, according to the U.S. government

Many countries’ travel advisories have been updated in 2024, making some popular locations dangerous to travel to.

By Alyssa Bradford

The U.S. State Department regularly updates travel advisory levels for more than 200 countries globally. Levels depend on risk factors such as health, terrorism and civil unrest. Currently, 10% of countries, 19 total, have a level four advisory, meaning no one should travel to that location, per U.S. News & World Report .

Twenty-four countries have a level three travel advisory, meaning to reconsider travel. While citizens are not barred from traveling, additional advice is given because of the severity of risks to safety and security, according to U.S. News & World Report .

Which countries have updated ‘do not travel’ warnings?

Level four is the highest and most dangerous advisory the U.S. government gives. Here are the areas to not travel to and the reasons why, in order of date updated, according to the State Department website .

Burma (Myanmar)

With armed conflict, civil unrest and arbitrary law enforcement, Burma was updated to a level four on Jan. 22.

• Certain areas within the country, Shan, Chin and Kachin, also contain unidentifiable or unmarked landmines.
• Many U.S. citizens have been wrongfully detained without due process.
• Explosives are used during armed conflicts.
• There are limited medical resources because of shortage in staffing and medical supplies.

Information on Iran was updated on Jan. 11. Terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping and the arrest of U.S. citizens are risk factors for Iran.

• Terrorist organizations, such as ISIS, operate in Iran.
• The U.S. is unable to provide emergency services.

Which countries should tourists highly consider not traveling to?

Where possible, U.S. citizens should stay away from countries with a level three travel advisory. However, if necessary, appoint one family member to serve as the point of contact with others in emergencies; keep travel documents up-to-date; avoid demonstrations or crowds and do not touch unknown objects.

Here are the areas to reconsider traveling to and the reasons why, in order of date updated, according to the State Department website .

Crime, civil unrest, terrorism, kidnapping, landmines and armed conflict causes Lebanon to have a level three advisory. Southern Lebanon, the border with Syria or refugee settlements have a level four, do not travel, advisory. Lebanon’s advisory was updated on Jan. 29.

• The U.S. Embassy is sometimes unable to assist travelers.
• Terrorist groups are plotting attacks, especially in tourist locations.
• Disputes often escalate quickly within families and neighborhoods, causing gunfire or other violence.
• Kidnapping occurs due to the want of money, political motives and family disputes.
• Landmines are found in roadside ditches, shoulders and unmarked trails.
• Protester gatherings often turn violent. Major roads can be blocked for the protests.

Saudi Arabia

Updated on Jan. 24, Saudi Arabia has a level three advisory. There are currently threats of missile and drone attacks, terrorism, arrests due to social media activity and prohibited items within the country.

• The U.S. government is unable to provide aid for most emergencies.
• Iran has conducted destructive and lethal attacks with missiles and drones against government and civilian sites.
• Debris from drone and missile attacks are dangerous.
• U.S. citizens have been arrested for social media comments, likes, posts or reposts that are deemed critical of Saudi Arabia.
• Drugs, weapons, pornographic material and other illegal items are often imported into the country.

Travel to Jamaica should be reconsidered because of crime and reduced medical services. The country’s travel advisory was updated on Jan. 23.

• Violent crimes such as sexual assault, armed robberies and home invasions occur.
• Police respond poorly to criminal incidents.
• Families of U.S. citizens are often killed in homicides with death certificates given a year or more later.
• Hospitals are under-resourced.

Papua New Guinea

Crime, civil unrest, piracy, kidnapping, limited health care services and natural disasters cause Papua New Guinea’s level three advisory, updated on Jan. 17, 2024.

• Violent crime such as assault, home invasions, carjacking and robberies occur.
• Criminals attack foreign tourist hotspots for money.
• Police presence and their resources are limited.
• Piracy is active in the surrounding water. The criminals often use physical violence.
• Foreign citizens have been kidnapped.

Updated on Jan. 11, Nicaragua has increased in arbitrary law enforcement, limited health care and false detention.

• Nicaragua’s government searches and seizes personal items, targets pro-democracy advocates and families, and prevent individuals from departing.
• U.S. citizens can find themselves charged without fair trials.

Travel to Niger should be reconsidered because of crime, kidnapping and terrorism. The travel advisory was updated on Jan. 8.

• Demonstrations often become violent.
• Terrorists operate in different areas within the country and have attacked security forces.
• Robbery is common.

Crime, terrorism, civil unrest and kidnapping are current risks in Colombia. The level three travel advisory was updated on Jan. 2.

• Violent crimes such as assault, homicide and robbery occur.
• Terrorist groups carry out attacks in both local and tourist locations.
• Demonstrations regularly shut down major roads and have resulted in fatalities.

Navigating fear when the world seems unsafe

Does it ever feel like you hear news about tragedy constantly? Living in a digital age allows us to hear or see recent crises in an instant.

However, for me, I’ve found that being in constant fear makes life difficult. Learning how to cope while dealing with fear has been important as I want to continue to be immersed in the news.

Promises Behavioral Health offers five ways to cope with fear to help prevent bigger problems, like depression or substance abuse, down the line.

• Pay attention: Take the time to recognize what you are feeling and why you are feeling that way. Running from fear can make someone more anxious and depressed long-term.
• Give fear a shape: Give your fear a silly or child-like identity, an appearance or even a name. You can then speak to your “fear” as a parent talking to a child or a person trying to get someone annoying to know why they’re wrong.
• Focus on your present reality: Take the time to understand if you are overgeneralizing. Though there are bad people, not every one has lost kindness. Question if your thoughts are actually true or if you are just convincing yourself something bad will happen.
• Balance the negative with the positive: Notice the good things happening around you. If you want to look into tragic events, look into heroic stories as well for balance. You can also inspire yourself and others to take action against injustices you see.
• Get help: Never be afraid to get help if fear is consuming and creating problems in your life. Therapy and help from friends or family can be effective.

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The Case Against Travel

What is the most uninformative statement that people are inclined to make? My nominee would be “I love to travel.” This tells you very little about a person, because nearly everyone likes to travel; and yet people say it, because, for some reason, they pride themselves both on having travelled and on the fact that they look forward to doing so.

The opposition team is small but articulate. G. K. Chesterton wrote that “travel narrows the mind.” Ralph Waldo Emerson called travel “a fool’s paradise.” Socrates and Immanuel Kant—arguably the two greatest philosophers of all time—voted with their feet, rarely leaving their respective home towns of Athens and Königsberg. But the greatest hater of travel, ever, was the Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa , whose wonderful “ Book of Disquiet ” crackles with outrage:

I abhor new ways of life and unfamiliar places. . . . The idea of travelling nauseates me. . . . Ah, let those who don’t exist travel! . . . Travel is for those who cannot feel. . . . Only extreme poverty of the imagination justifies having to move around to feel.

If you are inclined to dismiss this as contrarian posturing, try shifting the object of your thought from your own travel to that of others. At home or abroad, one tends to avoid “touristy” activities. “Tourism” is what we call travelling when other people are doing it. And, although people like to talk about their travels, few of us like to listen to them. Such talk resembles academic writing and reports of dreams: forms of communication driven more by the needs of the producer than the consumer.

One common argument for travel is that it lifts us into an enlightened state, educating us about the world and connecting us to its denizens. Even Samuel Johnson , a skeptic—“What I gained by being in France was, learning to be better satisfied with my own country,” he once said—conceded that travel had a certain cachet. Advising his beloved Boswell, Johnson recommended a trip to China, for the sake of Boswell’s children: “There would be a lustre reflected upon them. . . . They would be at all times regarded as the children of a man who had gone to view the wall of China.”

Travel gets branded as an achievement: see interesting places, have interesting experiences, become interesting people. Is that what it really is?

Pessoa, Emerson, and Chesterton believed that travel, far from putting us in touch with humanity, divorced us from it. Travel turns us into the worst version of ourselves while convincing us that we’re at our best. Call this the traveller’s delusion.

To explore it, let’s start with what we mean by “travel.” Socrates went abroad when he was called to fight in the Peloponnesian War; even so, he was no traveller. Emerson is explicit about steering his critique away from a person who travels when his “necessities” or “duties” demand it. He has no objection to traversing great distances “for the purpose of art, of study, and benevolence.” One sign that you have a reason to be somewhere is that you have nothing to prove, and therefore no drive to collect souvenirs, photos, or stories to prove it. Let’s define “tourism” as the kind of travel that aims at the interesting—and, if Emerson and company are right, misses.

“A tourist is a temporarily leisured person who voluntarily visits a place away from home for the purpose of experiencing a change.” This definition is taken from the opening of “ Hosts and Guests ,” the classic academic volume on the anthropology of tourism. The last phrase is crucial: touristic travel exists for the sake of change. But what, exactly, gets changed? Here is a telling observation from the concluding chapter of the same book: “Tourists are less likely to borrow from their hosts than their hosts are from them, thus precipitating a chain of change in the host community.” We go to experience a change, but end up inflicting change on others.

For example, a decade ago, when I was in Abu Dhabi, I went on a guided tour of a falcon hospital. I took a photo with a falcon on my arm. I have no interest in falconry or falcons, and a generalized dislike of encounters with nonhuman animals. But the falcon hospital was one of the answers to the question, “What does one do in Abu Dhabi?” So I went. I suspect that everything about the falcon hospital, from its layout to its mission statement, is and will continue to be shaped by the visits of people like me—we unchanged changers, we tourists. (On the wall of the foyer, I recall seeing a series of “excellence in tourism” awards. Keep in mind that this is an animal hospital.)

Why might it be bad for a place to be shaped by the people who travel there, voluntarily, for the purpose of experiencing a change? The answer is that such people not only do not know what they are doing but are not even trying to learn. Consider me. It would be one thing to have such a deep passion for falconry that one is willing to fly to Abu Dhabi to pursue it, and it would be another thing to approach the visit in an aspirational spirit, with the hope of developing my life in a new direction. I was in neither position. I entered the hospital knowing that my post-Abu Dhabi life would contain exactly as much falconry as my pre-Abu Dhabi life—which is to say, zero falconry. If you are going to see something you neither value nor aspire to value, you are not doing much of anything besides locomoting.

Tourism is marked by its locomotive character. “I went to France.” O.K., but what did you do there? “I went to the Louvre.” O.K., but what did you do there? “I went to see the ‘Mona Lisa.’ ” That is, before quickly moving on: apparently, many people spend just fifteen seconds looking at the “Mona Lisa.” It’s locomotion all the way down.

The peculiar rationality of tourists allows them to be moved both by a desire to do what they are supposed to do in a place and a desire to avoid precisely what they are supposed to do. This is how it came to pass that, on my first trip to Paris, I avoided both the “Mona Lisa” and the Louvre. I did not, however, avoid locomotion. I walked from one end of the city to the other, over and over again, in a straight line; if you plotted my walks on a map, they would have formed a giant asterisk. In the many great cities I have actually lived and worked in, I would never consider spending whole days walking. When you travel, you suspend your usual standards for what counts as a valuable use of time. You suspend other standards as well, unwilling to be constrained by your taste in food, art, or recreational activities. After all, you say to yourself, the whole point of travelling is to break out of the confines of everyday life. But, if you usually avoid museums, and suddenly seek them out for the purpose of experiencing a change, what are you going to make of the paintings? You might as well be in a room full of falcons.

Let’s delve a bit deeper into how, exactly, the tourist’s project is self-undermining. I’ll illustrate with two examples from “The Loss of the Creature,” an essay by the writer Walker Percy.

First, a sightseer arriving at the Grand Canyon. Before his trip, an idea of the canyon—a “symbolic complex”—had formed in his mind. He is delighted if the canyon resembles the pictures and postcards he has seen; he might even describe it as “every bit as beautiful as a picture postcard!” But, if the lighting is different, the colors and shadows not those which he expects, he feels cheated: he has arrived on a bad day. Unable to gaze directly at the canyon, forced to judge merely whether it matches an image, the sightseer “may simply be bored; or he may be conscious of the difficulty: that the great thing yawning at his feet somehow eludes him.”

Second, a couple from Iowa driving around Mexico. They are enjoying the trip, but are a bit dissatisfied by the usual sights. They get lost, drive for hours on a rocky mountain road, and eventually, “in a tiny valley not even marked on the map,” stumble upon a village celebrating a religious festival. Watching the villagers dance, the tourists finally have “an authentic sight, a sight which is charming, quaint, picturesque, unspoiled.” Yet they still feel some dissatisfaction. Back home in Iowa, they gush about the experience to an ethnologist friend: You should have been there! You must come back with us! When the ethnologist does, in fact, return with them, “the couple do not watch the goings-on; instead they watch the ethnologist! Their highest hope is that their friend should find the dance interesting.” They need him to “certify their experience as genuine.”

The tourist is a deferential character. He outsources the vindication of his experiences to the ethnologist, to postcards, to conventional wisdom about what you are or are not supposed to do in a place. This deference, this “openness to experience,” is exactly what renders the tourist incapable of experience. Emerson confessed, “I seek the Vatican, and the palaces. I affect to be intoxicated with sights and suggestions, but I am not intoxicated.” He speaks for every tourist who has stood before a monument, or a painting, or a falcon, and demanded herself to feel something. Emerson and Percy help us understand why this demand is unreasonable: to be a tourist is to have already decided that it is not one’s own feelings that count. Whether an experience is authentically X is precisely what you, as a non-X, cannot judge.

A similar argument applies to the tourist’s impulse to honor the grand sea of humanity. Whereas Percy and Emerson focus on the aesthetic, showing us how hard it is for travellers to have the sensory experiences that they seek, Pessoa and Chesterton are interested in the ethical. They study why travellers can’t truly connect to other human beings. During my Paris wanderings, I would stare at people, intently inspecting their clothing, their demeanor, their interactions. I was trying to see the Frenchness in the French people around me. This is not a way to make friends.

Pessoa said that he knew only one “real traveller with soul”: an office boy who obsessively collected brochures, tore maps out of newspapers, and memorized train schedules between far-flung destinations. The boy could recount sailing routes around the world, but he had never left Lisbon. Chesterton also approved of such stationary travellers. He wrote that there was “something touching and even tragic” about “the thoughtless tourist, who might have stayed at home loving Laplanders, embracing Chinamen, and clasping Patagonians to his heart in Hampstead or Surbiton, but for his blind and suicidal impulse to go and see what they looked like.”

The problem was not with other places, or with the man wanting to see them, but with travel’s dehumanizing effect, which thrust him among people to whom he was forced to relate as a spectator. Chesterton believed that loving what is distant in the proper fashion—namely, from a distance—enabled a more universal connection. When the man in Hampstead thought of foreigners “in the abstract . . . as those who labour and love their children and die, he was thinking the fundamental truth about them.” “The human bond that he feels at home is not an illusion,” Chesterton wrote. “It is rather an inner reality.” Travel prevents us from feeling the presence of those we have travelled such great distances to be near.

The single most important fact about tourism is this: we already know what we will be like when we return. A vacation is not like immigrating to a foreign country, or matriculating at a university, or starting a new job, or falling in love. We embark on those pursuits with the trepidation of one who enters a tunnel not knowing who she will be when she walks out. The traveller departs confident that she will come back with the same basic interests, political beliefs, and living arrangements. Travel is a boomerang. It drops you right where you started.

If you think that this doesn’t apply to you—that your own travels are magical and profound, with effects that deepen your values, expand your horizons, render you a true citizen of the globe, and so on—note that this phenomenon can’t be assessed first-personally. Pessoa, Chesterton, Percy, and Emerson were all aware that travellers tell themselves they’ve changed, but you can’t rely on introspection to detect a delusion. So cast your mind, instead, to any friends who are soon to set off on summer adventures. In what condition do you expect to find them when they return? They may speak of their travel as though it were transformative, a “once in a lifetime” experience, but will you be able to notice a difference in their behavior, their beliefs, their moral compass? Will there be any difference at all?

Travel is fun, so it is not mysterious that we like it. What is mysterious is why we imbue it with a vast significance, an aura of virtue. If a vacation is merely the pursuit of unchanging change, an embrace of nothing, why insist on its meaning?

One is forced to conclude that maybe it isn’t so easy to do nothing—and this suggests a solution to the puzzle. Imagine how your life would look if you discovered that you would never again travel. If you aren’t planning a major life change, the prospect looms, terrifyingly, as “More and more of this , and then I die.” Travel splits this expanse of time into the chunk that happens before the trip, and the chunk that happens after it, obscuring from view the certainty of annihilation. And it does so in the cleverest possible way: by giving you a foretaste of it. You don’t like to think about the fact that someday you will do nothing and be nobody. You will only allow yourself to preview this experience when you can disguise it in a narrative about how you are doing many exciting and edifying things: you are experiencing, you are connecting, you are being transformed, and you have the trinkets and photos to prove it.

Socrates said that philosophy is a preparation for death. For everyone else, there’s travel. ♦

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Don't travel to these countries if you're American, U.S. government warns

I ran and the U.S. executed the final steps of a highly complex diplomatic deal that saw five Americans released from an Iranian prison on Monday. The prisoners landed safely on U.S. soil on Tuesday morning after years spent locked away in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison.

President Biden released a statement praising the return of the prisoners and thanking the “partners at home and abroad” whose efforts led to their release. However, he also reiterated a warning to American citizens about travel restrictions for the Middle Eastern country: “I once more remind all Americans of the serious risks of traveling to Iran.”

What does the State Department say about travel to Iran?

Iran has been assigned the highest warning level due to the risk of kidnapping and the possibility of getting arrested and jailed. “Exercise increased caution due to wrongful detentions,” the State Department website says . There is now at least one U.S. national, Shahab Dalili, who the State Department claims is being wrongfully detained.

“All Americans should heed those words and have no expectation that their release can be secured if they do not,” Biden said about the warning. The U.S. hasn’t had diplomatic relations with Iran since 1980, after the Iranian takeover of the American Embassy in November 1979 .

Read more on Yahoo News:

CBS News: Family of U.S. resident left out of prisoner deal with Iran demands answers

The Hill: Iranian president: Funds unfrozen by U.S. would be spent ‘wherever we need it’

CBS News: Who are the U.S. citizens freed from Iran?

USA Today: Americans freed from Iran survived the infamous Evin Prison. Here are their stories.

How U.S. travel advisories are determined

Travel advisories for American citizens are issued by the State Department in four levels, and an increase in crime, health warnings and civil unrest can cause a country’s risk level to change. The advisories are: 

Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions

Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution

Level 3: Reconsider Travel

Level 4: Do Not Travel

What countries are Level 4?

In addition to Iran, there are currently 19 other countries that the State Department advises all American passport holders to avoid visiting.

Russia — Level 4: Do Not Travel

The State Department has warned American citizens to avoid traveling to Russia due to the “unpredictable consequences of the unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine” as well as possible detention and harassment.

The diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Russia is at its lowest point in decades. Last week the Kremlin expelled two American diplomats for keeping in contact with a Russian citizen who it believed was an informant for Washington.

Niger — Level 4: Do Not Travel

American tourists should reconsider travel to Niger over “crime, terrorism, and kidnapping,” the State Department warns.  A coup in August led to political chaos and protests across the capital.

All American citizens were evacuated from the country after the French Embassy in Niamey was attacked by protesters. “With the ongoing efforts to overturn constitutional order, there may be increased demonstrations that can lead to civil unrest and government instability,” the State Department warns.

South Sudan — Level 4: Do Not Travel

Americans are cautioned by the State Department to avoid travel to South Sudan over risks of “crime, kidnapping, and armed conflict.” Foreign nationals have even been the victims of “rape and sexual assault.”

Journalists have also been warned about reporting from South Sudan without obtaining the appropriate documentation. Without these documents, reporting is deemed illegal. “Journalists regularly report being harassed in South Sudan, and many have been killed while covering the conflict,” the State Department writes.

Other countries listed as Level 4 include:

Central African Republic

Burkina Faso

North Korea

Afghanistan

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• Value : The dollar does not go far in many parts of Europe. That was fine when I was partying in Sardinia and expected to pay to play (see Guns & Butter: Porto Cervo, Sardinia Travel Guide (Party Edition) ). But, I’m not motivated to shell out too many euros on gyros just because Greece is open (see Make Corfu Greek Again! How Tourism Ruined an Island ).
• Amateur Hour : The most annoying people during COVID are the ones who say that they can’t wait for this nightmare to be over so that they can get back (emphasis added) to travel. Those people never went anywhere before and the only place they’ll be getting back to is the typical tourist destination e.g., Playa del Carmen. Add in that there are only so many places open and everywhere will look like Vegas on Memorial Day. Think long lines, price gouging, and unsophisticated travelers. Or what I like to call amateur hour. Now picture a place like Dubrovnik which was already overrun by tourists even more packed. No thank you.
• Service : Given the limited options, the concentration of people going, and the need to make up for lost revenue, do you think that service will be better or worse? I would not expect to receive an upgrade at a hotel regardless of status. And I doubt my other strategy, complaining, would get me very far (see Have You Ever Not Complained? ).
• Devaluation: By not going anywhere for over a year (see NYC Twice: A Recap of My 2020 Travels ) I have amassed a small fortune of points. I thought I would be able to find all sorts of deals once the pandemic was over. I was wrong. Airlines and hotels continue to devalue their programs, making those points more precious. I’m not going to blow a night cert on a domestic stay in Chicago because Shanghai is shuttered to the outside world and I want pizza (see The World’s Best Pizza: Chicago Deep Dish Edition ).
• It’s Not First Class : Imagine flying Emirates with no shower? Imagine flying Virgin without being able to congregate around the business class bar (see Virgin Atlantic Upper Class DTW-LHR: Party in the Sky ). What about not being able to smoke a cigar in a lounge (see Champagne, Cigars, Caviar? The Most Clever Lounge Perk )? Does that sound like fun? It does not. Add in plastic cutlery and I might as well eat hummus and carrots at a Delta Sky Club and then fly a no-frills discount carrier to the aforementioned Playa del Carmen (see What’s the Worst Discount Carrier? ).
• No Partying : Some people travel to visit museums. I travel to party. If the club is closed, what will I do? (See The Best Nightclubs in the World. )
• No Socializing : If I’m not making friends at the bar (see Ganbei! The Guide to Making Friends in China ), I am socializing elsewhere. How can that happen with social distancing? There is no fun in going to a new country and not being able to interact with other travelers or local people because of social distancing in restaurants, in the streets, or public bathrooms.

I could end this post by accepting my depression and saying that I will cryogenically freeze myself until this pandemic is over. Unfortunately, I don’t see this coming to an end until the world realizes that it has to vaccinate the poorest countries with as much urgency for us to get back to normal. Instead of giving up on travel altogether, I am going to have to travel to places where these factors are not as big of an issue. These include islands in the Caribbean (see Rum Rum Caribbean Castaway ) where restrictions are lax, nature reserves where I can rediscover my Bhutan happiness , e.g., Galapagos Islands, and Vegas because some hypocrisy is acceptable (see Come See TPOL Perform in Vegas in June! ).

14 COMMENTS

Alabama is open for partying

Good. That gives me only 10 reasons why I don’t want to go there.

There are places to go. You just have to look harder. For instance, Cozumel and Belize are safe and offer value. Both may not be the partying capitals of the world, but both offer oodles of nature instead. And yes, there are travel bargains in both. They may not be sexy destinations to blog about, but there are great times to be had in both places!

Golfing driven trip? Day drinking.

I’m not in any rush to travel after hearing about that fully vaccinated New Zealander who caught COVID while servicing a plane.

If you base your travel habits on every extremely unlikely/rare instance of something bad happening (a plane crashes once in a while) you’ll never leave your home. There are tons of things far worse than catching the dreaded Covid (which odds are if you’re halfway healthy and not 90 years old you’ll never even know you have it unless you get tested) and much more likely to happen. Get a grip people and stop being manipulated by the media.

I agree with you Brady. I don’t give a shit if there’s a TPOL killer variant, I’m done staying inside.

I disagree. It is bad behavior that is spreading Covid. Covid is still spreading and doing bad stuff. When it’s much better, then maybe we can let our guard down but letting our guard down now is like doing so in February 1942 (Pearl Harbor was December 7, 1941. War did not end until 1945)

I also want to travel but I will not be traveling despite Covid vaccination. There is too much Covid out there. Also too many things closed. Also vaccinations are not 100%. If 200M people are vaccinated, 20M may be at risk to Covid and 5M vaccinated people may get it and 50,000 vaccinated people may still die.

If 175M people in the US get vaccinated, Covid will still be very bad because that would mean 165M people not vaccinated.

I respect your decision but I’m not waiting for the war to be over. I gave one year away as we learned about this pandemic. I’m happy to risk it for better or worse. Not waiting until VE day, which will never come as covid is here to stay in one form or another.

And the fact that I like to fly, I would not be able to do so due to the Covid vaccine. There is an excessive amount of Covid . There are still far too many things that have been locked. Vaccinations are still not 100 percent effective.

No vaccine is 100 percent. Enjoy staying home indefinitely

Took a short trip late last month within my country. It was great to get back on a plane. Mask wearing was strictly enforced, except when the meal was served. International travel may be more of a concern right now due to the ever changing nature of this pandemic. Would suggest you travel domestically to a place which isnt a hotbed. Sadly that rules out the party state of Florida.

No thank you. I didn’t travel domestically before. I hate Florida. I despise being told to put on a mask. So yeah, no desire lol

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CDC Says Do Not Travel Here Now

Rising covid cases have made going to these areas dangerous..

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) this week announced a new list of countries to avoid as the spread of COVID and its variants fails to slow. These destinations have been given the nation’s highest warning—Level 4—which recommends avoiding all travel. “Avoid travel to these destinations. If you must travel to these destinations, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel,” they reiterate. “Getting vaccinated prevents severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. Unvaccinated people should get vaccinated and continue masking until they are fully vaccinated. With the Delta variant, this is more urgent than ever.” Read on to see which destinations to steer clear of right now.

16 | Curaçao

The death rate is on the rise in this neighbor island of Aruba. COVID cases have slowly escalated since December, hitting highest numbers in late July.

15 | Martinique

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Currently, Martinique is seeing a fast spread of COVID-19 variants, so much so that the CDC is urging that travelers skip travel to this French island just north of St. Lucia. The infection rate stands at 7,475 for a population of 376,480—an infection rate of 2%.

14 | Saint Martin

Serving as one of the Caribbean’s biggest hubs with one of the biggest airports, Saint Martin is facing steeply rising numbers of new COVID cases. Late July has seen a spike thanks to COVID-19 variants.

13 | Isle of Man

This island midway between England and Ireland is reporting 148 new COVID infections per day since the tail end of July. This marks a fast and dramatic spike in their numbers since December.

12 | Saint Barthelemy

This island may be home to massive villas—a favorite among Jay-Z, Beyonce, Derek Jeter and Miranda Kerr—but those huge castles of social isolation aren’t enough to keep COVID at bay. July brought a rise of new cases to this playground of the rich and famous. The good news is that these numbers are beginning to slow down as we move into August.

11 | Ireland

Despite swift vaccination measures—with nearly 70% of the population vaccinated and age limits newly lowered to 12—Ireland is seeing 1,307 new COVID cases each day as it eases out of its third and longest lockdown. Further complications may follow as religious leaders vocalize unwillingness to follow the latest government-issued COVID restrictions.

10 | Greece

At the time of writing, Greece is suffering a big upsurge in COVID—500 cases per 100,000 residents, all reported in the last two weeks at this Mediterranean getaway. The reach of this spread includes a slew of vacation hotspots, including the islands of Santorini, Mykonos, Samos, Paros and Naxos. It’s even crept into the Olympics, with four athletes on Greece’s artistic swimming team pulled from competing due to COVID infections.

9 | U.S. Virgin Islands

The three U.S. Virgin Islands are citing 4,629 new positive cases. Vaccination rates are lagging in this territory, with only 38,220 people of 106,631 fully vaccinated.

8 | Guadeloupe

This French overseas region between Montserrat and Dominica just announced a new lockdown to fight the rising number of COVID cases. The measure starts on August 4 and will last at least three weeks.

Despite their early July ban on all travelers not fully vaccinated, this island in the middle of the Mediterranean has been unable to halt the march of COVID. This, after announcing in May that 70% of the adult population had received full vaccination status, which, in theory, would have granted Malta herd immunity.

6 | Gibraltar

This country off the southern tip of Spain just reported 29 new COVID cases. Though the number isn’t significant for their population of 33,680, what is significant is that the majority of these cases arose within the last two weeks.

5 | Lesotho

Located fully within the boundaries of South Africa, this tiny nation has seen a huge spike in COVID cases in the last week. They’re reporting 34 new infections per 100,000 people.

Current numbers put Libya at 97% of its COVID peak, with 285 infections per 100,000 people, as reported in the last two weeks. Moreover, only 4% of the population is fully vaccinated.

3 | Andorra

This country located on the border between Spain and France is reporting 24 new infections per day. In the last week, that number has totaled 220 per 100,000 residents.

2 | Kazakhstan

This Central Asia nation bordering Russia, China and Uzbekistan is at the height of its COVID peak—with each day ushering in 7,532 new cases.

Iran currently ranks number 12 in the world for the most COVID cases—just behind Spain and Italy. Infection rates are still climbing, with newest counts adding 39,019 new cases to the overall totals. This list just represents the new places added to the CDC's Level 4 list; for the complete list, go to the CDC here .

This City Is the New Hotspot for Travelers

This national park was just named "most breathtaking", tsa issues new travel reminders, united economy vs. basic economy.

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Civil rights groups warn tourists about traveling to Florida

The Associated Press

In this aerial photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, attendees watch and toast the sunset at a Florida Keys bicentennial celebration, Friday, May 19, 2023, on the restored Old Seven Mile Bridge in Marathon, Fla. Andy Newman/AP hide caption

In this aerial photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, attendees watch and toast the sunset at a Florida Keys bicentennial celebration, Friday, May 19, 2023, on the restored Old Seven Mile Bridge in Marathon, Fla.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The NAACP over the weekend issued a travel advisory for Florida, joining two other civil rights groups in warning potential tourists that recent laws and policies championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers are "openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals."

The NAACP, long an advocate for Black Americans, joined the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a Latino civil rights organization, and Equality Florida, a gay rights advocacy group, in issuing travel advisories for the Sunshine State, where tourism is one of the state's largest job sectors.

The warning approved Saturday by the NAACP's board of directors tells tourists that, before traveling to Florida, they should understand the state of Florida "devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color."

Critics say Florida aims to rewrite history by rejecting African American studies

An email was sent Sunday morning to DeSantis' office seeking comment. The Republican governor is expected to announce a run for the GOP presidential nomination this week.

Florida is one of the most popular states in the U.S. for tourists, and tourism is one of its biggest industries. More than 137.5 million tourists visited Florida last year, marking a return to pre-pandemic levels, according to Visit Florida, the state's tourism promotion agency. Tourism supports 1.6 million full-time and part-time jobs, and visitors spent $98.8 billion in Florida in 2019, the last year figures are available.

Several of Florida's Democratic mayors were quick to say Sunday that their cities welcomed diversity and inclusion.

"EVERYONE is always welcome and will be treated with dignity and respect," tweeted Mayor Ken Welch of St. Petersburg in a message echoed by the mayor across the bay in Tampa.

"That will never change, regardless of what happens in Tallahassee," tweeted Mayor Jane Castor of Tampa.

Disney sues Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, claiming 'government retaliation'

The NAACP's decision comes after the DeSantis' administration in January rejected the College Board's Advanced Placement African American Studies course . DeSantis and Republican lawmakers also have pressed forward with measures that ban state colleges from having programs on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as critical race theory , and also passed the Stop WOKE Act that restricts certain race-based conversations and analysis in schools and businesses.

In its warning for Hispanic travelers considering a visit to Florida, LULAC cited a new law that prohibits local governments from providing money to organizations that issue identification cards to people illegally in the country and invalidates out-of-state driver's licenses held by undocumented immigrants, among other things. The law also requires hospitals that accept Medicaid to include a citizenship question on intake forms, which critics have said is intended to dissuade immigrants living in the U.S. illegally from seeking medical care.

"The actions taken by Governor DeSantis have created a shadow of fear within communities across the state," said Lydia Medrano, a LULAC vice president for the Southeast region.

Recent efforts to limit discussion on LGBTQ topics in schools, the removal of books with gay characters from school libraries, a recent ban on gender-affirming care for minors, new restrictions on abortion access and a law allowing Floridians to carry concealed guns without a permit contributed to Equality Florida's warning.

"Taken in their totality, Florida's slate of laws and policies targeting basic freedoms and rights pose a serious risk to the health and safety of those traveling to the state," Equality Florida's advisory said.

clock This article was published more than  3 years ago

You asked: My friends want to plan a trip. How can I tell them I’m not ready to travel?

We turned to a psychologist for delicate conversations in this week’s By The Way Concierge advice column

Traveling has always come with complications, but the coronavirus pandemic has made it more challenging than ever. Our By The Way Concierge column will take your travel dilemmas to the experts to help you navigate the new normal. Want to see your question answered? Submit it here .

I am starting to get invites for trips with friends for a month or two from now. As much as I want to travel, or at least start planning, it feels too early. Most recently, a friend asked if I want to visit our two friends in Portland, Ore. We would both be flying from two different cities on the East Coast and staying with our friends and their partners. The thought of being in an airport, sitting on a crowded flight and being in a different city right now feels irresponsible.

I am really struggling with how to have conversations about not feeling comfortable with this just yet without coming off as judgmental. — Rachel, Washington, D.C.

Friends and family have been clashing over the coronavirus for about a year now, from mask-wearing to vaccines to group gatherings. I wholeheartedly relate to your situation, as my loved ones regularly remind me that I’m “all gloom and doom” and “ruining the fun” when I turn down pandemic travel suggestions.

To find the best solution for our problem, I went to Andrea Bonior , a licensed clinical psychologist who has an advice column “Ask Dr. Andrea” on The Lily . On a phone call this week, she told me these situations may be easier to approach now that we’ve been knee-deep in the pandemic for so long.

“In the beginning, a lot of these things felt very awkward to talk about. ... Everything was new. People were changing their minds,” Bonior said. “I do think people have gotten a little bit more secure in finding ways to communicate that are respectful, and a little bit more secure in their views.”

That doesn’t mean these conversations aren’t still awkward and challenging. Every time pandemic travel pressure comes up, I feel like a broken record repeating sound bites from the CDC and [Anthony] Fauci. Here’s how Bonior recommends tackling the topic.

You asked: Is spring break travel safe this year?

Establish your travel boundaries

Before you answer your friend, Bonior said to determine the risks you’re willing to take, the ones you’re not and why. Ask yourself: How much of your own mental and physical well-being are you willing to sacrifice for a trip?

Maybe you are comfortable taking some risks locally, like going to your gym where you know their safety protocols, but you’re not comfortable flying across the country.

“Having that rationale can help you — not that you have to defend your choices,” Bonior says. “But actually mentally to yourself, it’s a little bit easier to bolster your argument and use when you’re thinking about boundaries.”

Of course, the pandemic is ever-changing, and you are allowed to change your mind. Your line in the sand may change as new information comes out about the coronavirus, if you get vaccinated or for a number of other reasons.

Once you feel confident in your stance, reply to your friend honestly. That means don’t say “yes” or “maybe” to a trip if you know you are going to back out later. Bonior said a lot of people think it will be easier to avoid conflict, but it actually can damage your relationship by eroding trust.

“If you develop a pattern of doing that, then everybody knows that you’re going to be the one who backs out later,” Bonior said.

Opt out as clearly and respectfully as possible so your friend doesn’t get their hopes up or get a mixed signal that if they wear on you long enough, you will eventually give in.

When will travel be safe again? 5 experts weigh in.

Use “I” statements when talking about the travel plan

Traditionally thought of as a technique reserved for couples to resolve conflict, using “I” statements can be helpful to handle issues with platonic loved ones. Framing your decision from your point of view will help you avoid sounding judgmental.

“I think the more deep the relationship, the more it can sustain these nuanced, difficult conversations where you might say, ‘I really feel guilty not being there, but I know what’s best for me’ or ‘I really have mixed feelings and I might regret this later, but I have to say no,’" Bonior said.

Here are some other “I” statements Bonior offered:

• “I wouldn’t feel comfortable traveling to Portland. I’m feeling a little too nervous to do something like that yet, but I really hope that you have fun.”
• “I’ve been struggling with anxiety about coronavirus stuff, and for me, I just know I would be so nervous. I’d be preoccupied and wouldn’t be able to enjoy myself. I wouldn’t want that to affect the trip.”
• “You have every right to do this. If my circumstances were different, I might choose differently, but I have to look out for my situation or my comfort level.”

Bonior said a good friendship is built to withstand differences of opinion as long as they’re conveyed respectfully. Consider this an exercise for strengthening your relationship.

Flying during the pandemic? Don’t forget about the risks at the airport.

Don’t travel shame your friends

Should the conversation get heated, remember that travel shaming doesn’t work. If you expect a friend or loved one to respond to your declined invitation aggressively, have a script ready with those “I” statements in advance.

“If they try to take you off script, have that one thing that you keep returning to, like ‘I love you and I wish I could, but I can’t. I’m sorry,’” Bonior said.

Bonior said that while travel shaming won’t change anyone’s mind, you don’t have to keep quiet if you have legitimate concerns for their safety.

“You can have a respectful conversation, ‘Hey, I totally get that you’re trying to do this. I would feel remiss if I didn’t just mention I’m worried about you doing this, and I will shut up, but I got to get this off my chest,’” Bonior said. “That’s different than shaming ... but once your friend has made a decision, then the shaming part is just going to create some sort of a rift.”

Have a travel dilemma for By The Way Concierge? Submit it here .

Read more on travel during the pandemic:

Tips: Advice column | Coronavirus testing | Sanitizing your hotel | Updating documents

Flying: Pandemic packing | Airport protocol | Staying healthy on planes | Fly or drive? | Layovers

Road trips: Tips | Rental cars | Best snacks | Long-haul trains | Rest stops | Cross-country drive

I'm a 24-year-old who's never been out of North America — and I don't plan on changing that any time soon

• I'm 24 and I have never been out of North America.
• This is for a lot of reasons, including my fear of flying and my financial situation. 
• I'm not planning on changing this anytime soon, and I wish people would stop judging each other for their choices. 

It's no secret that, as a whole, society is obsessed with traveling. From the Instagram accounts dedicated to dream-like destinations to news stories about  people who  quit their jobs to spend all of their money on traveling , we love to romanticize the hell out of navigating the globe. 

It makes complete sense. Traveling can open you up to new experiences, friendships, perspectives, and life goals. But it's just not for me. 

There are a million articles online about how great it is to travel (see all of the wonderful content on INSIDER's  Travel section ), but there aren't as many that speak to my experience: a 24-year-old who has never traveled out of North America and has no desire to. 

Let me explain myself. 

I am terrified of flying, to the point of panic attacks. 

Being nervous about air travel is not exactly uncommon. In fact, the Federal Aviation Administration estimates that about  1 in 3 adults have some qualms about flying . But my fear of flying is intense. So much so, that my last plane trip resulted in me hyperventilating and being mocked by an entire baseball team. 

I haven't flown commercial in about 12 years and haven't flown at all in about eight. After my last flight, which was through a thunderstorm, I quite literally kissed the ground at the Pittsburgh International Airport and vowed to never put myself through that again. 

I know that with some work I could get over this fear, but right now, it's not exactly a priority for me. 

I suffer from anxiety, which makes traveling more terrifying.  

Traveling can stress out even the most "normal" people. Now throw in the fact that I have high anxiety, and it's a recipe for disaster.

Itineraries stress me out, and I spiral at the thought of plans not lining up perfectly. Being in a new place overwhelms me, as there are a lot of unknowns and I easily lose control of the situation. Something as simple as a taxi driver getting lost can make tears run down my face, which is just plain embarrassing. 

It's not that I avoid trips because of my anxiety. I still travel, thanks to Amtrak, but it takes a lot out of me. This makes traveling a lot less fun, though I try to enjoy myself. 

I've never really been able to afford to travel. 

Anxiety aside, money is the biggest factor that stops me, and many others, from traveling. We act like it's so easy to just stop buying cups of coffee and afford a trip to Italy, but it's not that simple. 

I have massive amounts of student debt. I have a cat. I live in one of the most expensive cities in the world. But even when I lived in a smaller city in the Midwest, keeping food on the table was what weighed on my mind, not traveling. 

According to the Huffington Post, the average cost of a flight to Europe from New York is $832:  That doesn't even begin to cover food, activities, and lodging. Not to mention care for my cat, and the fact that I'd still have to pay rent that month. If you looked at my savings account, you would know that it's just not possible for me right now. 

People who didn't grow up well-off might find themselves in a similar mindset. Some fight it off and put any disposable income into traveling. For me, if I'm not using my money towards something tangible, it  feels like money wasted. 

We tend to shame people who choose not to travel and call them materialistic. But just because some people can save for a while and eventually afford a ticket doesn't mean it's possible for everyone. Some of us don't have that money to scrape to begin with and, if we do, we use it in a different way — and that's OK. 

I never thought traveling was an option. 

For those who grew up in a metropolitan city or with parents who traveled often, my resistance to travel may seem absurd. But you have to understand that, for me, traveling is not a natural thing. 

No one in my immediate or extended family has ever been to Europe (besides those who were born there and don't remember it). Only one has been to Asia, and that was for work. Trips outside of the US were pretty unheard of in my town. 

Of course, this has changed some. As I've gotten older, more of my friends have studied abroad and traveled on their own. Hell, my friend who didn't step on a plane until she was 17 is now a flight attendant seeing the world. 

It still blows my mind that my boyfriend often just drives to an airport and gets on a plane. It's just not something that seems like a "normal" occurrence for someone like me. 

I've never said I wasn't stubborn, so it may just take a while for me to adjust to the fact that I could get on a plane right now if I wanted to. But until recently, it never even crossed my mind. 

I've had life experiences that were just as beneficial as traveling. 

So many people I know value travel experiences above anything else in life. They frequently tell me how much my life would change if I drank wine in Paris or hiked in Thailand. And maybe they're right. 

But I also think that I've had life experiences that have benefited me in ways people who travel to every country in the world wouldn't get. 

As a journalist, I've spoken to animal trainers, ghost whisperers, survivors of unimaginable violence, architects, and pop stars. I've been to dozens of US states, and even parts of Canada. I've camped high in the mountains and rested on beaches. I've lived next to a farm and in a high-rise. I would not call my life insignificant just because I don't have a full passport. 

I consider myself a well-rounded person, though I'm sure others would not. And as I get older and (hopefully) more financially stable, I may also have an enviable Instagram. 

But for right now, I'd like us all to stop shaming people for their informed life choices. What's right for you may not be right for me, and that's OK. 

And if you see someone crying from fear on a plane, maybe try offering them your hand to squeeze, rather than pointing and laughing. It may just be me. 

Follow INSIDER on Facebook .

Watch: From the launch of Airbnb to the rise of travel influencers, here are the biggest ways we changed the way we travel this decade

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Travel Advice changes made for over 30 countries and territories

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has lifted its advice against all but essential travel for over 30 countries and territories.

Advisories against all but essential travel lifted making travel to destinations across the globe more straightforward.

• advice against all but essential travel removed for 32 countries and territories
• travellers able to get insurance for more destinations
• changes are a boost for businesses and families

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office ( FCDO ) has lifted its advice against all but essential travel for over 30 countries and territories. The change means people will be able to travel to a larger number of destinations with greater ease.

The update comes as part of a simplified system for international travel which has seen the replacement of the traffic light system with a single red list, and reduced testing requirements for eligible fully vaccinated travellers.

The FCDO will no longer advise against travel to non-red list countries on COVID-19 grounds, except in exceptional circumstances such as if the local healthcare system is overwhelmed.

Many travel insurance companies use FCDO travel advice as a reference point in their policies – typically excluding cover for places where government advises against essential travel, however people will now be able to purchase travel insurance for a wider range of destinations across the globe.

Advice has been lifted in light of the improved public health in many countries and territories, better understanding of the virus and the decreased risk to British nationals as a result of the vaccine roll out.

The FCDO will continue to advise against all but essential travel for all red list countries and territories where the risk to British travellers is ‘unacceptably high’. People should not travel to red list countries. The FCDO will remove advisories for more countries and territories in the coming days.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said:

These rule tweaks will make travelling more straightforward, supporting businesses and families right across Britain - and allow more of us to see friends and loved ones with greater peace of mind. We’re striking the right balance between keeping people safe which remains our priority and giving them the freedom to exercise personal responsibility, while supporting the travel sector as it continues to recover.

The FCDO advises against travel when it assesses the risk to travelling British nationals to be ‘unacceptably high’, across a range of risks including safety and security. Before the pandemic, this was reserved for fragile states or areas.

A global advisory against all but essential travel to every country and territory was introduced at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. This was lifted in November 2020 and the FCDO has been assessing COVID-19 risks country by country and before today’s changes, advised against travel on COVID-19 grounds to 117 countries and territories.

FCDO travel advice provides objective information to British nationals so they can make decisions about travelling abroad and plan for a trouble-free trip. It is constantly reviewed to ensure it includes up-to-date advice and covers topics such as entry requirements, safety and security issues, health risks and details about local laws and customs.

Travel is different. The FCDO recommends that anyone planning a trip abroad should take the following steps:

check FCDO travel advice for the entry requirements for your destination, including any proof of vaccination you may need, as well as testing and quarantine rules

check what you need to do on return to the UK

know and follow the local COVID-19 rules and restrictions for your destination – there may be limits on group numbers and curfews

plan and prepare in-case you test positive overseas – take more cash, medication and essentials. You must follow local advice regarding self-isolation, and you may need to stay longer than planned

sign up for travel advice email alerts so you automatically receive the latest travel advice updates for the destinations you want to know about

get travel insurance or check your existing policy, particularly for coronavirus related cover

If you are travelling to Europe, check your E/GHIC and ensure your travel insurance covers you for healthcare

Coming back to the UK

The traffic light system has been replaced by a single red list of countries and territories and simplified travel measures for arrivals from the rest of the world .

FCDO will lift its advisory against all but essential travel to:

• America Samoa
• Tokelau & Niue
• Equatorial Guinea
• French Polynesia
• Marshall Islands
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Solomon Islands

Media enquiries

Email [email protected]

Telephone 020 7008 3100

Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

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Opinion | Don’t give permission for Mosby to travel |…

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Baltimore Sun eNewspaper

• Readers Respond

Opinion | Don’t give permission for Mosby to travel | READER COMMENTARY

Don’t let former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby off the hook ( “Marilyn Mosby permitted to attend BBQ held in her honor while on home detention,” Sept. 3). She is trying to creep back into society, but she has a sentence to fulfill for her wrongdoings!

— Helen Lacy, Baltimore

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