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See travel advisories and register in STEP

Find out about travel advisories abroad before you plan your trip. Learn about the benefits of the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) and how to register.

Check for travel alerts in other countries

Before planning your trip abroad, you can find out if there are any travel advisories in your destination country. These advisories are issued by the U.S. Department of State and include 4 levels of increasing risk:

• Level 1 - Exercise normal caution. This is the lowest level of risk. But be aware there is some risk with international travel, and safe conditions in some countries may differ from the U.S.
• Level 2 - Exercise increased caution. A level 2 alert means you should be aware of heightened risk when you travel.
• Level 3 - Reconsider travel. There may be serious risks involved when you travel to countries under a level 3 alert. 
• Level 4 - Do not travel. In countries under a level 4 travel advisory, there is a higher chance you may encounter life-threatening risks. The U.S. government may also not have the ability to assist you if you experience an emergency.

These travel warning levels are determined by various factors, including:

• Civil unrest
• Disease outbreaks
• Natural disasters

To find out what travel advisories may affect your trip, enter your destination country’s name in the search bar.

Learn about STEP and how to register

What is step.

The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free service from the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs. When you enroll, you will receive emails with news, alerts, and travel advisories about your destination country. With STEP, you can also:

• Be in direct contact during an emergency with the U.S. embassy in the country you are visiting
• Stay in touch with family and friends during an emergency

How to register in STEP

To register for STEP, select “Create account” and enter your personal information, including:

• Date of birth
• Passport number
• Emergency contact information

You can also select your destination country or change it to customize the news and alerts you receive.

Register for STEP.

LAST UPDATED: August 2, 2024

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Level 2 Travel Advisory issued for Italy

S PRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - This month the U.S. State Department issued a Level 2 Travel Advisory for Italy due to the possibility of terrorist attacks.

So, what should you know if you have a trip planned? Western Mass News is getting answers.

While travelers should be on the lookout for their safety, one local in Italy told us she feels her city, Rome, is relatively safe for visitors at this time.

With its rich history and culture it’s no surprise Italy is a bucket list destination for many travelers. But officials are advising Americans to exercise caution.

With a Level 2 Travel Advisory now in place, the U.S. Department of State explains on their website that terrorists can attack with little or no warning and could target destinations including tourist spots, transportation hubs, markets, government facilities and shopping malls and more.

In an e-mail Monday to Western Mass News a spokesperson for AAA said these are common for many popular destinations during peak travel season. They say they have not seen AAA members cancel or change travel plans due to the advisory so far.

Other countries under a Level 2 Advisory include: Denmark, France, the United Kingdom and Spain.

We wanted to get an inside look at what the country is like today. So, our reporter, Olivia Hickey connected with Antonella Mannello, a distant cousin of hers who lives in Rome.

Mannello told us while they are aware of terror attacks that have happened in neighboring countries. Every day safety is more of a priority for her and her friends.

“I don’t feel safe walking alone at night for example, but I’d say during the day it’s quite a safe city,” Mannello explained.

She believes now actually could be a good time to visit Rome because of heightened security measures for the upcoming Holy Year celebrations at the Vatican.

“It is safer right now to visit Rome because of the Jubilee, that will take place next year so there are a lot more controls, military in some parts of the city,” noted Mannello.

In our conversation with her, Mannello offered some safety tips for visitors including walk with a group, stay in well-populated areas in the city and research different neighborhoods before you go.

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Dominican Republic Travel Advisory

Travel advisory june 18, 2024, dominican republic - level 2: exercise increased caution.

Reissued after periodic review without changes.

Exercise increased caution in the Dominican Republic due to crime.

Country Summary:  Violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide, and sexual assault, is a concern throughout the Dominican Republic. The development of a professional tourist police corps, institution of a 911 system in many parts of the country, and a concentration of resources in resort areas means these tend to be better policed than urban areas like Santo Domingo. The wide availability of weapons, the use and trade of illicit drugs, and a weak criminal justice system contribute to the high level of criminality on the broader scale.

Read the country information page for additional information on travel to the Dominican Republic.

If you decide to travel to the Dominican Republic:

• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Do not physically resist any robbery attempt.
• Do not display signs of wealth, such as wearing expensive watches or jewelry.
• Follow the advice of resort and tour operators regarding local safety and security concerns.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) 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 the Dominican Republic.
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations.  Review the Traveler’s Checklist .
• Visit the CDC page for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel.

Travel Advisory Levels

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What to Know About the State Department's New Travel Advisories for Europe

Between pandemic outbreaks and unrest in much of the world, global travel inherently comes with more anxiety than before. On top of that, earlier in October, officials issued an updated U.S. State Department travel advisory for a slew of countries, ranging from Belize and Italy to South Africa and the U.K, putting them at a Level 2 status cautioning visitors to “exercise increased caution.” While the new batch of advisories captured travelers' attention, the reason they were issued is more complex than it might seem. Most of the updated bulletins were dated October 4 or 5, a few days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) removed COVID-19 Travel Health Notices from its site, a State Department spokesperson says. That change sparked the new advisories, but also drew attention to the warnings that had existed in each country.  Any time there is an alteration to the listed information, the travel advisory for each country will clearly note the reason for the update at the top. As with countries like Belize , Italy , France , and South Africa , the first line of the advisories read: “Last Update: Reissued with updates to health information”—noting that CDC change was the cause for the new advisory, as COVID-19 had been a major factor in these notices for the greater part of the last couple of years. For many of the nations, that was the sole reason for the update. But the State Department is constantly reviewing the information. Any country with a Travel Advisory at Level 1 (“Exercise Normal Precautions”) or Level 2 (“Exercise Increased Caution”) is reassessed at least every 12 months, while any on Level 3 (“Reconsider Travel”) or Level 4 (“Do Not Travel”) are looked at again every six months, at a minimum.  Moving forward, the State Department’s Travel Advisories will no longer include the CDC’s Travel Health Notices, and the CDC will only issue a notice for a country if a concerning COVID-19 variant is identified that alters recommendations for traveling there.

Large-scale safety warnings

With the health warnings off of these pages, terrorist and civil unrest advisories now sit at the top of many of the countries' pages. The State Department says that if the latest update was related to one of these reasons, it would be clearly labeled up front. Still, the recent update exposed just how many nations are currently at elevated caution levels.

“Level 2 travel warnings are not normal for these countries at this scale,” Jukka Laitamaki of NYU School of Professional Studies ’ Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality says. “Currently, in Europe only Scandinavian countries and Finland have the lowest Level 1 advisory.”

The State Department doesn’t specify what threats are behind the warnings, so it does mean travelers should be aware of the state of affairs in each country. “Pay attention to [the advisories] and use them as an important part of your travel planning,” he says. “Supplement them with local news from the destinations you plan to travel to and consider your own level of risk tolerance.” It’s possible recent one-off incidents like the Monet painting being defaced in Germany or the upcoming enthusiasm around the World Cup in November could be causes, Rewaken Adventure travel consultant Lori Avirett-Mackenzie says. “So State Department increasing the levels makes sense in a broad and general way,” she says.

Knowing how to use that information for travel planning can be difficult to parse. “There are no universal answers as the decision to travel and where to go when is highly personal,” Sandra Weinacht of Inside Europe . “But from my perspective and experience, I say yes, come to Europe.”  Of course that doesn’t mean completely letting your guard down—it may just be digging deeper into the specifics of where you’re going. Often the travel advisories will caution about certain areas. For instance, while Peru is on a Level 3 warning , there are certain border regions on Level 4. 

“We advise clients to take these alerts seriously, but we also recommend that, together, we dig into the alert and in more detail before changing or cancelling their travel plans to determine if or how the alert affects their specific trip,” Jenny Mikkelson at Travel Beyond says. She reminds that the advisories are issued for entire nations and for a broad range of traveler types, so specifics are important. “The particular destinations a traveler may be visiting may not be anywhere near the points of concern,” she adds.  Even so, Level 4 warnings stating not travel to the country should be heeded, Laitamaki says. As of press time, that list includes Afghanistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Burma (Myanmar), Central African Republic, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tonga, Venezuela, Yemen, and Ukraine.

No matter what the advisory level is, it’s also just important to stay smart while on the road. Officials recommend signing up for the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) program with details of your trip in order to receive the latest safety and security alerts from the U.S. government.

While the advisories can be daunting, it shouldn’t prevent travelers from leaving home. “I believe the best option is to be well-educated and prepared,” Avirett-Mackenzie says. “International travel is key to changing and enlarging our perspectives, helping us all recognize that the vast majority of people everywhere have the same goals and are good and kind people at heart."

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