Tag: State Department

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Should I Travel There?

When I travel I check the STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program) for any alerts pertaining to the countries I am visiting. I also register my trip with STEP.

The following is an email I received lately about travel in Italy.

STEP Notifications  Wed, Jan 15, 1:05 PM (18 hours ago)
to ACS_ITALY

Exercise increased caution in Italy due to terrorism.

Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Italy. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, and other public areas.

Read the Safety and Security section on the country information page.

If you decide to travel to Italy:

  • Be aware of your surroundings when traveling to tourist locations and crowded public venues.
  • Follow the instructions of local authorities.
  • Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on new information.
  • 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 Crime and Safety Reports for Italy.
  • Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.

Does this mean I would not travel to Italy? Not necessarily. It does mean there are extra things to watch out for when traveling there.

Have you had any experience with STEP?

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State Department Advisories

State Department advisories can be confusing, if you don’t know what you are reading.

Right now, there are about 210 advisories from the US State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs. All destinations are ranked from levels 1 to 4.

Level One says to exercise normal precautions. Level Two says to exercise increased precautions. Level Three says to reconsider travel. Level Four says do not travel as the US may have limited ability to assist you.

Warnings range from possible terrorist attacks in Italy to arbitrary enforcement of local laws in China to extreme and unpredictable weather in Antarctica.

There is an advisory warning of violent crimes in the Dominican Republic.

More than half of the advisories are at Level 1, the lowest level. This tells travelers to exercise normal precautions. Keep in mind, there could be higher levels within a country or a region.

What does this mean for you, as a traveler? Read the warnings before you book and before you go. Pay attention if there are any specific warnings for your area of travel. Be sure to read the entire warning and don’t just look for the level. For instance, the advisory for Barbados says there is nothing to worry about. Keep reading and you will find there are certain areas where two businesses are running pirate ship cruises at night. These have caused problems and issues for many tourists.

Situations change quickly, especially in high-risk areas.

If you sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program you will receive alerts if something changes. It also provides ways for the US Embassy to reach you, if necessary.

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Off to Europe

Looking for a check list to help you plan your trip abroad? Check out these helpful hints.

Check your cell phone coverage. Do you have a plan that covers you in Europe? Do you need to add a plan? Or, are you planning on buying a SIM card once you land?

Make copies of all your documents. All. Email a copy to yourself and store it in the cloud. Give paper copies to your traveling partner, if you have one.

Register for STEP. I’ve mentioned this previously. The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program was created by the US Department of State to notify local embassies about your travel plans. You will be contacted in case of an emergency or security advisory in your destination. It’s free and easy to register. Though you may not need to enroll every time you leave the country, I always do.

Notify your bank and credit card companies of your plans. No sense having a credit card or bank deny a transaction because they didn’t know you were in Paris and not at home in Denver.

Download any offline maps you can. That way you will always be able to look at a map.

Pay attention to the exchange rate. If you don’t get any money ahead of time, you will want to know what it will cost you once you land.

Before you leave, charge all your electronics. Everything. If you have everything plugged in…don’t walk out the door without the devices and their chargers.

Remember to take a plug adapter to use in Europe or wherever you are going.

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State Department Alerts

Because I subscribe to the State Department’s Smart Travel Program, I receive alerts and warnings like the following one.

What does this mean? It means if we’re traveling to this area, we need to be more aware than normal. Keep you eyes open when traveling.

Exercise increased caution in France due to terrorism and civil unrest.

Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in France. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, and other public areas.

Demonstrations in Paris and other major cities continue in France and are expected to continue in the coming weeks. Property damage, including looting and arson, in populated tourist areas has occurred with reckless disregard for public safety. Police have responded with water cannons, rubber bullets, and tear gas. The U.S. Embassy is advising official U.S. government travelers to avoid travel to Paris and other major cities in France on the weekends.

Read the Safety and Security section on the country information page.

If you decide to travel to France:

  • Be aware of your surroundings when traveling to tourist locations and large crowded public venues.
  • Avoid demonstrations.
  • Review travel plans if you will be in France on weekends.
  • Follow the instructions of local authorities including movement restrictions related to any ongoing police action.
  • Find a safe location, and shelter in place if in the vicinity of large gatherings or protests.
  • Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on new information.
  • 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 Crime and Safety Report for France.
  • U.S. citizens who travel abroad should always have a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.

Last Update: Reissued with updates to the Risk Indicators.

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Trip Planning…

9 months out…

You’re excited about your destination. You could be going to visit grandkids, or you could be heading to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It’s exciting either way. What should you look at for your upcoming trip?

 

  • Check airfare. I recommend checking several sites, including the airline’s site. You’ll have a feel for what the airfare prices are now, even though it’s too soon to book.
  • Set up alerts with several different places. I like to use Kayak and the airline itself. When I receive an alert of an airfare that is in my price range…I check the airline and then book the fare. This usually happens about six months out for international and three or four months out for domestic. If your dates are flexible, you could wait and see what the airfares do for price.
  • Sign up for individual airline’s websites and special deals emails. Think you’ll have emails flooding your inbox? Don’t worry. You can always unsubscribe after your trip.
  • Inspect your luggage to make sure zippers and wheels work. If not, you might want to invest in new luggage. It’s no fun dragging a bag that should be effortlessly rolling.
  • Check hotels, vacation rentals, or B & B prices. Start looking at places where you want to stay. This will give you an idea of costs and allow you to decide what type of accommodation you want.
  • Check rental cars prices. Again, I recommend checking different sites. Prices do vary.
  • Check your passport expiration date and make sure it doesn’t expire for at least six months from your return date. It you’re traveling with others, check the dates on theirs as well. If the expiration date is close to the six-month time frame, apply for a new one now. It could take six weeks or more, depending on the time of year, to get yours renewed.
  • Check your driver’s license expiration date, and make sure it won’t expire while you are gone. You don’t need the surprise of returning, only to find you can’t drive home.
  • Check with your physician, tell them where you are going, and refill any prescriptions you will need. Get copies of all prescriptions.
  • Check the State Department’s website to see if there are any travel alerts where you plan to go. https://www.state.gov/
  • Check to see if you need any shots or vaccinations and how soon you need to get them.

 

 

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Smile…or Not!

Again…is your passport up to date?

First, know when your passport expires. Some countries require the expiration date to be more than six months from that date.

Next, the State Department tells us you are responsible for looking like your passport photo. Have you added or removed facial tattoos or birthmarks? Have you lost a significant amount weight, especially in your facial area?

If so, you may need a new photo.

Speaking of photos, here are some rules that may be new since the last time you had yours taken.

Remove your glasses.

Make sure the background is the correct color.

Don’t smile too much. Yet, look natural…if you can! I was told not to smile at all and my photo looks like I belong in the post office for most wanted!

Next, pay the correct fee if submitting for a renewal by mail. No sense getting the renewal rejected.

Make sure you take or send any supporting documents with you.

Check for online renewal. Not sure if it’s coming soon or not.

Last, check with the State Department for more rules and clarifications. https://www.state.gov/

 

 

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How’s Your Passport?

Is your passport about to expire? You don’t know?

It’s time to take it out and look at it. Check the expiration date. Then, think about when you will be traveling.

You may need to apply for a new one. Check out this new information from the Department of State.

 

Effective April 2, 2018, the passport execution fee will increase from $25 to $35.  The $10 execution fee increase only applies to U.S. passport applicants using the DS-11 form, such as first-time applicants over 16, children under 16, and applicants who re-apply after reporting their previous passport lost or stolen.

The $10 fee increase does not apply to adults eligible to renew their passport by mail using the DS-82 form.  Renewal customers can mail their application and supporting documentation to the Department of State and should not apply at a passport acceptance facility or pay an execution fee.

Customers applying with the DS-11 form pay two separate fees: an application fee to the U.S. Department of State and the execution fee to the passport acceptance facility. Passport acceptance facilities such as post offices, clerks of court, or public libraries are designated to accept passport applications on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.  With more than 7,600 acceptance facility locations, customers applying for the first time can find a convenient location to apply for their passport. Some acceptance facilities are open nights and weekends and take passport photos on-site.

The Department of State generally sets consular fees at an amount calculated to achieve recovery of the costs to the U.S. government of providing the consular service. The latest Cost of Service Model showed that the costs associated with passport execution were higher than the current fee of $25.

The proposed fee change was published in the Federal Register as a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and public comments were accepted until November 18, 2016, 60 days after the Notice’s publication. The Final Rule, implementing the change, includes the Department’s response to relevant comments received.

For more information, you can go to the State Department’s website, https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/passports/execution-fee-increases.html.

 

 

Other than the price increase, you shouldn’t wait to apply beyond April, because the time it takes to process a passport will be longer due to increased demand.

One more important note: for frequent travelers, when you apply for your passport, make sure you ask for the extended number of pages—about 50 instead of the usual 24.

Why? Because once you fill up that passport with country entry and departure stamps, the U.S. State Department will no longer add pages to your passport.

You’ll be forced to get a new one.

 

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State Department and Trouble Spots

From the Chicago Tribune

The State Department on Wednesday introduced shades of gray into its system that tells people about trouble spots around the globe.

The standard jargon at the State Department’s website (travel.state.gov) used to be a “warning” — something serious that would suggest extra caution (and sometimes more) — or an “alert,” which often was a red flag, sometimes temporary, telling travelers about, say, an election or the aftermath of a natural disaster.

The revised system assigns levels of advice (1 to 4) about travel as it pertains to every country.

None of levels prohibits travel. North Korea is the only country that’s off-limits to Americans without special permission.

Five states in Mexico have gotten the sternest “do not travel” advisories under the revamped system.

The five include the northern border state of Tamaulipas and the Pacific coast states of Sinaloa, Colima, Michoacan and Guerrero.

The State Department had previously discouraged travel to all or part of the five states’ territories but the new warnings are sterner, placing the drug- and crime-plagued states on the same level warning level as Somalia, Yemen, Syria or Afghanistan.

Mexico as a whole has a level-two rating, “exercise increased caution” in the new four-level alert system, because of concerns about crime. But an additional 11 Mexican states got a level-three warning, “reconsider travel.” Mexico has 31 states, half of which are under level 3 or 4 warnings.

The State Department also appears to have softened its stance on Cuba, advising people to “reconsider” travel to the Caribbean island nation under the new system.

Last September, it issued a warning that told Americans to avoid travel to Cuba in the wake of health problems reported by Havana-based U.S. diplomats and their family members. The U.S. government evacuated most employees at its embassy in the Cuban capital.

The department issued this fact sheet about the changes on Wednesday:

On January 10, 2018, the Department of State launched improvements to how we share information with U.S. travelers.  These improvements will provide U.S. citizens with clear, timely, and reliable safety and security information worldwide.  Under the new system, every country will have a Travel Advisory, providing levels of advice ranging from 1 to 4:

  • Level 1 – Exercise Normal Precautions: This is the lowest advisory level for safety and security risk. There is some risk in any international travel.  Conditions in other countries may differ from those in the United States and may change at any time.
  • Level 2 – Exercise Increased Caution: Be aware of heightened risks to safety and security. The Department of State provides additional advice for travelers in these areas in the Travel Advisory.  Conditions in any country may change at any time.
  • Level 3 – Reconsider Travel: Avoid travel due to serious risks to safety and security. The Department of State provides additional advice for travelers in these areas in the Travel Advisory.  Conditions in any country may change at any time.
  • Level 4 – Do Not Travel: This is the highest advisory level due to greater likelihood of life-threatening risks. During an emergency, the U.S. government may have very limited ability to provide assistance.  The Department of State advises that U.S. citizens not travel to the country or leave as soon as it is safe to do so.  The Department of State provides additional advice for travelers in these areas in the Travel Advisory.  Conditions in any country may change at any time.

The Travel Advisories for each country replace previous Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts.  While we will issue an overall Travel Advisory level for every country, levels of advice may vary for specific locations or areas within a country.  For instance, we may advise U.S. citizens to “Exercise Increased Caution” (Level 2) in a country, but to “Reconsider Travel” (Level 3) to a particular area within the country.

Our detailed Travel Advisories will also will provide clear reasons for the level assigned, using established risk indicators, and offer specific advice to U.S. citizens who choose to travel there:

  • C – Crime: Widespread violent or organized crime is present in areas of the country.  Local law enforcement may have limited ability to respond to serious crimes.
  • T – Terrorism: Terrorist attacks have occurred and/or specific threats against civilians, groups, or other targets may exist.
  • U – Civil Unrest: Political, economic, religious, and/or ethnic instability exists and may cause violence, major disruptions, and/or safety risks.
  • H – Health: Health risks, including current disease outbreaks or a crisis that disrupts a country’s medical infrastructure, are present.  The issuance of a Centers for Disease Control Travel Notice may be a factor.
  • N – Natural Disaster: A natural disaster, or its aftermath, poses danger.
  • E – Time-limited Event: A short-term event, such as an election, sporting event, or other incident that may pose a safety risk.
  • O – Other: There are potential risks not covered by previous risk indicators.  Read the country’s Travel Advisory for details.

We will review and update each Travel Advisory as needed, based on changes to security and safety information.  Additionally, U.S. embassies and consulates will now issue Alerts to replace the current Emergency Messages and Security Messages.  Alerts will inform U.S. citizens of specific safety and security concerns in a country, such as demonstrations, crime trends, and weather events.

The Department’s newly-redesigned hub for traveler information, travel.state.gov, will host all Travel Advisories, recent Alerts issued for each country, and an interactive map in mobile-friendly formats.  Country pages on the site will continue to include all travel information currently available, including details about entry/exit requirements, local laws and customs, health conditions, transportation, and other relevant topics.

To receive security and other important updates while traveling, U.S. citizens can enroll their travel plans in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (step.state.gov), and follow us on Twitter (@travelgov) and Facebook (facebook.com/travelgov).

This article was originally published in the Chicago Tribune. In our crazy world, there are many warnings about travel. If you’re going to travel, it’s best to be informed about your destination. This is not cause for alarm…just information.

As always…travel safe and pay attention. It really doesn’t matter if you traveling to a far away destination or a local one.

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Department of State and Warnings…What Should You Do?

The Department of State has launched new Travel Advisories and Alerts to make it easier for U.S. citizens to access clear, timely, and reliable safety and security information about every country in the world. For more details and FAQs about our Travel Advisories and Alerts, please see travel.state.gov/travelsafely. You are receiving this because you are enrolled in our Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). You do not need to take further action to continue receiving these updates. Before any travel abroad, we encourage you to check our safety and security information for your destination at travel.state.gov/destination.

France, Level 2: Exercise increased caution 

Exercise increased caution in France due to terrorism.

Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in France. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, and other public areas.

Read the Safety and Security section on the country information page.

If you decide to travel to France:

  • Be aware of your surroundings when traveling to tourist locations and large crowded public venues.
  • Follow the instructions of local authorities including movement restrictions related to any ongoing police action.
  • Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on new information.
  • 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 Facebookand Twitter.
  • Review the Crime and Safety Reportfor France.
  • S. citizens who travel abroad should always have a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler¿s Checklist.

Bottom line…pay attention to warnings and pay attention when you travel, regardless of where you’re going.