While some people just book a ticket and go, some particularly cautious travelers might base decisions about where to take a vacation on the latest guidance from the State Department.
The four levels of travel warning issued by the government branch responsible for the safety of Americans abroad range from "take normal precautions" for countries with low levels of crime and stable governments to the "do not travel" level given to active war zones and totalitarian governments. These are periodically updated with information in a given country.
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At the start of June, the State Department issued a new warning about the "wide availability of weapons, the use and trade of illicit drugs, and a weak criminal justice system" in the Dominican Republic. The Caribbean nation is a popular vacation destination for Americans in search of sun and is generally quite safe for those sticking to a resort.
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State Department Says to Stay Alert
In a list first put together by travel website "Travel Off Path," other countries to see their travel advisory levels raised in the last month include Uganda and Denmark.
The African country that has recently been seeing a rise in international tourism was updated to a level three "reconsider travel" level after an increase in terrorist attacks and newly-passed legislation targeting LGBTQ individuals in the country. Denmark, meanwhile, was raised from "exercise normal precautions" to "exercise increased caution" after a rise in terrorist attacks "targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls [and] local government facilities."
"While the attacks did not appear to target foreign nationals, anyone can be a victim," writes the State Department of Uganda. "U.S. citizens should remain alert and avoid large public gatherings."
While the South American countries retain the same advisory levels as before, the State Department also issued recent warnings about moving around Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru largely due to the rise in protests against local governments.
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"Roadblocks and strikes may cut off traffic and restrict the flow of goods and services around the country," the government writes in its warning for Bolivia. "Domestic and international flights may be delayed or unexpectedly cancelled."
In Bolivia, individual regions such as Chapare and Yungas have been placed under stronger "do not travel" and "reconsider travel" advisories even as the rest of the country remains under "exercise increased caution."
In Argentina, certain areas have been seeing an increased spread of tropical diseases like Hepatitis A, Yellow Fever and Dengue Fever. The State Department issued an advisory with this information but the country still has the safest possible travel warning level.
As governments always take a conservative approach when it comes to discouraging travel, such warnings can often hurt a country's efforts to revive tourism and build a reputation as a safe destination.
When Mexican search efforts turned up some bodies of missing people close to Cancun, local authorities urged the public "not to publish and share on social networks false news" about the bodies being found at popular resorts.
To minimize risk but still have a great time, the State Department encourages travelers to register on its Smart Traveler Enrollment Program for up-to-date alerts about one's destinations and share one's travel itinerary with somebody back home who can reach out to police or embassies if they lose contact.
