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Despite the fact that almost half the countries in the world are currently welcoming American tourists right now, the State Department updated their travel advisories this week to warn against travel to about 80 percent of all nations.
The department's previous 'Do Not Travel' advisory included 34 out of 200 countries, but the update list will more closely align with the most recent guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The result is that the number of countries at 'Level 4: Do Not Travel' will increase to more than 150 nations around the globe. And anyone planning to travel to a country in the remaining 20 percent is still advised to reconsider before booking.
The State Department has not released which countries will be moved to the Level 4 tier, but each nation's webpage will be updated in the next few days with the updated guidance.
What we do know is that only three places in the world - Macau, Taiwan and New Zealand - are currently labeled as Level 1, which advises travellers to exercise normal precautions.
Even Antarctica is Level 2, which recommends "increased caution," and places like the United Kingdom are currently Level 3, or "reconsider travel."
The CDC currently recommends all Americans refrain from travelling domestically until they have been fully vaccinated and warns that international travel "poses additional risks" even for those vaccinated.
If you do plan to travel outside of the U.S. this spring, remember that all air passengers coming to the United States, including U.S. citizens, must have a negative Covid test result or documentation of recovery from the virus before they board a flight.