Sounding an alarm, the U.S. state department issued a travel warning earlier this week for those planning to fly abroad. The gist? Americans may be not so welcome as we have been in the past in certain places.
In light of our nation’s bombing of nuclear facilities in Iran, U.S. visitors to other countries may face protests and demonstrations, which makes the latest alert different from typical warnings the state department has previously shared about destinations that may be unsafe to visit due to their own turmoil. That makes the current Worldwide Caution Security Alert rare and unusual—even countries we don't think twice about might now require extra consideration given the current political climate.
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The state department's warning text is brief: "The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East. There is the potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad. The Department of State advises U.S. citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution."
The alert then goes to share a link of specific countries, asking readers to follow the link for more information. At the linked-to page, you can either type in your destination or click on “view all travel advisories.” There, an alphabetized list of all nations ranks them from Level 1 ("exercise normal precautions") to Level 4 ("do not travel").
Here are the results for some typical summer destinations for U.S. travelers:
Japan:
Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
United Kingdom:
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
France:
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
Italy:
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
Mexico:
Since September 2024, Mexico’s ranking has been "other." When you click for more information, it shares that "Violent crime – such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery—is widespread and common in Mexico." It ranks each Mexican state for safety, with six as "do not travel" states, seven as "reconsider travel" and 17 as "exercise increased caution." Fortunately, if you're set to visit Campeche or Yucatan soon, those states are included in the "exercise normal precautions" category."