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Cruise or vacation to Caribbean or Mexico ahead? These travel advisories may change your mind

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Cruise or vacation to Caribbean or Mexico ahead? These travel advisories may change your mind

Heading to a Level 4 destination? Write a will and leave a DNA sample

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There’s nothing like a vacation to get away from work or just the normal day-to-day grind.

There is plenty to do in Florida — after all, tourists flock here for once-in-a-lifetime getaways. And for Florida residents, there are hidden gems, plenty of road trip opportunities, and places for a romantic weekend when we get tired of the main attractions.

But sometimes even Florida residents just have to leave the state. What’s nice is that some prime vacation spots are just a hop, skip and jump away. Or should we say boat ride, flight and cruise stop away?

Yes, we’re talking about a vacation to the Bahamas, one or more of the Caribbean islands, or even the eastern coast of Mexico.

But nothing spoils a vacation like being a victim of a crime or feeling unsafe. Here’s the current list of travel advisories issued for several popular vacation spots close to Florida that have been issued by the U.S. Department of State.

But first, here’s what the levels of travel advisories mean.

What are the travel advisory alert levels and what do they mean for your vacation?

The U.S. Department of State has four levels of alerts when it comes to travel. The alerts tell U.S. citizens about specific safety concerns in a country, which include demonstrations, crime, and weather. Here is how the State Department defines each level:

  • 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 more advice for travelers to these areas in the travel advisory. Conditions in any country may change at any time.
  • Level 3: Reconsider travel.
    • Reconsider 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. The U.S. government may have very limited ability to provide assistance, including during an emergency. The Department of State advises that U.S. citizens not travel to the country or to leave as soon as it is safe to do so. The State Department advises travelers heading to those countries despite the alert level write a will prior to traveling and leave DNA samples in case of worst-case scenarios.

Interactive map: See latest travel advisories at a glance

➤ View the interactive map.

The Bahamas under Level 2 travel advisory, use increased caution

  • Alert level: Level 2, exercise increased caution.
  • Date issued: Jan. 26, 2024.
  • Reason: Exercise increased caution in The Bahamas due to crime.   Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults, occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas.
  • More details can be found here.

Cuba under Level 2 travel advisory, use increased caution

  • Alert level: Level 2, exercise increased caution.
  • Date issued: Jan. 5, 2024.
  • Reason: Exercise increased caution in Cuba due to crime.  Petty crime is a threat for tourists in Cuba. Also, violent crime, including armed robbery and homicide, sometimes occurs in Cuba.
  • More details can be found here.

Turks and Caicos Islands under Level 2 travel advisory, use increased caution

  • Alert level: Level 2, exercise increased caution.
  • Date issued: July 17, 2023.
  • Reason: Exercise increased caution in the Turks and Caicos Islands due to crime. Local medical care and criminal investigative capabilities are limited.
  • More details can be found here.

Cayman Islands under Level 1 travel advisory, use normal precautions

  • Alert level: Level 1, exercise normal precautions.
  • Date issued: July 17, 2023.
  • Reason: Exercise normal precautions in the Cayman Islands.
  • More details can be found here.

Jamaica under Level 3 travel advisory, reconsider travel

  • Alert level: Level 3, reconsider travel
  • Date issued: Jan. 23, 2024 (even before Hurricane Beryl brushed by the island)
  • Reason: Reconsider travel to Jamaica due to crime and medical services.  Violent crimes, such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and homicides, are common. Sexual assaults occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts.
  • More details can be found here.

Haiti under Level 4 travel advisory, do not travel

Alert level: Level 4, do not travel

  • Date issued: July 27, 2023
  • Reason: Do not travel to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure.  Kidnapping is widespread, and victims regularly include U.S. citizens. Even convoys have been attacked. Kidnapping cases often involve ransom negotiations and U.S. citizen victims have been physically harmed during kidnappings. Violent crime, including armed robbery, carjackings, and kidnappings for ransom that include U.S. citizens are common. Protests, demonstrations, tire burning, and roadblocks are frequent, unpredictable, and can turn violent. The U.S. government is extremely limited in its ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Haiti.
  • More details can be found here.

Dominican Republic under Level 2 travel advisory, use increased caution

  • Alert level: Level 2, exercise increased caution.
  • Date issued: June 18, 2024
  • Reason: Exercise increased caution in the Dominican Republic due to crime. 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. 
  • More details can be found here.

Grenada under Level 1 travel advisory, use normal precautions

  • Alert level: Level 1, exercise normal precautions (well before Hurricane Beryl made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane)
  • Date issued: July 17, 2023
  • Reason: Exercise normal precautions in Grenada.
  • More details can be found here.

Trinidad and Tobago under Level 3 travel advisory, reconsider travel

  • Alert level: Level 3, reconsider travel
  • Date issued: July 2, 2024
  • Reason: Reconsider travel to Trinidad and Tobago due to crime. Exercise increased caution in Trinidad and Tobago due to terrorism and kidnapping. Violent crime, such as murder, robbery, assault, sexual assault, home invasion, and kidnapping is common. Gang activity, such as narcotics trafficking, is common. 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.
  • More details can be found here.

Popular Mexico locations travel advisories range from Level 1 to Level 4

  • Quintano Roo, which includes Cancún
    • Alert level: Level 2, exercise increased caution
    • Date issued: Aug. 22, 2023
    • Reason: Exercise increased caution due to crime. Criminal activity and violence may occur in any location, at any time, including in popular tourist destinations.
    • More details can be found here.
  • Veracruz
    • Alert level: Level 2, exercise increased caution
    • Date issued: Aug. 22, 2023
    • Reason: Exercise increased caution due to crime. Violent crime and gang activity occur with increasing frequency in Veracruz, particularly in the center and south near Cordoba and Coatzacoalcos. While most gang-related violence is targeted, violence perpetrated by criminal organizations can affect bystanders. Impromptu roadblocks requiring payment to pass are common.
    • More details can be found here.
  • Guerrero, which includes Acapulco
    • Alert level: Level 4, do not travel
    • Date issued: Aug. 22, 2023
    • Reason: Do not travel due to crime. Crime and violence are widespread. Armed groups frequently maintain roadblocks and may use violence towards travelers. U.S. government employees may not travel to even to tourist areas in Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, and Ixtapa.
    • More details can be found here.
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