NEWS: Travel Advisory In Effect for 2 Popular Vacation Destinations

Be wary if you’re planning an international trip.

Traveling out of one’s own country can be an anxious experience. In addition to ensuring that one has packed all of the correct travel essentials and brushed up on the local cultural traditions, it’s also important to make sure the destination’s current socioeconomic condition is safe for travel. To help with that, the United States State Department has a Travel advisory system based on numbers, with Level 1 nations being one where travelers, should Exercise Normal Precautions all the way up to Level 4 nations, where the State Department bounty recommends ‘Do Not Travel.”

Earlier this week, the State Department changed the Travel Advisories to two Caribbean countries that are popular with U.S. travelers.

On September 24th, the State Department raised the Travel Advisory level for Venezuela all the way to 4. According to the department, “The Department has determined there is a high risk of wrongful detention of U.S. nationals in Venezuela. Security forces have detained U.S. citizens for up to five years. The U.S. government is not generally notified of the detention of U.S. citizens in Venezuela or granted access to U.S. citizen prisoners there. Violent crimes, such as homicide, armed robbery, kidnapping, and carjacking, are common in Venezuela. Political rallies and demonstrations occur, often with little notice. Police and security forces have instituted a brutal crackdown on anti-Maduro demonstrations, including the use of tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets against participants, and which occasionally devolve into looting and vandalism.”

In addition, the State Department warned that the U.S. suspended operations of the country’s American embassy and withdrew all diplomatic personnel. In other words, “the U.S. government has no ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Venezuela. U.S. citizens in Venezuela.”

In addition to Venezuela, the State Department raised the Travel Advisory Level for another nation, albeit to a smaller degree. The U.S. agency raised Panama to Level 2, which means U.S. travelers should “Exercise Increased Caution.”

According to the State Department, “Crime occurs in Panama, including theft and residential break-ins. Crimes of opportunity such as pickpocketing and purse snatching can happen in tourist areas. The Embassy receives occasional reports of residential break-ins, especially during the holiday season. Demonstrations periodically occur due to local issues and have disrupted some normal travel patterns in the past, including the flow of goods and services to some parts of the country.”

Specifically, the department warns to avoid areas in the country’s Mosquito Gulf including within 10 miles of the coastline, from Boca de Rio, Chiriqui to Cocle del Norte. They warn of “drug trafficking and other illicit activities” making this area dangerous. They also warn to avoid parts of the Darién region including the areas south of Jaque to Manene to Yaviza to Lajas Blancas cities to the Colombian border, and the cities of Lajas Blancas and El Salto.

The U.S. State Department’s system of Travel Advisories can be very helpful to U.S. travelers when they’re planning to head overseas. Stay tuned to AllEars for further coverage of international travel conditions.

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Have you ever taken a State Department Travel Advisory into account when planning travel? Let us know in the comments below.

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