Is it safe to go there? The U.S. travel advisory system, explained

The U.S. Department of State’s system of travel advisories is designed to help citizens assess how safe a destination might be at a given time. The current system, launched in 2018, gives fluid rankings from Level 1 (exercise normal precautions) to Level 2 (exercise increased caution), Level 3 (reconsider travel, and Level 4 (do not travel). It indicates how risky countries, and in some cases regions, are for Americans to visit.

Rankings are based on factors such as crime rates, civil unrest, and the threat of terrorism. They’re meant to give “clear, timely, and reliable information about every country in the world so they can make informed travel decisions,” says a State Department spokesperson. “We routinely update our advisories to reflect the most current conditions on the ground.”

Since 2023, this system has been tweaked so that Level 1, 2, and 3 essentially include secondary rankings noted by the shadings on this State Department world map.

“The department has not made significant changes to our Travel Advisory system since 2023, although we have made improvements to the website and the color-coded maps that accompany each Travel Advisory, on which countries with areas of increased risk now appear with a stripe,” explains the State Department spokesperson.

Here’s how the State Department’s travel advisories work and how to use them.

What is a travel advisory?

The U.S. State Department inaugurated the travel advisory system in 1978, initially aiming warnings at airlines and travel companies. The system was scrutinized after the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight from London to New York, which exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 passengers and crew plus 11 people on the ground. 

Investigations found U.S. authorities had been aware of a credible threat to a Pan Am flight but hadn’t informed the public. In response, the media and consular offices began issuing travel warnings. In 2018 the U.S. introduced its current four-tier advisory system. There are near-identical versions in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

To determine rankings, the State Department considers a nation’s political volatility, crime trends, medical care standards, and the threat of kidnappings or terrorism. Some countries, such as Russia, receive a Level 4 ranking partly because the U.S. government may have limited ability to assist citizens there. Others rise to Level 4 due to a crisis, such as the military coup that rocked Niger in 2023. 

When the travel advisory system relaunched in 2018, it also included state-by-state evaluations for Mexico, which draws more than 11 million American travelers a year. “Some Mexican states are quite safe for U.S. tourists, while others are riskier due to narco-trafficking violence,” says Ryan Larsen, executive director of the Office of Global Engagement at Western Washington University. Yucatán and Campeche states are currently at Level 1, while six other Mexican states are at Level 4, including Sinaloa.

Epidemics and natural disasters also can prompt a travel advisory number to rise. Americans may be prompted to reconsider visiting a country recovering from a tsunami or major wildfires, since their presence could hinder rehabilitation efforts. This occurred after the February 2023 earthquakes in Turkey. Such advisories can remain in place for weeks or months.

The strictest-ever advisories came in April 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, says Larsen, who did a thesis on U.S. travel warnings. At that time, about 80 percent of the world’s countries were at Level 4. At press time, more than 70 percent of the world’s countries were rated Level 1 or Level 2 by the State Department, indicating they’re relatively safe. There are currently 30 countries at Level 3, as well as 21 at Level 4.

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How to use travel advisories

Before booking an international trip, consult the State Department website to see where your destination ranks. While Level 1 and 2 countries are considered relatively safe, you should still register with the U.S. Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). This lets Americans overseas use their smartphone to receive travel advisory updates and alerts about emerging dangers in their destination (protests, extreme weather).

Level 3 countries are considered more dangerous for foreign visitors, who should “reconsider travel,” according to the State Department. If you are headed to a Level 3 country, do wider research on its safety and on the places you’ll visit there, advises Jun Wen, an associate professor of tourism at Macau University of Science and Technology.

For instance, while a few remote areas in the Colombian Amazon have reports of drug-related violence, cities such as Cartagena and Medellín are considered relatively safe. But Wen emphasized that some other Level 3 countries were categorically unsafe for travel at present.

Travelers should study not only the advisories provided by their own country, but also by the U.S., United Kingdom, and Australia to broaden their understanding of the risks in Level 3 countries, Wen says. As for Level 4 countries, that “Do Not Travel” advice couldn’t be any clearer.

Other countries also issue warnings to their citizens about visiting the U.S. Canada instructs its LGBTQ travelers they may be affected by laws in certain U.S. states, and that when applying for an entry permit, they may be required to state their sex as assigned at birth. Australia, meanwhile, cautions its citizens visiting the U.S. to be wary of political demonstrations and protests “due to the ongoing potential for unrest and violence.”

People who visit countries with Level 3 or Level 4 travel advisories don’t just risk their safety. They also may have travel insurance complications, says Linchi Kwok, a professor of tourism management at California State Polytechnic University Pomona.

They must pay much higher premiums, and their insurance can be invalidated if the advisory for their destination is elevated. “Medical coverage can be minimal, too, particularly if the travel advisory is put up against a disease or an outbreak,” says Kwok. “I encourage Americans to think twice before they travel to Level 3 and especially Level 4 destinations.”

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The current Middle East conflict has further complicated this insurance situation, he explains. In the days before the conflict began, tens of thousands of tourists arrived in Middle Eastern nations that the U.S. travel advisory system considered safe to visit, only for those tourists to get stuck in those countries as advisories were elevated to Level 3.

“If travelers enter a country when it is classified as Level 1 or 2, most standard policies will continue to cover medical emergencies, if conditions later deteriorate,” says Kwok. “However, benefits related to trip interruption, evacuation, or additional expenses depend heavily on the policy’s fine print. Some insurers may limit claims linked directly to the newly declared conflict, especially if it is categorized as war. Travelers should contact their insurer immediately once conditions change to clarify what remains covered and to document next steps.”

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Travel advisories can be influenced by diplomatic relations, according to Larsen. His research found that, while the U.S. didn’t often overstate the risk of travel to countries with which it had poor relations, it did often understate the danger of visiting nations that were its close allies.