With active military conflicts sweeping wide swaths of more than one continent, the thought of international travel can sound scary to some people.
There are news stories of ongoing evacuation efforts amid an escalating war between Israel and Hamas as well as tourists being brought home by sea on a cruise ship that Royal Caribbean (RCL) -) volunteered for the effort.
Related: Royal Caribbean cruise ship helps in key evacuation effort
While the U.S. State Department had formerly issued travel advisories warning against all travel to neighboring countries like Lebanon, a new Oct. 19 notice urges Americans overseas to display "worldwide caution" no matter where they are.
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Government warns of 'increased tensions in various locations around the world'
"Due to increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution," the government agency said in a statement.
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It further urges travelers to "stay alert in locations frequented by tourists" and enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) used to track citizens overseas in the case of an emergency.
Such a far-reaching warning does not mean that the government is advising against any international travel but rather that it wants to give an additional reminder at a time of widespread global instability. On Oct. 17, the State Department raised its travel advisory for Lebanon to the highest Level Four "Do Not Travel" level.
The four travel advisory levels that the U.S. issues to countries range from Level One's "exercise normal precautions" to the highest level reserved for countries with authoritarian governments and active military conflict — approximately 10% of the world's 195 countries are on the State Department's "Do Not Travel" list for those reasons.
These are the other countries the State Department doesn't want you to visit
"Do not travel to Lebanon due to the unpredictable security situation related to rocket, missile, and artillery exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah or other armed militant factions," the State Department says in the advisory. After Israel was attacked by the terrorist group Hamas and declared a state of war, the country has been under a Level Three "Reconsider Travel" advisory while Gaza and the West Bank are under Level Four.
Other countries that have been under a longstanding "Do Not Travel" advisory include both Russia and Ukraine — after Russian troops crossed Ukraine's border in February 2022, the State Department has been warning against "arbitrary enforcement of local law" and "singling out U.S. citizens for detention" in the former and ongoing warfare in the latter.
In May 2023, the State Department also raised its level for Jamaica and Colombia from "exercise increased caution" to "reconsider travel" over similar concerns around rising crime and a string of attacks related to gang violence. Despite the State Department's warning that "violent crimes such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and homicides are common," the country is one of the most popular tropical destinations for American tourists.
At around the same time as the travel advisory came out, Delta Air Lines (DAL) -) named Montego Bay among the cities seeing the highest spike in demand among its customers.
