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Tips for Traveling
Abroad
If you are traveling
abroad here are the top 10 tips you need to make your trip easier.
1. Make sure
you have a signed, valid passport and visas, if required. Also, before you
go, fill in the emergency information page of your passport! (Passports should be valid through six
months after return date)
2. Read the
Consular Information Sheets (and Public Announcements or Travel Warnings,
if applicable) for the countries you plan to visit.
3.
Familiarize yourself with local laws and customs of the countries to which
you are traveling. Remember, the U.S. Constitution does not follow
you! While in a foreign country, you
are subject to its laws.
4. Make 2
copies of your passport identification page. This will facilitate replacement
if your passport is lost or stolen. Leave one copy at home with friends or
relatives. Carry the other with you in a separate place from your passport.
5. Leave a
copy of your itinerary with family or friends at home so that you can be
contacted in case of an emergency.
6. Do not
leave your luggage unattended in public areas. Do not accept packages from
strangers.
7. Prior to
your departure, you should register with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate through the State
Department’s travel
registration website. Registration will make your presence and
whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you in an emergency. In
accordance with the Privacy Act, information on your welfare and
whereabouts may not be released without your express authorization.
8. To avoid
being a target of crime, try not to wear conspicuous clothing and expensive
jewelry and do not carry excessive amounts of money or unnecessary credit
cards.
9. In order
to avoid violating local laws, deal only with authorized agents when you
exchange money or purchase art or antiques.
10. If you
get into trouble, contact the nearest U.S. embassy.
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Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department
recommends that Americans avoid a certain country. The countries listed
below are currently on that list. In addition to this list, the State
Department issues Consular
Information Sheets for every country of the world with
information on such matters as the health conditions, crime, unusual
currency or entry requirements, any areas of instability, and the location
of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate in the subject country.
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