If you’re planning to travel somewhere this year, you should be aware of which countries you can consider, and which ones to avoid. The US State Department added two countries to its “do not travel” list, making them a total of 21 countries.
Whether it be current conflicts, terrorism, health, or the likelihood of a natural disaster, the State Department warns civilians against traveling to these countries for traveler’s safety.
How does the State Department classify the countries?
The US State Department divides the countries’ status under these four travel advisory levels:
- Level 1: Exercise normal precautions
- Level 2: Exercise increased caution
- Level 3: Reconsider travel
- Level 4: Do not travel
What levels 1 and 2 mean
Level 1 is the lowest advisory level and it means that there might be some risks associated with traveling. Level 2, however, signifies that there might be certain areas of the country that are deemed dangerous.
Both these levels are assessed by the State Department every 12 months.
Levels 3 and 4 are more serious
Level 3 advises American travelers to reconsider heading over to Level 3 countries due to “serious risks to safety and security,” while Level 4, the highest level of risk, refers to a “greater likelihood of life-threatening risks.”
Additionally, those traveling to Level 4 countries are advised to write a will and leave DNA samples in case of a worst-case scenario. Unlike Levels 1 and 2, both Levels 3 and 4 are assessed every 6 months.
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Recent changes made to the list
Firstly, the travel advisory for Mexico now has differing levels across its different states, ranging from Level 1 to Level 4, despite the travel advisory for Mexico as a whole having been at Level 2 for a while.
Secondly, the State Department added two countries to Level 4; North Korea and Burkina Faso, making the total of Level 4 countries 21.
Why these countries were added to the list
Embed from Getty ImagesNorth Korea was added to the list due to the “continuing serious risk of arrest, long-term detention, and the threat of wrongful detention.”
As for Burkina Faso, it is because of the heightened “terrorism, crime, and kidnapping” threat.
Examples of countries you can travel to
Level 1 countries include but are not limited to: Canada, Australia, Ireland, Portugal, Argentina, and some Caribbean islands, such as Aruba and St. Lucia.
Level 2 includes some popular European countries such as the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and Germany, while Level 3 includes Colombia, Egypt, Guatemala, and Jamaica.
List of Level 4 countries
- North Korea
- Burkina Faso
- Yemen
- Iran
- South Sudan
- Syria
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Afghanistan
- Lebanon
- Central African Republic
- Belarus
- Iraq
- Ukraine
- Venezuela
- Haiti
- Libya
- Somalia
- Russia
- Burma
- Mali
- Sudan
Canada cuts travel to the US
Canada recently cut down travel to the US amid the Trump administration tensions over the trade war, in addition to the president’s comments about acquiring Canada as the 51st state.
According to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Canadian travelers went down by 12.5 percent in February and 18 percent in March.
