A Safe Trip Abroad

Foreword

When you travel abroad, the odds are in your favor that you will have a safe and incident-free trip.  Travelers are, however, sometimes victimized by crime and violence, or experience unexpected difficulties.  No one is better able to tell you this than the U.S. consular officers who work in more than 250 U.S.  embassies and consulates around the globe.  Every day of the year, U.S.  embassies and consulates receive calls from American citizens in distress.

Happily, most problems can be solved over the telephone or by a visit to the Consular Section of the nearest U.S.  embassy or consulate.  There are other occasions, however, when U.S. consular officers are called upon to help U.S. citizens who are in foreign hospitals or prisons, or to assist the families of U.S. citizens who have passed away overseas.  

We have prepared the following travel tips to help you avoid serious difficulties during your overseas travel.  We wish you a safe and wonderful journey!

Before You Go

What to Take

Safety begins when you pack.  To help avoid becoming a target, do not dress so as to mark yourself as an affluent tourist.  Expensive-looking jewelry, for instance, can draw the wrong attention.   

Always try to travel light.  You can move more quickly and will be more likely to have a free hand.  You will also be less tired and less likely to set your luggage down, leaving it unattended.

Carry the minimum number of valuables, and plan places to conceal them.  Your passport, cash and credit cards are most secure when locked in a hotel safe.  When you have to carry them on your person, you may wish to put them in various places rather than all in one wallet or pouch.  Avoid handbags, fanny packs and outside pockets that are easy targets for thieves.  Inside pockets and a sturdy shoulder bag with the strap worn across your chest are somewhat safer.  One of the safest places to carry valuables is in a pouch or money belt worn under your clothing.

If you wear glasses, pack an extra pair.  Bring them and any medicines you need in your carry-on luggage.

To avoid problems when passing through customs, keep medicines in their original, labeled containers.  Bring copies of your prescriptions and the generic names for the drugs.  If a medication is unusual or contains narcotics, carry a letter from your doctor attesting to your need to take the drug.  If you have any doubt about the legality of carrying a certain drug into a country, consult the embassy or consulate of that country before you travel.

Bring travelers checks and one or two major credit cards instead of cash.

Pack an extra set of passport photos along with a photocopy of your passport’s information page to make replacement of your passport easier in the event it is lost or stolen.

Put your name, address and telephone numbers inside and outside of each piece of luggage.  Use covered luggage tags to avoid casual observation of your identity or nationality.  If possible, lock your luggage.

Consider getting a telephone calling card.  It is a convenient way of keeping in touch.  If you have one, verify that you can use it from your overseas location(s).  Access numbers to U.S.  operators are published in many international newspapers.  Find out your access number before you go.

What to Leave Behind

Don't bring anything you would hate to lose.  Leave at home:

• valuable or expensive-looking jewelry
• irreplaceable family objects
• all unnecessary credit cards
• your Social Security card, library card, and similar items you may routinely carry in your wallet.

Leave a copy of your itinerary with family or friends at home in case they need to contact you in an emergency.

Make two photocopies of your passport identification page, airline tickets, driver's license and the credit cards that you plan to bring with you.  Leave one photocopy of this data with family or friends at home; pack the other in a place separate from where you carry the originals. 

Leave a copy of the serial numbers of your travelers' checks with a friend or relative at home.  Carry your copy with you in a separate place and, as you cash the checks, cross them off the list.

What to Learn About Before You Go

Security  The Department of State's Consular Information Sheets are available for every country of the world.  They describe entry requirements, currency regulations, unusual health conditions, the crime and security situation, political disturbances, areas of instability, and special information about driving and road conditions.  They also provide addresses and emergency telephone numbers for U.S.  embassies and consulates.  In general, Consular Information Sheets do not give advice.  Instead, they describe conditions so travelers can make informed decisions about their trips.

For some countries, however, the Department of State issues a Travel Warning in addition to a Consular Information Sheet.  The Travel Warning may recommend that Americans defer travel to that country because of a dangerous situation there.   

Public Announcements are a means to disseminate information about relatively short-term conditions posing significant risk to the security of American travelers.  They are issued when there is a perceived threat, even if it does not involve Americans as a particular target group.  In the past, Public Announcements have been issued to deal with coups, pre-election disturbances, violence by terrorists and anniversary dates of specific terrorist events.

You can access Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings and Public Announcements  24-hours a day in several ways.

Internet

The most convenient source of information about travel and consular services is the Consular Affairs home page.  The web site address is http://travel.state.gov .

Telephone

Overseas Citizens Services at 1-888-407-4747 can answer general inquiries on safety and security overseas.  This number is available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S.  federal holidays).  Callers who are unable to use toll-free numbers, such as those calling from overseas, can obtain information and assistance from OCS during these hours by calling 1-202-501-4444.

In Person

Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings and Public Announcements are available at any of the regional passport agencies and U.S.  embassies and consulates abroad.

Local Laws and Customs

When you leave the United States , you are subject to the laws of the country you are visiting.  Therefore, before you go, learn as much as you can about the local laws and customs of the places you plan to visit.  Good resources are your library, your travel agent, and the embassies, consulates or tourist bureaus of the countries you will visit.  In addition, keep track of what is being reported in the media about recent developments in those countries.

Things to Arrange Before You Go

Your Itinerary

As much as possible, plan to stay in larger hotels that have more elaborate security.  Safety experts recommend booking a room from the second to seventh floors above ground level – high enough to deter easy entry from outside, but low enough for fire equipment to reach.

When there is a choice of airport or airline, ask your travel agent about comparative safety records.

Legal Documents

Have your affairs in order at home.  If you leave a current will, insurance documents, and power of attorney with your family or a friend, you can feel secure about traveling and will be prepared for any emergency that may arise while you are away.  If you have minor children, consider making guardianship arrangements for them.

Register your travel

It is a good idea to register your travel with the State Department so that you may be contacted if need be, whether because of a family emergency in the U.S. , or because of a crisis in the area in which you are traveling. Travel registration is a free service provided by the State Department, and is easily accomplished online at https://travelregistration.state.gov.  (In accordance with the Privacy Act, the Department of State may not release information on your welfare or whereabouts to inquirers without your express written authorization.)

Credit

Make a note of the credit limit on each credit card that you bring, and avoid charging over that limit while traveling.  Americans have been arrested for innocently exceeding their credit limit.  Ask your credit card company how to report the loss of your card from abroad.  1-800 numbers do not work from abroad, but your company should have a number that you can call while you are overseas.