A Travel Warning Was Just Reissued for This Popular International Destination

With international travel in full bloom post-pandemic and lots of people on the move (to the point of, at times, creating overtourism issues), it is important to read up about your destination before you actually get there. A simple Google search can go a long way, especially when it comes to government-issued travel advisories.

Among these, the US government recently reissued a travel advisory concerning Macau as well as Mainland China and Hong Kong due to “new national security legislation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.” According to the advisory, travelers run the risk of wrongful detentions, among other things, due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws. Currently, the advisory is at level 3, meaning travelers are encouraged to “reconsider travel” in those areas.

This is not, however, the only active advisory right now. While it might not seem like it, at any given time, many countries worldwide have warnings in place for American travelers. To help you navigate international travel more seamlessly and to provide you with a better understanding of how the different types of advisory may impact your travel, we have put together a handy guide of the countries that the US State Department issued new (or updated) travel advisories for March and April. This guide will be regularly updated as more advisories are issued.

Each advisory in the list below is categorized under a different degree, highlighting the level of danger assessed by the department. Level 1 is the lowest degree and suggests you “exercise normal precautions.” Level 2 warns travelers to “exercise increased precautions.” Levels 3 and 4 are the highest levels, and they respectively tell travelers to “reconsider travel” and “do not travel.”

For more information and to see a complete list of active travel advisories for Americans, you can visit the Department of State’s website. To stay updated on travel advisories that might impact your next international trip, you can also register with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).

Read on for more details on the new travel advisories for Americans as of the last two months:

Authorities are encouraging travelers to exercise normal precautions in the Kyrgyz Republic. 

However, visitors should reconsider travel to the border region with Tajikistan, as it has increased risk. 

Travelers should exercise increased caution when traveling to Moldova due to “unresolved conflict between the breakaway region of Transnistria and the central government.” 

Additionally, they should reconsider travel to the Transnistria breakaway region due to “the unresolved conflict with the central government and the armed conflict in neighboring Ukraine.”

When traveling to Rwanda, visitors should exercise normal precautions.

However, some areas have increased risk. Travelers should exercise increased caution in the Rwanda-Burundi border due to crime, and they should reconsider travel to the Rwanda-Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) border due to armed violence. 

According to the authorities, travelers should exercise increased caution when traveling to Equatorial Guinea. 

When traveling to Cote d’Ivoire, visitors should exercise increased caution. 

Authorities, however, placed a “do not travel” advisory to the northern border region due to terrorism. 

Travelers heading to Armenia should exercise increased caution. 

Some areas have increased risk, and travelers should avoid travel to the border region with Azerbaijan. 

Due to terrorism and armed conflict, citizens should avoid traveling to Gaza.

Due to terrorism and civil unrest, travelers should reconsider travel to Israel and the West Bank.

According to the authorities, travelers should reconsider travel to Mainland China due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.

Additionally, for the same reason, they should exercise increased caution when traveling to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Travelers should also reconsider travel to the Macau Special Administrative Region due to a limited ability to provide emergency consular services, and they should also exercise increased caution in the area due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws. 

The US government is encouraging travelers to exercise increased caution in Ecuador due to civil unrest, crime, and kidnapping. 

Additionally, the government placed a “do not travel” advisory for the following areas:

Travelers should reconsider travel to these areas instead:

Travelers should not travel to Iraq due to “terrorism, kidnapping, armed conflict, civil unrest, and Mission Iraq’s limited capacity to provide support to US citizens.”