State Department Updates Worldwide Travel Warning Before July 4th
Impacting Travel	Monica Poling July 02, 2018
PHOTO: Statue of Liberty in New York City. (photo via roman_slavik/iStock/Getty Images Plus)
Just in time for the July 4th holiday, a time which many experts predict will be the busiest travel period in history, the United States Department of State has updated its Worldwide Caution announcement.
"As terrorist attacks, political violence (including demonstrations), criminal activities, and other security incidents often take place without any warning, U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance and practice good situational awareness when traveling abroad," read the updated statement, which replaces the previous alert issued on January 11.
The alert also reminds Americans that "fighting on behalf of, or providing other forms of support to, designated terrorist organizations can constitute the provision of material support for terrorism, which is a serious crime that can result in penalties, including prison time and large fines."
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The language in the new alert does not mention July 4th by name, nor does mention any specific reason for the update. In fact, the text between the updated and original alerts is fairly similar, although the new text does broaden the scope of the warning, including language about criminal activities, and other security incidents.
According to internet archive The Wayback Machine, the January 11 text read:
"As terrorist attacks, political upheaval, and violence often take place without any warning, U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness when traveling."
The new alert also appears to clean up language that became outdated when the State Department adopted its new security alert system in January.
Often called the "Worldwide Travel Warning," the Worldwide Caution is supplemental to individual travel advisories the department has created for every nation in the world.
While the individual advisories offer travel recommendations based on each nation's individual outlook—ranging from one (Exercise normal precautions) to four (Do not travel)—the Worldwide Caution reminds travelers to exercise caution where ever they choose to travel but has no affiliated number ranking.
The State Department recommends all international travelers enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), which will allow them to receive security messages when abroad, and also make it easier to find them in case of an emergency should occur.
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