While it doesn't take a genius to work out that you probably wont be getting the most peaceful of holidays should you decide to travel to Iraq or Afghanistan, the fact that the UK, US and other countries have travel warnings against them doesn't necessarily mean that all travel warnings are as serious as this. In fact, the governments of the U.S., Canada or the U.K. have also released warnings about the following countries: Thailand, Mexico, China, India and the United States.
All of these are popular tourist destinations. But before you decide to avoid these countries altogether, it's worth taking a closer look at what a government's travel advisories actually mean, why they're released and how to evaluate them.
Firstly, governments issue warnings to let their citizens know about safety concerns that may affect travel to a particular country or region. They can be released for a variety of reasons, including terrorism, natural disasters, political unrest, wars, health emergencies and outbreaks of crime.
Warnings may also cover areas of the world where a government does not have the ability to respond to the problems of citizens traveling there; for example, if the government doesn't have an embassy in a particular country, or if the functioning of its embassy is threatened by local violence.
It is useful to know that a travel warning, no matter how strongly worded, cannot legally stop you from traveling to a particular place. After reading a warning, it is up to you to decide whether to heed or ignore the advice. While your government will try to help you if you run into trouble abroad, you will always be traveling at your own risk.
Many people travel anyway. This is perfectly acceptable; you just have to be prepared. The first step is to let people know where you are. Register yourself. Let your government know when and where you will be traveling so that you can be reached in an emergency. The next step is to get adequate insurance. If you are traveling to a hurricane prone area then you shouldn't be upset if all your luggage is drowned in swells.
Next step is to keep in constant contact. Make a point to stop at internet cafes, talk to people via phone. Make them aware of your routes, plans and general health. All the better should something untoward happen.
Finally, do your homework. Make sure that you are at least aware of the reasons for the travel warnings and what is the best response should something happen. Ultimately, look after yourself and keep an eye out.
