As many Americans prepare for spring break, questions have surfaced around the safety of traveling to the Dominican Republic – amid a search for a missing U.S. student – and other Caribbean tourist destinations, including the Turks and Caicos Islands.
One consideration for travelers is the U.S. State Department’s warnings. The federal agency issues a travel advisory, ranging from Level 1 to Level 4, for every country.
The levels indicate how much caution the department recommends travelers have if they choose to visit another nation.
Level 1 advises travelers to exercise normal precautions, as there is some risk in all international travel. Level 2 recommends increased caution over some “heightened risks to safety and security.” Level 3 suggests Americans reconsider traveling to that country due to “serious risks to safety and security,” and Level 4 advises everyone against traveling to that location.
The State Department weighs several factors when issuing advisories, including crime levels, terrorism threats, civil unrest, health concerns and the possibility of a natural disaster.
Countries can also have multiple level advisories if some areas pose more of a risk than others. The warnings are reviewed and updated regularly by the State Department.
The map below shows the advisories by country. Hover over a country to see what level advisory it has and search for a specific nation in the table.
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