Volunteer travel, often referred to as “voluntourism,” combines the adventure of exploring new places with the fulfillment of giving back to communities in need. This unique approach to travel allows participants to engage deeply with local cultures while contributing to sustainable development projects. As an expert in travel, this article outlines various volunteer travel opportunities and…
Traveling opens up a world of experiences, offering insights into diverse cultures, breathtaking landscapes, and unforgettable adventures. However, as our global awareness of environmental issues deepens, it becomes crucial for travelers to adopt more sustainable practices. As an expert in travel, I’ll guide you through essential eco-friendly travel tips that not only minimize your environmental…
Adventure travel taps into the spirit of excitement and discovery, pushing the boundaries of conventional tourism and offering experiences that challenge and captivate. As an expert in the world of travel, this article aims to guide you through some of the most exhilarating adventure travel destinations across the globe. Whether you are seeking to scale towering peaks, explore underwater wonders…
Embarking on a journey alone can be one of the most rewarding experiences for a traveler. Solo travel offers a unique opportunity for self-discovery, freedom, and the unparalleled joy of exploring the world at your own pace. Drawing on extensive travel expertise, this article is designed to guide you through enhancing your solo travel experiences, ensuring each trip is not only a journey across…
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Enlarge / A view from a hospital as children receiving medical treatment, in capital Kabul, Afghanistan on April 18, 2022. More than 130 children have died from the measles in Afghanistan since the beginning of this year. (credit: Getty | Sayed Khodaiberdi Sadat)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Medical Association sent out separate but similar pleas on Monday for unvaccinated Americans to get vaccinated against the extremely contagious measles virus as vaccination rates have slipped, cases are rising globally and nationally, and the spring-break travel period is beginning.
In the first 12 weeks of 2024, US measles cases have already matched and likely exceeded the case total for all of 2023. According to the CDC, there were 58 measles cases reported from 17 states as of March 14. But media tallies indicate there have been more cases since then, with at least 60 cases now in total, according to CBS News. In 2023, there were 58 cases in 20 states.
"As evident from the confirmed measles cases reported in 17 states so far this year, when individuals are not immunized as a matter of personal preference or misinformation, they put themselves and others at risk of disease—including children too young to be vaccinated, cancer patients, and other immunocompromised people," AMA President Jesse Ehrenfeld said in a statement urging vaccination Monday.
Updated due to new national security legislation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Summary: Reconsider travel to Mainland China due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, including in relation to exit bans, and the risk of wrongful detentions.
Exercise increased caution when traveling to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.
Reconsider travel to the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) due to a limited ability to provide emergency consular services. Exercise increased caution when traveling to the Macau SAR due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.
See specific risks and conditions in each jurisdiction.
Reissued with obsolete COVID-19 page links removed.
Do not travel to Syria due to terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed conflict, and risk of unjust detention.
Country Summary: The U.S. Embassy in Damascus suspended its operations in February 2012. The Czech Republic serves as the protecting power for the United States in Syria. The U.S. government is unable to provide any emergency services to U.S. citizens in Syria.
Syria has experienced active armed conflict since 2011. No part of Syria is safe from violence. Kidnappings by armed groups, unjust arrests and/or detentions, the use of chemical warfare, shelling, and aerial bombardment of civilian centers pose significant risk of death or serious injury. The destruction of infrastructure, housing, medical facilities, schools, and power and water utilities has also increased hardships inside the country.
The U.S. government particularly warns private U.S. citizens against traveling to Syria to engage in armed conflict. U.S. citizens who undertake such activity face extreme personal risks, including kidnapping by armed groups, unjust arrests, injury, or death. The U.S. government does not support this activity. Our ability to provide consular assistance to individuals who are injured or kidnapped, or to the families of individuals who die in the conflict, is extremely limited.
Protests and demonstrations are quelled by government forces through aggressive tactics and protestors, activists, and political dissenters are routinely detained without access to legal representation or communications with friends and family.
Terrorist groups are active in Syria. Parts of Syria have experienced recent increases in incidents of bombings, IEDs, and assassinations. Fighting on behalf of or providing other forms of support to designated terrorist organizations, including ISIS and al-Qaeda affiliates, can constitute the provision of material support for terrorism, which is a crime under U.S. law that can result in penalties including prison time and large fines.
There is an ongoing risk of kidnapping and detentions of U.S. citizens and Westerners throughout the country. U.S. citizens remain a target. U.S. citizens are also targets of abduction and/or unjust detention by the Syrian government and while in detention do not have access to due process or medical attention. Government detention centers are known to be unsanitary facilities where widespread cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment of detainees has been documented, as well as torture and extrajudicial killings. Minors, persons with physical, sensory, or mental disabilities, and elderly have frequently been victims of unjust detention. The Syrian government has also been implicated in the enforced or involuntary disappearance of more than 100,000 citizens, including medical and humanitarian workers, journalists, human rights activists, political opposition, and additionally those suspected of affiliation with these groups and their family members. Note: Only the Syrian government can issue a valid entry visa to Syria. Failure to obtain a legitimate entry visa directly from the Syrian government could result in detention.
Due to risks to civil aviation operating within or in the vicinity of Syria, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) and/or a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR), which says that heightened military activity associated with the Syrian conflict may result in the risk of GPS interference, communications jamming, and errant long-range surface to air missiles straying into adjacent airspace within 200 nautical miles of the Damascus Flight Information Region. These activities may inadvertently pose hazards to civil aviation transiting the region. It also has the potential to spill over into the adjacent airspace managed by neighboring states and eastern portions of the Mediterranean Sea.
Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Syria.
If you decide to travel to Syria:
Reissued with obsolete COVID-19 page links removed.
Do not travel to North Korea due to the continuing serious risk of arrest and long-term detention of U.S. nationals. Exercise increased caution to North Korea due to the critical threat of wrongful detention.
The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in North Korea as it does not have diplomatic or consular relations with North Korea. Sweden serves as the protecting power for the United States in North Korea, providing limited emergency services. The North Korean government routinely delays or denies Swedish officials access to detained U.S. citizens.
Due to risks to civil aviation operating within or in the vicinity of North Korea, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) and/or a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR). For more information U.S. citizens should consult the Federal Aviation Administration’s Prohibitions, Restrictions and Notices.
Read the country information page for additional information on travel to North Korea.
If you receive a special validation to travel to North Korea:
Reissued with obsolete COVID-19 page links removed.
Reconsider travel to Chad due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory.
Do Not Travel to:
Country Summary: Violent crimes, such as armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, and muggings, have occurred in Chad.
Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting foreigners, local security forces, and civilians.
Demonstrations occur sporadically and have on occasion resulted in violence or use of tear gas by authorities. The U.S. Government has extremely limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Chad as U.S. Government employees must obtain special authorization to travel outside of the capital.
Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Chad.
If you decide to travel to Chad:
Lake Chad Region – Do Not Travel
Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting foreigners, local security forces, and civilians. Terrorists can easily cross borders. Government security forces may restrict civilian movement and engage in military operations with limited warning.
The U.S. Government has extremely limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Chad, particularly in the Lake Chad Basin.
Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.
Central African Republic, Libya, and Sudan Borders – Do Not Travel
Armed non-governmental groups operate along Chad’s southern border with Central African Republic, Sudan, and in Libya and northern Chad.
There are unmapped and undocumented minefields along the borders with both Libya and Sudan.
The U.S. Government has extremely limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Chad, particularly in border areas with Central African Republic, Libya and Sudan.
Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.
Updated to include information on Civil Unrest, Armed Conflict, Wrongful Detention, Arbitrary Enforcement of Local Laws, Land Mines and Unexploded Ordnance, and the “If You Decide to Travel to Burma” section.
Do not travel to Burma due to civil unrest, armed conflict, and arbitrary enforcement of local laws. Reconsider travel to Burma due to limited and/or inadequate healthcare and emergency medical resources, and areas with land mines and unexploded ordnances. Exercise increased caution due to wrongful detentions.
COUNTRY SUMMARY: The Burma military regime detained and deposed elected government officials in a February 2021 coup d'état. Protests and demonstrations against military rule continue, often on significant dates. The military has responded to these protests by arbitrarily arresting individuals and with the indiscriminate use of deadly force against protesters and bystanders.
The Department of State has determined that the risk of wrongful detention of U.S. nationals by the military regime exists.
The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services in Burma as U.S. government employees must obtain special authorization to travel outside of Rangoon. Dependents under the age of 21 cannot accompany U.S. government employees who work in Burma.
Civil unrest and armed conflict occur throughout Burma. The level of civil unrest and armed conflict varies significantly between and within states and regions and may change at any time.
Civil unrest and armed violence due to fighting between the military regime and various ethnic groups and militia occur in parts of Chin, Kachin, Kayin, Rakhine, and Shan States, as well as in Sagaing, and Magway regions.
Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are used in the ongoing armed conflicts, including in the Yangon urban area. From January to July 2023, the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon confirmed an average of fourteen IEDs per month detonated against regime targets in the Yangon urban area, while an average of nine unexploded IEDs were discovered and safely disposed of per month. IEDs used in Yangon urban area tend to be designed for smaller impacts against specific targets. Outside of Yangon, IED attacks against checkpoints and other critical infrastructure have been designed for larger impact.
While land mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) exist throughout Burma, the greatest concerns are in the areas of Shan, Chin, and Kachin. The locations of landmines and UXO are often not marked or otherwise unidentifiable.
The military regime arbitrarily enforces local laws, including carrying out random and wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens without due process. U.S. citizens traveling or residing in Burma may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their alleged crime.
U.S. citizens and other foreign nationals are not exempt from prolonged interrogations and extended detention without due process of law. Local law enforcement officials may detain and/or deport U.S. citizens for speaking out or protesting against the military regime, including on their personal social media accounts, and for sending private electronic messages critical of the military regime. Facebook and Twitter are banned in Myanmar; police have sought bribes from individuals using a VPN to access social media sites even though VPNs are not officially illegal.
Burma has limited and/or inadequate healthcare and emergency medical resources due to critical staffing shortages in the public sector health workforce. Importation of medical supplies, including medicine, into Burma is not consistent and medical prescriptions and over-the-counter medicine may not be available.
Read the Safety and Security section on the country information page.
If you decide to travel to Burma:
Updated after periodic review to provide information on the risk of arrest due to social media use and the importation of prohibited items.
Reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia due to the threat of missile and drone attacks. Exercise increased caution in Saudi Arabia due to terrorism, the risk of arrest based on social media activity, and importation of prohibited items. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory.
Do not travel to the following locations due to the threat of missile and drone attacks and terrorism:
Country Summary: U.S. government personnel under Chief of Mission responsibility must adhere to the above travel restrictions. As such, the U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in these locations.
Missile and drone attacks perpetrated by Iran and Iran-supported militant groups have occurred as recently as September 2023. The Islamic Republic of Iran has in the past supplied Yemen-based Houthis and regional proxy groups with weapons to conduct destructive and sometimes lethal attacks using drones, missiles, and rockets against a variety of Saudi sites, including critical infrastructure, civilian airports, military bases, and energy facilities throughout the country, as well as vessels in Red Sea shipping lanes. Past attacks were aimed at targets throughout Saudi Arabia including Riyadh, Jeddah, Dhahran, Jizan, Khamis Mushayt, the civilian airport in Abha, Al Kharj, military installations in the south, as well as oil and gas facilities.
Debris from intercepted drones and missiles has also represented a significant risk to civilian areas and populations in the recent past. Militant groups have threatened to conduct attacks against locations in Saudi Arabia. U.S. citizens living and working near military bases and critical civilian infrastructure, particularly near the border with Yemen, are at heightened risk if missile, drone, or rocket attacks reoccur.
Terrorism continues to be a concern in Saudi Arabia. Attacks can occur with little or no warning. Past attacks have targeted tourist locations, large gatherings, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities. Terrorists are also known to time attacks around major holidays and/or in response to military operations. Terrorists have targeted both Saudi and international interests, mosques and other religious sites (both Sunni and Shia), and places frequented by U.S. citizens.
Be advised that social media commentary – including past comments – which Saudi authorities may deem critical, offensive, or disruptive to public order, could lead to arrest. This may include posting, re-posting, or liking comments about Saudi institutions, policies, and public life. U.S. citizens have been convicted for social media activity under Saudi laws concerning cybercrime, terrorism, and disrupting public order. Punishment for social media activity has included prison sentences of up to 45 years in some cases. Saudi courts do not necessarily consider the timeframe of the posts or the location from which they were made to be material to these cases.
The importation of drugs (including marijuana), drug paraphernalia, alcohol, weapons, pork, or any materials that could be considered pornographic or suggestive, is prohibited. Penalties for drug possession, consumption, and trafficking are severe by U.S. standards. An extensive list of banned items is available on our Saudi Arabia country information page.
Due to risks to civil aviation operating within the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman region, including Saudi Arabia, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an advisory Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM). For more information U.S. citizens should consult the Federal Aviation Administration’s Prohibitions, Restrictions and Notices.
Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Saudi Arabia.
If you decide to travel to Saudi Arabia:
Yemen Border, Abha airport, and Qatif in the Eastern Province and its suburbs, including Awamiyah – Level 4: Do Not Travel
Militants in Yemen have attacked Saudi border towns and other sites in Saudi Arabia with armed drones, missiles, and rockets. Civilians that are near the border with Yemen are especially at risk. Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Saudi Arabia, including in Qatif.
The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens within 50 miles of the Saudi-Yemen border as U.S. government personnel and their families are restricted from travel to this area.
Visit our website for information on travel to high-risk areas
Reissued with updates to the security situation and post departure status.
Do not travel to Sudan due to armed conflict, civil unrest, crime, terrorism, and kidnapping.
On April 22, 2023, the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum suspended its operations, and the Department of State ordered the departure of U.S. direct hire employees and eligible family members from Embassy Khartoum due to the continued threat of armed conflict in Sudan. The U.S. government cannot provide routine or emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Sudan, due to the current security situation.
Armed conflict is ongoing throughout Sudan and includes heavy fighting between various political and security groups. The situation is violent, volatile, and extremely unpredictable, particularly in the capital city Khartoum. Electrical and communication disruptions, including internet and cell phone service, can occur at any time. Khartoum International Airport and Sudan’s border with Chad are currently closed.
Country Summary: Armed conflict, crime, such as kidnapping, armed robbery, home invasion, and carjacking occur.
Members of known terrorist groups and individuals sympathetic to these groups in Sudan could attack with little or no warning, targeting foreign and local government facilities, and areas frequented by Westerners.
Violence continues along the border between Chad and Sudan and areas that border South Sudan (including the disputed Abyei area). Armed opposition groups are active in Central Darfur state and parts of Blue Nile and South Kordofan states. Intercommunal clashes can occur throughout the country and can result in the declaration of localized States of Emergency.
Read the country information page for additional information about travel to Sudan.
If you decide to travel to Sudan:
Reissued with obsolete COVID-19 page links removed.
Reconsider travel to Guinea-Bissau due to civil unrest. Exercise increased caution due to crime.
Country Summary: The country has experienced intermittent political instability for decades. Demonstrations occur frequently, and some have escalated into violence.
Crime is fairly prevalent in Guinea-Bissau. Aggressive vendors, panhandlers, and occasionally criminals target foreigners at the Bissau airport and other crowded areas, especially Bandim Market in the center of the capital. Local police lack the resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens because there is no U.S. Embassy in Guinea-Bissau.
Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Guinea-Bissau.
If you decide to travel to Guinea-Bissau:
Last Update: Reissued with updates to crime and health information
Reconsider travel to Jamaica due to crime and medical services. U.S. government personnel under Chief of Mission (COM) security responsibility are prohibited from traveling to many areas due to increased risk. Please read the entire Travel Advisory.
Country Summary: Violent crimes, such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and homicides, are common. Sexual assaults occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts.
Local police often do not respond effectively to serious criminal incidents. When arrests are made, cases are infrequently prosecuted to a conclusive sentence. Families of U.S. citizens killed in accidents or homicides frequently wait a year or more for final death certificates to be issued by Jamaican authorities. The homicide rate reported by the Government of Jamaica has for several years been among the highest in the Western Hemisphere. U.S. government personnel under COM security responsibility are prohibited from traveling to the areas listed below, from using public buses, and from driving outside of prescribed areas of Kingston at night.
Emergency services and hospital care vary throughout the island, and response times and quality of care may vary from U.S. standards. Public hospitals are under-resourced and cannot always provide high level or specialized care. Private hospitals require payment up front before admitting patients and may not have the ability to provide specialized care. Ambulance services are not always readily available, especially in rural areas, and are not always staffed by trained personnel.
We strongly encourage you to obtain traveler’s insurance, including medical evacuation insurance, before traveling to Jamaica. The Department of State does not pay medical bills.
Be aware that U.S. Medicare/Medicaid does not apply overseas. Most hospitals and doctors overseas do not accept U.S. health insurance. U.S. citizens with medical emergencies can face bills in the tens of thousands of dollars, with air ambulance service to the United States in the range of $30,000-50,000. Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Jamaica.
If you decide to travel to Jamaica:
Violence and shootings occur regularly in many neighborhoods, communities, and parishes in Jamaica.
U.S. government personnel under COM security responsibility are prohibited from traveling to the following areas of Jamaica due to crime:
St. Ann’s Parish—Do Not Travel - Steer Town and the Buckfield neighborhood near Ocho Rios
St. Catherine’s Parish—Do Not Travel
All of Clarendon Parish—Do Not Travel
All of Clarendon Parish, except passing through Clarendon Parish using the T1 and A2 highways.
St. Elizabeth’s Parish—Do Not Travel
Vineyard District Community, between the communities of Salt Spring and Burnt Savanna, St. Elizabeth
Hanover Parish—Do Not Travel
Logwood and Orange Bay
St. James Parish/Montego Bay—Do Not Travel
All of Montego Bay on the inland side of the A1 highway and The Queen’s Drive from San San to Harmony Beach Park
Kingston and St. Andrew Parish—Do Not Travel
Manchester Parish—Do Not Travel
Green Vale, Gray Ground, Red Ground, and Vineyard neighborhoods of Mandeville
St. Thomas Parish—Do Not Travel
Trelawny Parish—Do Not Travel
Westmoreland Parish—Do Not Travel
If you do decide to travel to the above-listed Do Not Travel areas, please visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.
Updated with information on risk of wrongful detention
Do not travel to Afghanistan due to terrorism, risk of wrongful detention, kidnapping and crime.
Country Summary: In 2021, the Taliban took over Afghanistan and announced an “interim government” based in the capital, Kabul. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has suspended operations, and the U.S. government is not able to provide any emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Afghanistan.
U.S. citizens should not travel to Afghanistan for any reason.
Multiple terrorist groups are active in country and U.S. citizens are targets of kidnapping and wrongful detentions. The Department has assessed that there is a risk of wrongful detention of U.S. citizens by the Taliban. The Taliban have harassed and detained aid and humanitarian workers. The activities of foreigners may be viewed with suspicion, and reasons for detention may be unclear. Even if you are registered with the appropriate authorities to conduct business, the risk of detention is high.
The Taliban do not regularly permit the United States to conduct welfare checks on U.S. citizens in detention, including by phone. Detention can be lengthy and while in detention, U.S. citizens have limited or no access to medical attention and may be subject to physical abuse.
U.S. citizens in Afghanistan in need of routine consular services can contact any U.S. embassy or consulate outside of Afghanistan for assistance, although our ability to assist U.S. citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited. To locate the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate outside of Afghanistan, click here.
U.S. citizens who are in Afghanistan are urged to depart immediately via commercial means if possible. U.S. citizens who are seeking U.S. government assistance to depart should email complete biographic details and contact information (email and phone number), as well as U.S. passport number, to AfghanistanACS@state.gov.
The Department of State will continue to provide information via the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), Embassy Kabul’s web page, Travel.State.Gov, Facebook, and Twitter/X.
If you choose to disregard the Travel Advisory and travel to Afghanistan:
Reissued with obsolete COVID-19 page links removed.
Reconsider travel to Guatemala due to crime. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory.
Do not travel to:
Country Summary: Violent crime such as extortion, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, narcotics trafficking and gang activity are common in Guatemala. Local police may lack the resources to respond effectively to criminal incidents resulting in a low arrest and conviction rate. Guatemala’s National Tourist Assistance Program (PROATUR) provides 24-hour emergency assistance and routine guidance to tourists. PROATUR also provide additional security in locations frequented by tourists. The call center is staffed with Spanish and English speakers and can be reached 24/7 by calling 1500 or +502-2290-2800.
U.S. government personnel and family members are prohibited from traveling to/throughout the above-mentioned areas for personal travel but are permitted to travel throughout the rest of Guatemala, including tourist destinations such as Tikal, Antigua, Lake Atitlán, and Pacific coast areas in the Santa Rosa and Escuintla Departments.
Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Guatemala.
If you decide to travel to Guatemala:
San Marcos Department – Level 4: Do Not Travel
All U.S. government personnel and family members are prohibited from traveling to San Marcos Department for personal travel, except for the city of San Marcos. Narcotics trafficking is widespread, and large portions of the department are under the influence of drug trafficking organizations. Several municipalities lack police presence, and local police may lack the resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents. Avoid areas outside of major roads and highways. Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.
Huehuetenango Department – Level 4: Do Not Travel
All U.S. government personnel and family members are prohibited from traveling to Huehuetenango Department for personal travel, except for the city of Huehuetenango. Narcotics trafficking is widespread, and large portions of the department are under the influence of drug trafficking organizations. Several municipalities lack police presence, and local police may lack the resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents. Avoid areas outside of major roads and highways.
Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.
Zone 18 and Villa Nueva within the Guatemala Department – Level 4: Do Not Travel
U.S. government personnel and family members are free to travel within Guatemala City except for zone 18 and the municipality of Villa Nueva. The following zones in Guatemala City are of elevated concern due to crime: 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 17, 19, 21, and 24. U.S. citizens should take appropriate security measures when traveling to and from the airport such as only using vetted transportation services, not displaying valuables or other signs of wealth, refraining from using mobile devices in public, and not lingering outside the airport. U.S. citizens are advised not to hail white-car taxis on the street in Guatemala City. Use radio-dispatched taxis (Taxi Amarillo), INGUAT-approved taxis from the “SAFE” stand at the airport, hotel taxis, vetted private drivers, or Uber.
Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.
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