Is It Safe to Go There? — NBC New York

Are you planning a trip abroad? Do you wonder if your destination is safe?

The US Department of State issues travel advisory levels for more than 200 countries — continuously updating them.

Drug trafficking, crime, terrorist threats and civil uprisings are some of the factors behind the travel advisory levels given to the countries on the list.

With the recent deaths of a 9-year-old New York City boy who was shot and killed less than an hour after arriving in the Dominican Republic for a spring break family trip and the discovery of a missing man from Indiana who was found dead in a clandestine burial pit in Mexico after a traffic accident led to his alleged murder being just some of the recent headlines that have caused pause for some people to travel abroad.

However, the safest way to travel, is to be aware ahead of time of where one is going and the precautions one should take.

US travel advisories are issued at four levels: exercise normal precautions, exercise increased caution, consider travel, and do not travel.

As of Tuesday, May 9, there are 18 countries that have issued a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory by the State Department. Level 4 is the highest level in the advisory system due to the likelihood that travelers may encounter life-threatening risks.

“This is the highest advisory level due to greater likelihood of life-threatening risks. During an emergency, the US government may have very limited ability to provide assistance. The Department of State advises that US citizens not travel to the country or to leave as soon as it is safe to do so. The Department of State provides additional advice for travelers in these areas in the Travel Advisory. Conditions in any country may change at any time,” according to the State Department.

The countries under the Level 4 advisory (and the dates when there listings were updated) are:

Sudan Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	April 22, 2023
Belarus Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	April 12, 2023
Burma (Myanmar) Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	February 27, 2023
Russia Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	February 13, 2023
Iran Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	January 26, 2023
Mali Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	January 18, 2023
Venezuela Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	January 12, 2023
Iraq Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	January 3, 2023
Somalia Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	December 1, 2022
Haiti Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	December 1, 2022
Ukraine Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	October 20, 2022
Afghanistan Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	October 20, 2022
Yemen Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	October 5, 2022
Syrian Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	October 5, 2022
South Sudan Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	October 5, 2022
North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	October 5, 2022
Libyan Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	October 5, 2022
Central African Republic Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	October 4, 2022
Burkina Faso Travel Advisory	Level 4: Do Not Travel	October 4, 2022

Meanwhile, 29 other countries are at Level 3: Reconsider Travel. This level, according to the State Department, encourages travelers to avoid certain places due to safety and security risks.

When it comes to this level, the State Department says: “Avoid travel due to serious risks to safety and security. The Department of State provides additional advice for travelers in these areas in the Travel Advisory. Conditions in any country may change at any time .”

The countries under a Level 3: Reconsider Travel advisory (and the dates when their listings were updated) are:

Papua New Guinea Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	April 11, 2023
China Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	March 10, 2023
Ethiopia Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	March 9, 2023
El Salvador Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	March 6, 2023
Honduras Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	March 1, 2023
Guatemala Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	March 1, 2023
Burundi Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	February 13, 2023
Pakistan Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	February 8, 2023
Lebanese Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	February 1, 2023
Nigerian Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	January 20, 2023
Uganda Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	January 18, 2023
Colombia Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	January 4, 2023
Nicaragua Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	December 5, 2022
Trinidad and Tobago Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	November 8, 2022
Tuvalu Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	October 5, 2022
Saudi Arabia Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	October 5, 2022
Niger Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	October 5, 2022
Mauritania Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	October 5, 2022
Marshall Islands Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	October 5, 2022
Kiribati Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	October 5, 2022
Jamaica Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	October 5, 2022
Hong Kong Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	October 5, 2022
Guyana Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	October 5, 2022
Guinea-Bissau Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	October 5, 2022
Egypt Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	October 5, 2022
Democratic Republic of the Congo Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	October 4, 2022
Cote d’Ivoire Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	October 4, 2022
Chad Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	October 4, 2022
Macau Travel Advisory	Level 3: Considering Travel	April 18, 2022

The rest of the countries on the list are at a Level 2 and Level 1.

According to the State Department, a country with a Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution advisory warns travelers to be aware of their surroundings and also to be aware that conditions could change at any time.

“Be aware of heightened risks to safety and security. The Department of State provides additional advice for travelers in these areas in the Travel Advisory. Conditions in any country may change at any time,” the description for Level 2 reads.

Meanwhile, places with a Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions advisory have the lowest advisory level when it comes to security risk.

“This is the lowest advisory level for safety and security risk. There is some risk in any international travel. Conditions in other countries may differ from those in the United States and may change at any time, the State Department’s website says when it comes to Level 1.

However, there are two countries on the list, as of Tuesday, that have a travel advisory that is out of the ordinary: Israel, the West Bank and Gaza as well as Mexico. These two countries have an “Other” advisory level and were given that level within the past year in October and March.

In the instance of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, its travel advisory reads, that there are terrorist groups, lone-wolf terrorists and other extremists plotting possible attacks, with some areas having more risk than others.

The State Department warns travelers not to travel to “Gaza due to terrorism, civil unrest, and armed conflict.” It also warns travelers to “exercise increased caution when traveling to: Israel due to terrorism and civil unrest” as well as “West Bank due to terrorism and civil unrest.”

Mexico’s travel advisory warns of “violent crime — such as homicide kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery,” which according to the State Department is both widespread and common in the country.

Mexico’s warning is broken down specifically by region, as follows, as outlined by the US State Department:

Do Not Travel To:

Consider Travel To:

Exercise Increased Caution When Traveling To:

Exercise Normal Precautions When Traveling To:

For additional information the countries listed, or those in Level 1 or 2, visit the US Department of State’s website, or click here.