:: Traveling Abroad ::  

“We are live to you from Beirut tonight for the next two hours,” the news anchor said with urgency in his voice. “As this new day begins, Israeli drones are circling overhead. We heard an explosion here about 20 minutes ago, as day 10 of this conflict gets under way. And something else happened on day nine that hasn't happened here since 1982 - U.S. Marines came ashore.”  

This week, regardless of what news station you prefer to watch, the steady reports from the Middle East were eerily similar.  On Wednesday, we watched as an eight-deck cruise liner carrying over one thousand Americans sailed out of Beirut's port, the first mass U.S. evacuation from Lebanon since Israeli air strikes started nearly two weeks ago.  On Thursday, U.S. Marines landed on the shores of Beirut, for the first time in 24 years, to help U.S. citizens get out of Lebanon.  Today, more cruise ships and naval vessels return to port to evacuate Americans.  

For many Americans at home and elsewhere abroad, the quickly-escalating turmoil in the Middle East has highlighted the dangers of traveling abroad in a world where the stability of an entire region can change virtually overnight.   

While traveling outside the United States can be a once-in-a-lifetime way to celebrate an anniversary, an opportunity to visit with family abroad, a unique educational experience, or a necessary business venture, it should also be cause for preparation. Our office receives calls regularly to help constituents who are traveling abroad. Often, this involves assisting with getting a passport. But we also get calls from those who are out of the country and suddenly find themselves in a difficult situation. The U.S. Department of State cautions us to take the following ten steps when traveling outside the United States:  

1. Make sure you have a signed, valid passport and visas, if required. Before you go, fill in the emergency information page of your passport. Some countries require that your passport be valid at least 6 months beyond the dates of your trip. Check with the nearest embassy or consulate of the countries you plan to visit to find out their entry and visa requirements.

2. Read the Consular Information Sheets and Travel Warnings available at http://travel.state.gov for the countries you plan to visit.  Consular Information Sheets include information such as location of the U.S. embassy or consulate, unusual immigration practices, health conditions, minor political disturbances, unusual currency and entry regulations, crime and security information, and drug penalties.  Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel to a certain country.

3. Familiarize yourself with local laws and customs of the countries to which you are traveling. Remember, the U.S. Constitution will not protect you in a foreign county. While in a foreign country, you are subject to its laws.

4. Make two copies of your passport identification page. This will facilitate replacement if your passport is lost or stolen. Leave one copy at home with friends or relatives. Carry the other with you in a separate place from your passport.

5. Leave a copy of your itinerary with family or friends at home so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency.

6. Do not leave your luggage unattended in public areas. Do not accept packages from strangers.

7. Prior to your departure, register with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate through the State Department’s travel registration website. Registration will make your presence and whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you in an emergency. In accordance with the Privacy Act, information on your welfare and whereabouts may not be released without your express authorization.

8. To avoid being a target of crime, try not to wear conspicuous clothing and expensive jewelry and do not carry excessive amounts of money or unnecessary credit cards.

9. In order to avoid violating local laws, deal only with authorized agents when you exchange money or purchase art or antiques.

10. Travel with a listing of phone numbers and email addresses for the local U.S. embassy or consulate.  If you are a victim of a crime, experience a medical emergency or death, are arrested for a crime, contact the embassy or consulate as soon as possible.   

For more information on traveling abroad, please visit http://travel.state.gov.