INFORMATION FOR TRAVELERS

SAFE TRAVEL ARTICLES FOR US CITIZENS ABROAD

September 2008

The Consular Affairs/Office of Policy Coordination (CA/P) compiles news articles chosen for their general interest to Americans who travel. The articles address safe travel, are informative and memorable, and appeal to wide audience.  Although State is not the author of these articles, CA/P believes the information in these types of articles are useful and informative.  

Tips to avoid being victimized on vacation. “No one knows better than the police which tricks criminals are using to prey on unsuspecting tourists.” http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/traveltips/06/24/security.tips/index.html

12 lessons learned from a life on the road. “Rule No. 1: Travel is no fun. Really. If you think it's all about smiling stewardesses attending to your every whim, friendly hotels offering fawning service, and romantic sunsets on the beach, it's time for a reality check.” http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/traveltips/12/21/12.lessons/index.html

Add blank pages to your passport to be on the safe side. “Question: My adult son, traveling with his wife and child, was recently refused permission to board a flight from England to South Africa because he had only one blank page in his passport. How do you know which country wants more than one blank page?” http://articles.latimes.com/2008/mar/09/travel/tr-spot9

Arrested abroad: A rare glimpse of trips gone wrong. “If getting arrested is your measure of trouble, the answer is Mexico. More specifically, it's Tijuana, followed by Guadalajara, Nuevo Laredo and, across the Atlantic, London.” http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB121193252276024279.html

The worst tourists in the world. “I read with interest a recent study by the Trans-Global Association for Travel and Tourism Commerce, which rated the behavior of tourists from all the world's industrialized countries. Consistently ranking last in the study — bottoming out in categories ranging from airline etiquette to podiatric hygiene — were travelers from Great Britain. ‘This settles it,’ a TATTC spokesperson was quoted as saying. ‘The British are the worst tourists in the world.’” http://travel.news.yahoo.com/b/rolf_potts/20061009/rolf_potts/rolf_potts10387

Passport rule helps collect child support. “The new passport requirements that have complicated life this summer for thousands of travelers have also uncovered untold numbers of child support scofflaws and forced them to pay millions.” http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/15/us/15passport.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1213297350-LI08jHQ6qBHL3mfqIE7LpA

Foreign roads can be deadly for U.S. travelers. “Motor vehicle crashes — not crime or terrorism — are the No. 1 killer of healthy Americans in foreign countries. And the threat to travelers is poised to increase dramatically as worldwide economic growth gives more people access to motor vehicles.” http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2007-08-13-tourist-deaths_n.htm?loc=interstitialskip

Taking the kids: What to know before your child flies alone. “How the Sims kids ended up fending for themselves in Salt Lake City is an object lesson for anyone putting kids, especially teens, on flights alone this summer -- and we're talking about hundreds of thousands of children winging their way between divorced parents, to camps, adventure trips and more -- when there are unprecedented delays, missed connections and canceled flights derailing even seasoned travelers.” http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/traveltips/08/08/flying.alone/index.html

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