More than 90 million Americans travel abroad each year, with popular destinations including Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, and France. The U.S. State Department issues travel advisories to inform travelers of potential security concerns, ranging from crime rates to healthcare issues. These advisories are rated from Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) to Level 4 (Do Not Travel).
Several countries, such as Mexico, have areas deemed unsafe, while others are entirely marked as unsafe. Prominent reasons for these advisories include crime and terrorism risks. Countries like North Korea and Afghanistan are traditionally known for these threats, but more recent warnings have emerged for places such as Haiti, once a favored travel destination, now facing significant gang violence.
The State Department has assigned a Level 4: Do Not Travel alert to various countries due to various issues including unrest, crime, health risks, and threats from terrorism. Here are some of the countries currently under this alert:
- Afghanistan (Issued Jan. 13, 2025)
- Belarus (Issued Dec. 29, 2025)
- Burkina Faso (Issued April 16, 2026)
- Burma (Myanmar) (Issued May 12, 2025)
- Central African Republic (Issued Jan. 15, 2026)
- Gaza (Issued July 13, 2025)
- Haiti (Issued July 15, 2025)
- Iran (Issued Dec. 5, 2025)
- Iraq (Issued July 17, 2025)
- Lebanon (Issued July 17, 2025)
- Libya (Issued July 16, 2025)
- Mali (Issued Jan. 9, 2026)
- Niger (Issued Jan. 29, 2026)
- North Korea (Issued April 29, 2025)
- Russia (Issued Dec. 29, 2025)
- Somalia (Issued April 14, 2025)
- South Sudan (Issued Nov. 13, 2025)
- Sudan (Issued Oct. 15, 2025)
- Syria (Issued Dec. 11, 2025)
- Ukraine (Issued Nov. 14, 2024)
- Venezuela (Issued Dec. 3, 2025)
- Yemen (Issued Dec. 19, 2024)
It is crucial for potential travelers to monitor the situation in these areas and heed the advice of the State Department for their safety.