The difference between a Travel Alert, Travel Advisory and Traveller Warning
In the context of the world that I live in and move around work wise, it’s pretty simple. When I read a Travel Alert by the State Dept. I interpret that that is a location that was not on their radar for being a prior risk and now recently in the last couple weeks has seen some sort of crime uptick, more than your usual arbitrary crime that any city would experience. Arbitrary crime being car thefts, muggings, robberies, etc…
A travel warning is when somebody is telling you that if go to City X the chances that you will run into arbitrary crime are high, how high?
Level 1= Exercise normal precautions
Level 2= Exercised increased precautions
Level 3= Reconsider travel
Level 4= Do not travel
These level are laid out under the State Dept. banner of Travel Advisory.
I don’t see the terms travel warning or travel alert anymore on the states website, probably because it left to much for interpretation and people were justifying going to places they should have never traveled to. I think that’s a good call by the state dept. to just say what the intel is pointing to, you can’t deny or dilute the facts in some of these places around the world.
BLUF: If you look western, or don’t look western but exude western behavior, or light complected, you might be a target for just being you. Stay aware, don’t get complacent and treat every place you travel to as a level 2. It could mean the difference. There are going to be times that you slip back to level 1 but that’s ok. Keep level 2 nearby.
BLUF: Bottom line up front!