When travelling abroad register with the Embassy!
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 12:53 pm
We all love to travel. But in this day and age this also means taking on certain risks.
Believe me when I say that I hate the concept of "Big Brother" and want to think that I can come and go on this planet as I please and with impunity.
BUT the realites of politics and power in this world always get in the way.
Now more than ever it is important that US citizens notify the State Department when they travel abroad and register with the US Embassy in the country of their destination.
It only takes a few minutes to do on-line and hopefully you won't ever have an issue that requires help from your Embassy. But you just never know.
You could suffer a major health issue; be in an accident; a natural disaster could occur; legal issues; or even civil and political unrest could impact your travels negatively. And quite frankly any of these things could happen ANYWHERE.
The hard working foreign service officers are there to help you and protect you as a US citizen. But, as my friend who is a Foreign Service officer currently serving in Africa said, "We can't help you if we don't know where you are."
They need to know that you are there so that they can communicate with you when there is a problem and even evacuate you if necessary.
On recent trips to Italy and the Czech Republic (not exactly hotbeds of civil or political unrest!) we registered with the Emabssy. It was quick and easy and it provided some peace of mind.
Please check out this page on the State Department web site and make it part of your trip pre-planning efforts.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/reg ... _1186.html
Happy and Safe Travels!
Believe me when I say that I hate the concept of "Big Brother" and want to think that I can come and go on this planet as I please and with impunity.
BUT the realites of politics and power in this world always get in the way.
Now more than ever it is important that US citizens notify the State Department when they travel abroad and register with the US Embassy in the country of their destination.
It only takes a few minutes to do on-line and hopefully you won't ever have an issue that requires help from your Embassy. But you just never know.
You could suffer a major health issue; be in an accident; a natural disaster could occur; legal issues; or even civil and political unrest could impact your travels negatively. And quite frankly any of these things could happen ANYWHERE.
The hard working foreign service officers are there to help you and protect you as a US citizen. But, as my friend who is a Foreign Service officer currently serving in Africa said, "We can't help you if we don't know where you are."
They need to know that you are there so that they can communicate with you when there is a problem and even evacuate you if necessary.
On recent trips to Italy and the Czech Republic (not exactly hotbeds of civil or political unrest!) we registered with the Emabssy. It was quick and easy and it provided some peace of mind.
Please check out this page on the State Department web site and make it part of your trip pre-planning efforts.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/reg ... _1186.html
Happy and Safe Travels!