Things to Do if There is a Travel Advisory Raised While You are Inside that Country
Travel advisories are usually raised when there are recent events or looming situations that could endanger the people within the country. Different countries offer varied travel advisories. Some use codes to determine the level of danger. The worst one is where people are required to evacuate as soon as possible.
If you are within the country that had a travel warning raised by your home country or other major countries, what should you do?
Assess the level of danger in your area
Some countries offer a general warning that covers the entire country when in fact, the danger is only within a specific area. You do not need to panic under that situation. If you think it will not get worse any time soon, you can arrange a regular flight out of that area, but do not worry if you can’t get the fastest one out. However, if it could get worse within the next few hours, you need to find a way out, even only to another country which is safe. From there, you can arrange a flight back home.
Seek shelter
When the advisory is due to a war that is going on, you need to immediately seek shelter. Stay out of the hotel where you are staying if you do not think you will be safe there. Find your embassy or consulate and ask for immediate help. In dire circumstances, embassies will help protect their citizens and allow immediate repatriation. If flights are not available, they will help find a safe land route where you can quickly get out. In worst conditions, you will remain in the embassy as they are usually protected by international policies.
Tell your family about what is going on
Make sure that you provide your family with updates. Let them know what is going on. If something wrong happens to you, they will at least know where your last location was. They can seek help from the government to find you within that area. You can tell them if you are with someone or you sought help from your embassy or any other organization.
Do not continue with your scheduled activities
Things have changed since the last time that you organized the trip. You cannot continue what you already scheduled. Even if you think that things are still okay, they could quickly escalate. Make sure that your priority is how to get out of the situation alive. Besides, the problem will eventually be over and you can always come back once the advisory is gone.
Remain calm under these situations and try your best to think of the next best move. Avoid raising your concerns to inappropriate individuals. Do not take sides. Make sure you do not vent your anger against parties involved. Keep quiet and speak only to people you can trust. You may also contact your travel insurance company if there is a way for you to contact them to ask for advice on what you need to do.
Photo Attribution:
1st and featured image from https://caribbeannewsservice.com/now/us-embassy-issues-travel-advisory-for-barbados/
2nd image from https://www.dubai-news.today/thousands-of-thais-seek-shelter-as-first-tropical-storm-in-decades-nears-coast/
