As officials warn of increased security threats, major airlines and cruise lines are changing their itineraries and offering refunds or rebooking possibilities.
Because of the Israel-Hamas conflict, the State Department recommended Americans to "exercise increased caution" around the world last Thursday, noting "the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests."
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The notice "means exactly what it says," according to Jeffrey Price, an aviation security specialist and professor of aviation and aerospace science at Metropolitan State University of Denver. "Don't go to areas where they are actively capturing or killing U.S. citizens, and be careful when going to countries where you could be put in harm's way simply by being there."
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But what about visits to Barcelona, Singapore, or even Baton Rouge? Given the Middle East situation, here are some things to think about if you have travel plans or are making them now.
General safety precautions
In addition to advising US travellers to reconsider visiting Israel and the West Bank and to avoid travelling to Gaza, federal officials advise keeping extremely vigilant in popular tourist destinations across the world.
They recommend following State Department accounts on social media for updates and enrolling in the Smart Traveller Enrollment Programme to help the agency communicate with American travellers abroad in the event of an emergency.
Because of violence and other risk considerations, the State Department has issued varying levels of alert for several nations, but "worldwide caution" advisories are less typical. The latest one was issued in August 2022, following the death of a high-level Al Qaeda leader by a US drone strike.
According to Howard Stoffer, a professor of international affairs at the University of New Haven and a former senior official in the State Department's Foreign Service, last week's global alert was "one of the most urgent issued in light of the extremely high tensions throughout the Middle East."
"This type of alert usually lasts for a relatively short period of time," he said, but the present one "may last for some time."
