Is It Safe to Travel There? Country by Country

How to Read a Country Verdict on Safe to Go

A country verdict on Safe to Go is the US State Department level, or Canada level mapped onto the same scale when the US publishes none. Our system draws from the US Department of State, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and the Government of Canada every day.

When the State Department rates a country, that guidance sets the primary verdict baseline. If the State Department does not issue guidance for a destination, such as Puerto Rico, our system maps the Canadian rating onto the same scale. You can read our detailed explanation in how we rate safety to see how these sources combine.

Advisories assess conditions for the average traveler rather than providing specific crime statistics. Our directory ranks countries by baseline score, followed by the severity of British warnings, and finally the Canadian advisory level.

• Yes indicates an advisory to exercise normal precautions.
• Generally yes indicates an instruction to exercise increased caution.
• Caution indicates an advisory to reconsider travel plans.

Why National Guidance Can Mislead Visitors

National advisory labels can give an incomplete picture because severe warnings often apply to specific provinces rather than entire countries.

Canada regularly flags countries that maintain separate regional advisories alongside their national score. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office does not publish numbered tiers. It names the areas it advises against all travel to, or against all but essential travel to. Our city guides help break these boundaries down further by combining national levels with quoted regional warning text.

What to Do When Governments Disagree on Travel Risk

When government agencies publish conflicting advice for the same destination, evaluate the strictest advisory before completing your trip arrangements. One country may advise normal routines while another instructs its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to that exact territory.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office notes that travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against FCDO advice. Checking our tool to compare destinations helps you review differing assessments side by side before purchasing tickets.

Eight Country Guides to Start With

Each guide below shows the national verdict and the regional warnings for one country.

Start with these guides across Latin America, the Caribbean and North Africa:

• Is Mexico safe?
• Is Costa Rica safe?
• Is Belize safe?
• Is Guatemala safe?
• Is Jamaica safe?
• Is Dominican Republic safe?
• Is Panama safe?
• Is Morocco safe?

How Often Government Advisories Change

Safe to Go pulls the official feeds from all three countries every day so a change shows up here within a day of publication.

If an automated government feed encounters a technical failure on any given day, our system keeps and marks the previous day’s data so the reference panel never goes blank. When an official level changes after an article was written, the guide displays a notice alerting readers until the analysis text can be rewritten. Travelers can monitor the latest advisory changes to see recent revisions across every country in our directory.

United States citizens preparing for international departure can register their itinerary with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive alerts and be reachable by the embassy.