Warnings continue to disrupt travel, cancel plans of many

The State Department today advised Americans not to travel to Yemen and said those in the country should consider leaving today as warnings continue to disrupt travel world-wide.

“The security threat level in Yemen is extremely high due to terrorist activities and civil unrest. Piracy in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean is also a security threat to maritime activities in the region.” the Department of State said in today’s travel warning.

A Sunday incident where suspected al-Qaida ambushed and killed four Yemeni soldiers distributing food to other troops in a remote, mountainous region of Yemen is blamed for the warning.

Travel organizations are modifying vacation plans of clients booked everywhere from Bahrain to Mexico. Yesterday, Costa Cruises dropped Bahrain from the itinerary of its two ships operating cruises from Dubai as European governments implemented travel advisories against Bahrain. Several cruise lines also have dropped Matzatlan Mexico from itineraries based in part on similar security warnings.

The U.S. Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel to Egypt as the U.S. Embassy in Cairo remains on ordered departure status, with only emergency personnel remaining. All family members and non-emergency personnel have evacuated. Last week they warned U.S. citizens of the risk of travel to Mali, and continued to recommend against travel to the north of the country due to the kidnapping threats against Westerners.

Last month Gadling reported a travel warning addressing the ongoing struggle in Libya, advising Americans to steer clear of the country, and especially of “gatherings” there. The Wall Street Journal reported at the time:

“‘U.S. citizens in Libya should minimize overall travel in-country, exercise extreme caution when traveling, and limit all travel after dark,’ the US said in a travel advisory. It said demonstrations, violence and looting were all possible over the next several days, and urged US citizens to stay away from any gatherings.

‘Even peaceful ones can quickly become unruly and a foreigner could become a target of harassment, or worse,’ according to the State Department advisory.”

Today, negotiations between senior British officials and senior opposition leaders continued in an effort to free eight British special forces troops detained in eastern Libya reports CNN. Keep up with all current travel warnings at the U.S. Department of State website.

Flickr photo by Al@ce

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State Department issues Libya travel warning – read more about this forbidden destination


As the unrest in the Middle East continues, the US Department of State has issued a Libya travel warning, advising Americans to steer clear of the country, and especially of “gatherings” there. The Wall Street Journal reports:

“‘U.S. citizens in Libya should minimize overall travel in-country, exercise extreme caution when traveling, and limit all travel after dark,’ the US said in a travel advisory. It said demonstrations, violence and looting were all possible over the next several days, and urged US citizens to stay away from any gatherings.

‘Even peaceful ones can quickly become unruly and a foreigner could become a target of harassment, or worse,’ according to the State Department advisory.”

I know I’m not the only one who will have no trouble staying out of Libya in the near future. Confession time: I had never considered going there. So, why do people travel to Libya? Gadling’s Tom Johansmeyer posted about a package deal there back in August 2010 (An easy way to get to Libya), with quotes about its “archaeological riches” and “a sense of discovery in a land virtually unknown to the modern world.” Libya also reportedly has 1250 miles of coastline “teeming with underwater wrecks, ruins and Nazi gold,” making it a highly-prized scuba diving destination (see: Diving in Libya). Furthermore, it’s a popular cruise ship port for the British and Italians (see: Will Libya Again Open to US Cruise Passengers?).

In case you or any of your friends were already in-the-know about the secret wonders of Libya, Americans in Libya are being urged to contact the embassy in Tripoli with the following contact details:

  • +218 (0)21-337-3250
  • After business hours: 091-220-5207
  • LibyaEmergencyUSC@state.gov

[Source: WSJ]

[Photo by anniemullinsuk via Flickr.]