How to find out if you're heading into harm's way
You've scrimped and saved for years to visit Africa. And now， just weeks before your departure date， violence breaks out after the Kenyan elections. Should you take the risk of going or not？ Even travelers who think they're going to a safe place should stay alert-danger is not confined to faraway and exotic locales.
Here are ways to make an informed decision， keep yourself savings intact if the worst happens.
1.Find on-the-ground reports
Obviously the most effective way to really know what's happening is talking to people who are there. The key here is geography. Will trouble in Oaxaca affect your trip to Mexico City？ News reports don't always pinpoint your vacation spot.
Tourism bureaus can be useful. While it's in their interest to lure visitors， it's also in their interest to make sure tourists aren't traveling into harm's way. For more elaborated trips， such as a safari， do the research before you book.
2.check government warnings
The first source to try is travel.state.gov， the U.S. State Department's website. Travel alerts tell you about short-term problems. Travel warnings are for ongoing danger.
There are political ramifications for what amounts to blacklisting a country， so the government's not like without good reason.
The State Department suggests registering if you plan to stay in a country for more than a month； if you're going to a place experiencing civil unrest， an unstable disaster； and in a country where there are on U.S. consulate. In that case， register at one of those offices in an adjacent country.
Word
harm's way （n phr） a dangerous situation or place.
Scrimped and saved （idiom） to manage to live on very little money in order to pay for something
Ramifications （pl n） the possible results of an action
Blacklist （v） to place a country on a list of places that are considered by a particular group to be dangerous or unacceptable and should be avoided
Adjacent （adj） very near， next to or touching
You've scrimped and saved for years to visit Africa. And now， just weeks before your departure date， violence breaks out after the Kenyan elections. Should you take the risk of going or not？ Even travelers who think they're going to a safe place should stay alert-danger is not confined to faraway and exotic locales.
Here are ways to make an informed decision， keep yourself savings intact if the worst happens.
1.Find on-the-ground reports
Obviously the most effective way to really know what's happening is talking to people who are there. The key here is geography. Will trouble in Oaxaca affect your trip to Mexico City？ News reports don't always pinpoint your vacation spot.
Tourism bureaus can be useful. While it's in their interest to lure visitors， it's also in their interest to make sure tourists aren't traveling into harm's way. For more elaborated trips， such as a safari， do the research before you book.
2.check government warnings
The first source to try is travel.state.gov， the U.S. State Department's website. Travel alerts tell you about short-term problems. Travel warnings are for ongoing danger.
There are political ramifications for what amounts to blacklisting a country， so the government's not like without good reason.
The State Department suggests registering if you plan to stay in a country for more than a month； if you're going to a place experiencing civil unrest， an unstable disaster； and in a country where there are on U.S. consulate. In that case， register at one of those offices in an adjacent country.
Word
harm's way （n phr） a dangerous situation or place.
Scrimped and saved （idiom） to manage to live on very little money in order to pay for something
Ramifications （pl n） the possible results of an action
Blacklist （v） to place a country on a list of places that are considered by a particular group to be dangerous or unacceptable and should be avoided
Adjacent （adj） very near， next to or touching