March advisories heading into a busy travel season

The 2024 travel season is upon us and there’s a lot of anticipation around a busy Spring Break season and more to come. Heading into April, the United States Department of State has issued several travel advisories throughout March that should be noted as more destinations pop up on the “must-visit” list.

The Kyrgyz Republic was updated on March 8. As violence around the border region continues to escalate, the area around Tajikistan has become more unsafe to visit. The advisory calls for travelers to do such things as keep travel documents on hand, review the crime and safety report, visit the CDC page for the latest travel health information, and much more.

Rwanda is included on this list thanks to increased violence along the Rwanda-Burundi border. Armed violence has continued to spread between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and that border has reached a level 3 travel advisory to completely reconsider heading to that area. This advisory was issued on March 29, as the situation has continued to escalate in recent weeks.

Moldova is now at a Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. This is due to the unresolved conflict between the region of Transnistria and the Moldovan government. Transnistria is now at a Level 3 advisory level and the department asks travelers to reconsider going due to the increased hostilities. This advisory was updated on March 14.

A travel advisory for Ecuador was issued on March 8. This is a Level 2 advisory calling for travelers to Exercise Increased Caution. This mandate was issued thanks to an increase in civil unrest, crime, and kidnapping. In some areas, U.S. embassy and consulate personnel are not allowed to travel. The advisory calls to completely avoid areas like Guayaquil, Huaquillas, Arenillas, Quevedo, and many others. The rate of violent crime is high throughout Ecuador but is especially high in areas where criminal organizations are located.

There are dangers that come with traveling everywhere, so it is important to know the steps to take to best protect yourself. Practicing caution and awareness when going anywhere are good steps to help keep you safe.