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What the US travel advisory levels mean

You've seen "Level 2" next to a city and wondered if that's a warning sign. Here's what each level means and how I use them in the search.

Research review By , Founder and Writer · Updated

The US State Department rates every country on a scale of 1 to 4. The number is its overall advice for American travelers, based on things like crime, unrest, terrorism, health risks and natural disasters. A lower number means fewer warnings. It doesn't mean nothing can go wrong, and a higher number doesn't mean every town is dangerous.

The four levels

  • Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions. The lowest level. Use the same common sense you would anywhere: watch your bag, know where you are at night.
  • Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. There are some added risks to know about. Plenty of the places Americans retire to sit here, including Mexico, Spain, Panama, Ecuador and the Philippines right now. Read the advisory so you know what the risks are and where.
  • Level 3: Reconsider Travel. The State Department sees serious risks. People still live in these countries, but you should read the full advisory carefully and think hard about where in the country you'd go.
  • Level 4: Do Not Travel. The highest level. The risks to life are greater, and the US government may be able to do very little to help you there. Right now, none of the cities on this site are in a Level 4 country.

Part of a country can carry a higher level

This is the part most people miss. The number you see is for the country as a whole, but many advisories add stronger warnings for certain areas, often a border region or a few provinces. Thailand is Level 1 overall, for example, yet its advisory asks for extra caution near the Cambodian border and in three southern provinces. Mexico's advisory goes state by state.

So when a city you like is in a Level 2 or Level 3 country, open the full advisory and check whether that city or region is named. Every advisory badge in the search links straight to the State Department page for that country.

  • The badge on each city shows the country's current overall level. I pull it from the State Department's own advisory feed and refresh it every few hours, so it changes when they change it.
  • The US travel advisory filter hides countries above the level you pick. "Level 2 or lower" keeps Level 1 and Level 2 countries and drops the rest.
  • The filter goes by the country level only. It can't see the regional warnings, so always read the advisory for the place you're actually considering.

Before you go

  • Read the full advisory for the country, not just the number. Advisories are updated whenever conditions change, so check again before you book and before you leave.
  • Sign up for the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). It's free, it sends you alerts for the country you're in, and it helps the embassy reach you in an emergency.
  • If you buy travel or health insurance, ask how it treats higher advisory levels. Some policies limit coverage in certain places.

You can find every country's current advisory on the State Department's travel advisories page. When you're ready, head back to the city search.