What does a Worldwide Travel Alert Mean?

Courtesy O'Hare International FB page

The U.S. State Department recently issued a worldwide travel alert until February 24th, 2016.

“Current information suggests that ISIL (aka Da’esh), al-Qa’ida, Boko Haram, and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions.  These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics, using conventional and non-conventional weapons and targeting both official and private interests,” the State Department says.


But what does this mean for you?

Simply put, you won’t notice much of a change. It’ll be business as usual for most. Why?

First of all the State Department has nothing to do with the TSA. Can they work together? Sure. And they probably already are. But the TSA is an agency within the Department of Homeland Security. The State Department is currently being run by Secretary of State John Kerry. 

Second, the way the TSA operates, which I’ve written about before, isn’t very effective. They’ll probably step up precautions on their end by doing more bag screenings, or asking passengers more questions, but that’s more of a show than anything (as is explained in the above link).

As for what you should do, I think you should pay attention to the news. Read up on what’s going on at your destination. And don’t be paranoid, just use common sense.

Bottom line

Flying is still one of the safest modes of transportation out there, if not the safest. The deadliest year in the aviation industry (from 1908-2014) was 1972. 3,329 people died that year. That was the worst year on record. Just for comparisons sake, about 3,200 people are killed in car crashes every day! So, yeah, flying is safe. And it’ll stay that way. Terrorists be damned!

​
You may also like:
-Why the TSA Pretty Much Sucks at Security
-Top Instagram Accounts for Travelers to Follow
-How to Avoid Getting Sick When you Travel