Is Europe safe given the new travel alert?

My husband and I are booked for a 12 night Mediterranean cruise for the last week of July. Most of our ports are in Greece but we do have stops in Croatia and Turkey (begins in Rome, ends in Venice). Now that the U.S. State Dept. has issued a travel warning for all of Europe, our friends no longer want to go with us. I'm seeking opinions on the safety of cruising to this region in light of the recent attacks and the travel warning. Does anyone plan to cancel their trip? Any suggestions as to why we shouldn't cancel ours as well?

We depart April 18 on the Oosterdam. No plans to cancel. Can't wait to go. You just need to travel smart. We are doing all private tours. No large group tours and we won't use any public transportation. If you don't go they win.

First it is an alert, not a warning which is a higher level of concern.

We will be in Europe in May (including both France and Belgium).

All of this is a personal decision but I would not change travel plans.

And as noted, it is an alert.

Keith

My husband and I are booked for a 12 night Mediterranean cruise for the last week of July. Most of our ports are in Greece but we do have stops in Croatia and Turkey (begins in Rome, ends in Venice). Now that the U.S. State Dept. has issued a travel warning for all of Europe, our friends no longer want to go with us. I'm seeking opinions on the safety of cruising to this region in light of the recent attacks and the travel warning. Does anyone plan to cancel their trip? Any suggestions as to why we shouldn't cancel ours as well?

Personally I, and many other people, still think Europe is a lot safer than the US. Why give way to a few random terrorists - cancelling your cruise is just letting them win. You won't find Europeans cancelling.

Thanks for the feedback!

I was on the MSC Splendida that suffered the terrorism attack in Tunisia. By luck our tour left late and we missed the Bardo tragedy. The next day the captain held an open meeting with all passengers in the theater. It was heart wrenching to see and hear some of the families that lost loved ones.

I have not ceased cruising after Tunisia, but I do assess the situation in the ports of call before booking; and the overall response of the cruise industry to terrorism. I was thinking about returning to Europe this year, but I'm waiting a few months to see how this all plays out before deciding to book.

12 night Med/Venice cruise in 99 days and I have zero plans to cancel.

A) I have always believed that when it is your time it is your time no matter what. All those people you see after something like a plane crash who are all "I was supposed to be on the plane, but..."? If it was their time, something else would have happened - car crash, heart attack, etc. If my time happens to be during this trip, at least it will be doing something I'm excited about and love doing.

B) Their whole intent is to disrupt our lives and make us change our plans. If we start canceling, they win.

C) As others have stated, it is an ALERT. NOT a warning and definitely not a travel ban.

I live in NYC and am on the subways daily. I'm far more concerned about the huge increase in the random slashings and stabbings that have been going on (or something happening in Times Square or to the subways while I'm on them) than I am about something happening while I'm on my trip. Though understand even this concern has NOT changed anything about my schedule - I'm more aware of people on the subway (and not afraid to change cars or even fake getting off (get off, start up the stairs - particularly if I know the station has a manned booth in it - and wait for the next train) if necessary) and the streets as I walk, but I'm not changing anything about how I live my daily life.

My husband and I are booked for a 12 night Mediterranean cruise for the last week of July. Most of our ports are in Greece but we do have stops in Croatia and Turkey (begins in Rome, ends in Venice). Now that the U.S. State Dept. has issued a travel warning for all of Europe, our friends no longer want to go with us. I'm seeking opinions on the safety of cruising to this region in light of the recent attacks and the travel warning. Does anyone plan to cancel their trip? Any suggestions as to why we shouldn't cancel ours as well?

Issuing a travel warning for the whole of Europe is just scaremongering. [EDIT: just noticed later posts: It's an alert]

FWIW, we're off to Southern Portugal on Monday, for a land-based holiday, and it never crossed our minds to reconsider. Actually, should I go into my local big British city on Saturday?

Of course, Turkish cities are likely targets. So are some of the biggest cities in Europe. But there are huge swathes where the risk is minimal.

And, to be brutal, while perhaps 40 people in Europe were killed by terrorists last week, probably ten times that number died in road accidents, and 750 million people either survived the week or died of natural causes.

Caution is necessary; scaremongering isn't. I detect officials trying to protect their own backs so that if something happens, they can say, "we warned you."

Please don't boycott Europe.

Stuart

I don't need an alert to keep me out of Turkey. The bombings were enough for me. Anywhere else I wouldn't worry.

When people say to be "careful" or "vigilant," what specifically do they mean to say? If one sees a person dressed in a bulky parka in 90 degree weather looking nervous on the metro clutching a religious book and muttering prayers, get off. But what else are people saying? Avoid airline check in counters?

The State Department's alert suggests we are to consider to "avoid crowded places" in Europe. That is not usual. There is considerable pressure from the travel industry not to do these things, and the State Department is mindful of the significant economic consequences these actions have. So why do they do it? Part of it is butt covering I imagine. But they are not imagining things. They have some information.

I have no quarrel with opinions that the risks are worth taking, or that modifying behavior gives in to the criminals who do these things, or that compare the risks to other risks that living in modern society entails. These are valid points of view. To me personally, though, the real question is this. Would you make the same decision if you had the information the authorities have but cannot or will not give us because it would impair investigations? All we can do is speculate what it might be, but that is the question people must have a comfort level about. One can call it merely an "alert" but a suggestion of avoiding crowded places in Europe in the Spring is not taken lightly. And the advice on the internet that it is enough to be careful is, respectfully, borderline nonsense if it comes from non experts in the field. As is the Internet sentiment I have seen lately saying, well, at least we know Brussels is really safe now. Call me a fear monger if you must, but that is nonsense. Unless you are in the field, you simply do not know what you don't know. Each must make a person decision, and this alert ups the ante.

As for me, we leave for Europe in June, so I have the benefit of waiting to see if there is more guidance. I do not know what I would do were I to leave tomorrow.

When people say to be "careful" or "vigilant," what specifically do they mean to say? If one sees a person dressed in a bulky parka in 90 degree weather looking nervous on the metro clutching a religious book and muttering prayers, get off. But what else are people saying? Avoid airline check in counters?

 

T

I think there are a number of "learnings" that come out of each situation that intelligent travelers can use to try to decrease their risk of being injured or killed in a terrorist attack.

For example:

1) Always check any sources of information available to you -- state department warnings, any items issued by the local embassy, local news, and travel websites. For example, apparently news sources in Turkey (and some locals on Istanbul travel boards) were advising to avoid certain areas in a very specific time period in Istanbul right before the bombing occurred there.

2) Avoid large crowds. This tends to go against the grain for some -- the herd instinct urges us to stay in a large group for safety. But I think in these situations it is much better to go in a small group with a local guide (or on your own if you are comfortable), and to try as much as one can, not to draw attention to oneself as a tourist. For me, I often sightsee on my own; I try to look nondescript, dress appropriately, and I do not speak unless I have to so that people won't realize I am American.

3) From the Brussels tragedy and the information that has been reported afterwards, we can learn that -- in places such as airport or train terminals (pre-screening) or similar -- one should pay attention to things. Put away the cell phone and be alert to anything out of the ordinary. Don't linger in non-secured areas. Do advance check-in if possible; travel with only a carry-on to avoid waiting in a line to drop off luggage.

In general, having good "situational awareness" is important. People who live in big cities tend to be better at this (so they say), but it can be learned. Much good information is available online. One good description of some techniques to practice: http://www.itstactical.com/intellicom/mindset/3-effective-techniques-to-train-your-situational-awareness-and-recognize-change/

People have different risk tolerances. For me, I am still quite comfortable with travel to most places; my "off limits" list is generally only countries with specific travel warnings or bans (e.g., active war zones or almost complete chaos -- think Syria or Libya).

I'm not one to repeat the somewhat trite "If you change your plans, then the terrorists win." One should be reasonable. On the other hand, I cannot imagine living my life in fear of doing what I love and enjoy, i.e., traveling to historic places.

It comforts me to know that there is an extremely low risk of being involved in any terrorist activity while I'm traveling, as long as I avoid the "off limits" category of places named above.

It seems to me that these State Department "alerts" are issued a bit perfunctorily these days, as though they are afraid of being accused of something later on if even one American winds up in a bad situation.

Real time information about a planned bombing is not going to make it through the layers of bureaucracy and onto the web site in time to be helpful to most travelers so generalities are the best they can do. The best we can do individually was outlined well by Cruisemom.

While I know that the odds are infinitesimally small that I would be involved in a terrorist action it's still there in the back of my mind; being vigilant about my surroundings is really the only proactive thing I can do.

We leave two weeks from today and have absolutely no plans to change anything on our schedule. Since we missed our Israel stops on our fall cruise to do an over abundance of caution on Celebrity's part, I'm sure the ship will be tuned into any warnings that may pop up during our 16 night cruise. We will be spending time in both Rome and London, just gotta go for it.

Thank-you to all of you who post experienced rational perspectives for our considerations. I read all these 'travel concern' postings and amazed at the collective wisdom and viewpoints that help so many in their decision making.

One tool I found helpful is the US State Department App for smart phones: Smart Traveler. Not only is it easier to sign up for the STEP program via the app ( I now have two accounts [emoji15]) but it highlights 'WARNINGS' ( eastern Turkey, Syria, Libya etc ) vs ALERTS ( Europe etc) BIG difference. and a good filter to media hype.

Also helpful on the app that I never noticed on the website: a color coded map showing alert levels, similar to Homeland Security and other governmental indications of threat levels. Southern and Eastern Europe ( Spain, Italy, Greece) is relatively low in threat level compared to current hotspots; and some, such as Portugal and Bosnia are grey, which I interpreted as low threat. ( did not zoom in to view legend on my tiny phone screen!)

As has been shared, good information is important to help ascertain risk.

And thank-you, CruiseMom42 for the link on how to be vigilant while traveling. Helpful for my first visit to Europe in over 40 years coming up in 38 days!

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An op-ed in the NYTimes which I suggest reading:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/opinion/sunday/je-suis-sick-of-this.html

An op-ed in the NYTimes which I suggest reading:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/opinion/sunday/je-suis-sick-of-this.html

Very interesting. Thanks for posting. Je suis sick of this, too. Uncle!

An op-ed in the NYTimes which I suggest reading:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/opinion/sunday/je-suis-sick-of-this.html

As she points out herself, she is an unusually nervous resident of France. Most people in Europe are far less concerned. There seems to be quite a lot of "I'm scared, other people aren't, there must be something wrong with them" about the article.

13,000 Americans were killed in the USA by guns in 2015. You are safer in Europe.

I don't agree with that article that Europeans have changed. Everybody is going about their business as usual. We are not all frightened o leave our houses and hiding under the table shKing like jelly.

Obviously, security has been stepped up, but we don't have guards on every street corner. There well may be in Brussels at the moment, but that will diminish. We are used to bag checks to enter theatres etc.

London has been on extreme alert for a couple of years now, but we are not avoiding cinemas, football matches, museums etc. That would just be silly and we would end up neurotics.

Spain and Greece are also on high alert along with France, but there are plenty of people booking their holidays there. Hotel prices in Spain this summer have rocketed because Europeans are booking to go there instead of Tunisia or Egypt, yet it has a very high possibility of attacks.

Apart from the couple of islands near to Turkey where the immigrants arrive, Greece is also popular again this year. Again a country on high alert.

Google the statistics, USA is much more dangerous than any European country.

This is scary considering we are going to be spending lots of time in train stations and airports throughout Europe in three weeks time, however this does not change our plans. We will be aware of our surroundings, but ultimately what happens is out of our control.

. One tool I found helpful is the US State Department App for smart phones: Smart Traveler. Not only is it easier to sign up for the STEP program via the app ( I now have two accounts [emoji15]) but it highlights 'WARNINGS' ( eastern Turkey, Syria, Libya etc ) vs ALERTS ( Europe etc) BIG difference. and a good filter to media hype.

Thanks for letting us know about the app. I looked for the app in the App Store but didn't find it. I will look at the travel.state.gov website next.

I signed up for STEP when we traveled to Honduras, who was also under a travel warning. Deciding that the prudent thing to do was to register "just in case". It is an easy way to be on the radar in the event of an emergency. I also copied the contact information for the consulate into my phone. And I keep the phone number (+1 202-501-4444 from outside the US) for reporting a lost or stolen passport in our phones.

Let's hope that everyone on these boards experiences safe and enjoyable adventures in the coming months. I, personally, am looking forward to reading many more cruise reviews. And then writing my own in September.

I can't decide if it is more dangerous to be in Europe now that in the past few years, or if it is actually less dangerous since everyone is now on alert for anything suspicious.

In any case I'm heading out on my transatlantic cruise on Saturday, spending a few days in Rome at the end of the cruise, and not planning anything different than I was before the Brussels attacks. I'm always vigilant in a big city, so I don't think even my level of caution/vigilance will change this time.

Not sure if I agree with the often-repeated "if you don't go on your trip, you let the bad guys win." To me it isn't about denying the bad guys some kind of mental victory. It's more that WE will lose out on an experience that can enrich our lives immensely if we don't go on our planned vacations.

That said I've made sure my sons know my itinerary, hotel and flight information, signed up for the STEP program, and activated international calling on my cell phone just in case I need to use it. None of which I did on previous trips. So I guess I am acting differently due to the terror attacks.

I'm not overly worried. I head out in May. That being said, I am doing a few different things than I would of such as booking a private transfer from the Rome port to Rome and not taking the train. I will be in 7 different airports so that has me a bit worried. I personally would never cancel though. It's such a beautiful world that one should see. That being said, if u feel overly worried u may not enjoy yourself. You have to listen to your own feelings. We are all built different.

My 2 college kids just returned from Europe.....

Sophomore kid was on a school trip to Kraków and the center for learning at auschwitz for her class on the holocaust and was in Poland the week of the attacks in Brussels.....no issues at all...her flight left Europe and arrived home as scheduled and actually arrived home 10 minutes early....no issues in Kraków city touring nor at the Berlin or Kraków airport during the layover

Senior kid was with friends of various ethnicities and they rented apartments in Berlin and Amsterdam. They took cabs the metro and the train with no issues at all. No issues in either city and as all have been abroad before and knew what to expect....all reported back that they felt no differences and we're glad they went as 1 kid did back out. They were all back on campus when the Brussels attacks happened

As they are all top students and well aware of ongoing problems....they mapped out their days and confirmed privates cabs as they knew they would Need them a few times especially for their 6 am ride to the train station

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