Anyone else stressing about the Travel Alert to Europe?

[Travelling2Some]

Thank you everyone, we have decided to go and get travel insurance incase we need to cancel if something happens where we are going. Looking forward to seeing Europe for the first time!!

 

Glad to hear it. Go and enjoy! Anything can happen anywhere but the odds that you. personally. will be involved at that exact moment are minuscule. Live your life:)

[iancal]

Good. Go and enjoy it. We plan to do the same again this fall. Less crowds and prices will be lower.

[moniquet]

America is withdrawing families of diplomatic and military staff in Turkey.

[klfrodo]

Thank you everyone, we have decided to go and get travel insurance incase we need to cancel if something happens where we are going. Looking forward to seeing Europe for the first time!!

 

Insurance probably isn't going to help if just now buying.

The travel alert has already been posted.

That's like trying to buy home owners insurance while the fire trucks are outside putting out the fire.

 

What might help? Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR)

Even that may not be available to you this late in the game.

[cruiseonthebrain]

THEY want to disrupt our / your lives, THEY want you to boycott towns / Cities / Countries.....

 

Changing travel plans means THEY have won....:(

 

 

just saying'

 

Agree.

[Cruisin'Christine]

I would be nervous to go to Europe at this time. That is just my personal opinion. You would definitely be in tourist locations, so you would have to go knowing there is some risk. I don't think I would be comfortable at this time.

[slidergirl]

America is withdrawing families of diplomatic and military staff in Turkey.

 

Unnecessary fear mongering…

 

Because activities commencing from Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey started back in the Fall, those in the area were being asked to voluntarily leave. It just now became an "withdrawal" of the families. That base is used for initiating fighter activity into Syria and Iraq. The diplomatic families are moving from the Consulate area in Adana. Adana is in SE Turkey, near the Syrian border.

 

This does NOT affect US personnel in any other part of Turkey, including Ankara, Istanbul…

 

I don't believe any tourist will be wandering around SE Turkey...

Edited March 30, 2016 by slidergirl

[dsrdsrdsr]

Insurance probably isn't going to help if just now buying.

The travel alert has already been posted.

That's like trying to buy home owners insurance while the fire trucks are outside putting out the fire.

 

What might help? Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR)

Even that may not be available to you this late in the game.

 

I doubt that the US insurance industry has placed a blanket withdrawal of European cover. It would be impossible to get insurance for a specific port if the government has specifically advised against travel to that port. But as the warning roughly speaking amounts to "watch out for suspicious packages over a 4,000 mile range", I don't think the insurance companies will be running for the hills.

[Lutèce]

I would be nervous to go to Europe at this time. That is just my personal opinion. You would definitely be in tourist locations' date=' so you would have to go knowing there is some risk. I don't think I would be comfortable at this time.[/quote']

First of all - WHERE in Europe? Europe isn't just one country.

And by the same token - should I cancel a holiday to tourist areas in California in the wake of the gun attack in Washington DC?

 

Just saying

[moniquet]

In the UK travel insurance won't provide cover if the Government put out a specific advice not to travel to a certain area. We were just about to fly to Kenya when riots broke out after an election, UK advised against travel, we did manage to get specialist insurance....at about 300% more cost.

 

Some travel insurance does not cover terrorist attacks, civil unrest etc. Check the small print.

[moniquet]

Unnecessary fear mongering…

 

Because activities commencing from Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey started back in the Fall, those in the area were being asked to voluntarily leave. It just now became an "withdrawal" of the families. That base is used for initiating fighter activity into Syria and Iraq. The diplomatic families are moving from the Consulate area in Adana. Adana is in SE Turkey, near the Syrian border.

 

This does NOT affect US personnel in any other part of Turkey, including Ankara, Istanbul…

 

I don't believe any tourist will be wandering around SE Turkey...

 

According to the BBC families are being moved from Istanbul, Izmir on the Mediterranean and another whose name I can't remember.

[moniquet]

First of all - WHERE in Europe? Europe isn't just one country.

And by the same token - should I cancel a holiday to tourist areas in California in the wake of the gun attack in Washington DC?

 

Just saying

 

Good point. We went to Nice shortly after the Charlie attack.

 

You could always tour Greece and meet different cultures.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3516018/Greek-port-overflows-migrants-SIX-THOUSAND-forced-sleep-one-ferry-terminal-number-daily-arrivals-jumps.html

Edited March 31, 2016 by moniquet

[Fydlstyx]

There are factions in Europe that HATE Americans....do you want to be a target? There you go....make a choice. I'm with your husband...cancel the cruise...don't be a target.

 

Yes...you can have accidents here, in our own country...but the folks over there WANT TO KILL US....your choice.

 

This is so beyond ridiculous. "The folks 'over there' want to kill us"??? Are you being serious?!

 

Your world must be very small. That's sad.

[Suze10860]

My 25-year-old son's plan is to spend the entirety of July and August studying in Germany. Would my knee-jerk reaction be to scream "NO" and banish him to his room (which - thankfully - hasn't been in our house in quite a few years) until he's 30? Maybe.

 

But I know that's just the mama bear in me feeling a little more secure when my kids are closer to home (again, which isn't even in the same time zone with us now - he's 14 hours and 4 states away as it is.)

 

So, I suck it up, and know that rationally he is in no more danger in Europe than he is living here in the US. As many people have said, he might even be safer there. Heck, we live right outside of NYC and he's in Chicago!

 

I feel like I did a good job of not passing along some of my own irrational fears about world travel to either of my kids. I keep my scary thoughts to myself (and in all honesty I wish all of my family members would do the same and not tell me I need to convince him not to go!)

 

I'm happy that both of my 20-something children are open minded and much more worldly than I.

[dsrdsrdsr]

In the UK travel insurance won't provide cover if the Government put out a specific advice not to travel to a certain area. We were just about to fly to Kenya when riots broke out after an election, UK advised against travel, we did manage to get specialist insurance....at about 300% more cost.

 

Some travel insurance does not cover terrorist attacks, civil unrest etc. Check the small print.

 

The US government hasn't advised not to travel to Europe.

[Floridiana]

My 25-year-old son's plan is to spend the entirety of July and August studying in Germany.

 

No mass shootings yet on German university campuses.

[Suze10860]

No mass shootings yet on German university campuses.

 

I know. I really am quite happy with my son's international study. He also lived 9 months in France learning the language and auditing university classes. I couldn't be prouder of all that he does.

 

That's why I used the description "knee-jerk" and I referred to my fears as irrational. The way I see it, you can't always control your gut reaction. I try to get past that and think issues through - clearly, logically and reasonably.

[Floridiana]

Good for you and excellent for him. I wish him great success!

[Suze10860]

Good for you and excellent for him. I wish him great success!

 

Thank you for the kind words. This parenting stuff ain't easy!

[sprint180]

My daughter was just in Egypt for a week to see her boyfriend. I have to say I about had a panic attack when I found out she was going but once I calmed down I felt better.

 

We will be going to Copenhagen in May and my daughter will be getting there through Brussels. I have to say I am nervous but I am OK with it. I'm sure it will be OK.

[ellie1145]

I think that people need to take a bit of a reality check!

 

I suggest that you look at http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/most-dangerous-cities-in-the-world.html and then tell me how many of the most dangerous cities in the world are in Europe.

 

Makes for interesting reading!

 

Whilst the terrorist threat is undoubtedly there, and we would be foolish to ignore it, as far as most European cities go you are unlikely to be gunned down in the street by either criminals or the police. So technically this makes Europe a whole lot safer than the USA where anyone can run around with a gun (or guns!).

 

We love traveling in the USA but if we took notice of gun crime statistics (or even motor accident statistics!) we would never cross the pond or drive on the I95 again!

 

Whilst everyone must make their own decisions about whether or not to travel, and of course we must all take simple precautions to keep ourselves safe, such as not wandering about the streets in unsavoury locations, we should also balance out the probability of being a victim of a terrorist attack.

 

With three grown up children living in London, the fear of another 7/7 is ever present, but we cannot simply lock ourselves away, just in case. Following 9/11, when many Americans were too scared to get on an aeroplane, we continued to visit the country we love, because if we hadn't then the terrorists would have won.

[psyfly]

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings/europe-travel-alert.html

[psyfly]

March 28, 2016

The U.S. Embassy in Brussels informs U.S. citizens that Belgium's threat level stands at THREE - the threat of more attacks is "serious, possible and probable." Anti-terrorism police activity may occur. U.S. citizens are urged to avoid any areas where police action is underway.

[Floridiana]

March 28, 2016

The U.S. Embassy in Brussels informs U.S. citizens that Belgium's threat level stands at THREE -

 

How many levels are there? The website you posted doesn't say anything about levels. I also saw that Laos has a travel alert. We are just back from Laos. Peaceful as ever, but there were shootings in a specific area.... Do they ever issue a travel alert for the USA?

[Travelling2Some]

My 25-year-old son's plan is to spend the entirety of July and August studying in Germany. Would my knee-jerk reaction be to scream "NO" and banish him to his room (which - thankfully - hasn't been in our house in quite a few years) until he's 30? Maybe.

 

But I know that's just the mama bear in me feeling a little more secure when my kids are closer to home (again, which isn't even in the same time zone with us now - he's 14 hours and 4 states away as it is.)

 

So, I suck it up, and know that rationally he is in no more danger in Europe than he is living here in the US. As many people have said, he might even be safer there. Heck, we live right outside of NYC and he's in Chicago!

 

I feel like I did a good job of not passing along some of my own irrational fears about world travel to either of my kids. I keep my scary thoughts to myself (and in all honesty I wish all of my family members would do the same and not tell me I need to convince him not to go!)

 

I'm happy that both of my 20-something children are open minded and much more worldly than I.

 

Well, if it helps you feel better and put it in perspective, our youngest son is a Marine currently deployed in the Middle East. He's not even allowed to tell us exactly where he is most of the time. And you know that can't be good! I'd sleep much better if he was studying in Europe!!!