Most dangerous countries for Americans to travel to

Traveling the world can be an excellent opportunity to learn about new cultures and to otherwise expand your perspectives. However, not every destination is safe to visit. Civil strife, government corruption, rampant crime, and environmental pollution can all create a situation where it is unadvisable to travel to certain places. The U.S. Department of State has issued travel advisories to several locations, including Venezuela, Uruguay, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, North Korea, and several Mexican states. While many of the nations on this list are at war, others—like China—are considered dangerous for political or ideological reasons.

Conversely, several nations have advised its citizens about travel to the United States. Ranked 49th on a list of safest nations by SafeAround, travel to the U.S. is advised against due to the proliferation of mass shootings and other domestic terrorism incidents, high levels of violent crimes in cities like Chicago and Detroit, an unchecked homelessness problem, the potential for civil unrest, and the proliferation of gun ownership. Venezuela and Uruguay have both issued travel advisories against the U.S., with China, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Uruguay, and Venezuela all issuing travel warnings to nationals traveling to the U.S.

To better understand the risks in traveling abroad, Stacker has consulted the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs to determine the most unsafe nations for Americans to travel to. For this list, we will look at travel advisories issued by the State Department against the various nations. This list will not consider any political implications of said advisories, such as the president’s threat to meet travel advisories against the U.S. with retaliation.

While there are resources available to Americans who find themselves in trouble abroad, the effectiveness of these rescue efforts may vary. It is advised that tourists leaving the United States know what the entry and exit requirements are for any country they visit, carry proper identification at all time, and have a plan in place in case of emergencies. More information on this can be found on the State Department’s travel page.

Keep reading to learn if your next travel destination is on the list.

You may also like: Reasons behind State Department travel warnings for 25 countries