Anybody else always register with the US Government STEP program?

[Markanddonna]

I wonder, when the truth finally surfaces, how valuable the STEP program for travelers really was for those who wanted to leave Afghanistan.

 

We always register when traveling overseas. In an emergency, it might be the only way to get help or out of a foreign country.  Registering involves letting the government know where and when you are traveling and also providing contact numbers.  I am surprised all Americans in Afghanistan didn't register.  It's not a secret!

https://step.state.gov/

 

[klfrodo]

Not necessarily for when we cruise out of Florida for the Caribbean. But, I always register my trip with STEP if I'm going to Mexico for a land vacation or if we go to Europe for a vacation and/or cruise.

[57redbird]

Thanks for the info -- had not heard of it.

[PurpleHays]

Just added to my next cruise information. One more thing to do.

 

[clo]

6 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

I wonder, when the truth finally surfaces, how valuable the STEP program for travelers really was for those who wanted to leave Afghanistan.

 

We always register when traveling overseas. In an emergency, it might be the only way to get help or out of a foreign country.  Registering involves letting the government know where and when you are traveling and also providing contact numbers.  I am surprised all Americans in Afghanistan didn't register.  It's not a secret!

https://step.state.gov/

 

I've used the site to get notifications for Turkey and Israel. But hadn't done what you do. Good idea. Thanks.

 

[blctlc]

We too always register with the State Department when traveling.  I have also signed up for the travel warnings for each of the countries we will be traveling in or to.  I still receive the travel warnings from countries we visited years ago but I haven't removed the notifications because it's interesting to know what's going on in another country.  

[clo]

3 minutes ago, blctlc said:

I still receive the travel warnings from countries we visited years ago but I haven't removed the notifications because it's interesting to know what's going on in another country.  

Ditto.

[pris993]

I guess it really depends on what countries you are visiting.  When I have done independent land travel I always have made note of US Embassy location and contact info but have never registered with this site.   Have been aware of State Department site but did not feel the need to use when I visited   Depends on the political climate at the time of a visit.  

[Markanddonna]

7 hours ago, pris993 said:

I guess it really depends on what countries you are visiting.  When I have done independent land travel I always have made note of US Embassy location and contact info but have never registered with this site.   Have been aware of State Department site but did not feel the need to use when I visited   Depends on the political climate at the time of a visit.  

A concern is not just political. Terrorist incidents and natural disasters can put a visitor in a situation where your family is wondering if you are okay or you may need help.  Think of the flash flooding and fires in this country in the past few weeks.

[evandbob]

Not always, just for certain trips, like Egypt.  Haven't seen any need to register a week long Caribbean cruise.

[zekekelso]

In the past, I’ve only registered when going someplace like China where I felt there was a possibility of “something” going wrong. At the moment, Covid counts as a something for every country, so I’ll try to remember to register. 

[Zach1213]

I travel for a living, mostly international - sometimes safe places like Europe, Australia/NZ, Japan...but often not such safe places. I always register. Always, always, always. You just never know when something crazy could happen, and I prefer my government know that I am there just in case. Could be a weekend in Munich...I am going to register. As someone who has a nearly worthless secondary citizenship (when it comes to travel...not a very powerful passport, not many embassies/consulates around the world), it's a huge perk of being an American and I take advantage of it. 

 

It has come in handy a few times - not only political issues in developing countries, but terrorist incidents in developed countries. You just never know. 

Edited August 24, 2021 by Zach1213

[clo]

2 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

A concern is not just political. Terrorist incidents and natural disasters can put a visitor in a situation where your family is wondering if you are okay or you may need help.  Think of the flash flooding and fires in this country in the past few weeks.

Some years ago we had petsitters who were English but had retired to Turkey. They were in the US when there was the bombing at the Istanbul airport where there adult daughters had recently come through.

[Zach1213]

40 minutes ago, clo said:

Some years ago we had petsitters who were English but had retired to Turkey. They were in the US when there was the bombing at the Istanbul airport where there adult daughters had recently come through.

 

June 2016. I flew out of Istanbul on a flight to London just four hours before it happened. Still kind of shakes me to this day. 

[pris993]

3 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

A concern is not just political. Terrorist incidents and natural disasters can put a visitor in a situation where your family is wondering if you are okay or you may need help.  Think of the flash flooding and fires in this country in the past few weeks.

I consider terrorist incidents in the political realm in some countries.  Regardless a good resource for folks to be aware of, as I said I have know of it for years, never used.    I have always left my family contact information when traveling, so they would know where I might be when traveling.   Relying on the govt is not first strategy.  

[Markanddonna]

I think most of us leave our travel itinerary and details to a trusted family member.  In the case of an emergency that didn't start with me (a hospitalization, for example), it is not very efficient for family members to have to deal with our possible evacuation. I usually don't register for a cruise to the Caribbean, but now think it is a good idea. We have many unstable countries there. 

[Ashland]

We leave all our itinerary info with our adult kids. We register on International trips where we'll be doing several days pre or post cruise and certainly when we've done independent land trips in China on our own.

[Twickenham]

5 hours ago, Zach1213 said:

 

June 2016. I flew out of Istanbul on a flight to London just four hours before it happened. Still kind of shakes me to this day. 

 

We spent a month in London that summer (mid-July to mid-August), and for air miles-related reasons, we planned to fly on Turkish Airlines via their YUL-IST flight. This flight operates 3 days a week, on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and the initial plan was to fly YQB-YUL-IST-LHR on Friday. Couldn't manage to get tickets to LHR, but in searching other possible gateways found we could fly to Barcelona, so decided to take the Tuesday flight, arriving in BCN on Wednesday, stay a few nights, then trains to Paris and finally London (I'm a train freak, so this was a plus for me :). Then the bombing at IST airport happened, exactly 2 weeks before we were due to fly. Went back and forth on whether we should change our flights, and even found a flight on Swiss via ZRH that we could have switched to, but after a lot of research and thought, decided to stick to our original flights.

 

Our flights went without a hitch, including a very nice 4-hour layover at IST which we spent in the magnificent Turkish Airlines lounge (we had business class tickets). Lovely couple of days in Barcelona. Then woke up early for our train to Paris on Saturday to the news that there had been a coup in Turkey. Had we not taken the side-trip to Barcelona, we would have been on the Friday flight headed to IST while there was a coup ongoing...

 

To get back on topic, think the STEP program is an excellent idea, and wondering if there is a Canadian equivalent, which I will avail myself if so on my next trip.

 

 

[clo]

50 minutes ago, Twickenham said:

the magnificent Turkish Airlines lounge

It was indeed magnificent! I wonder if the new terminal's one is.

[Twickenham]

2 minutes ago, clo said:

It was indeed magnificent! I wonder if the new terminal's one is.

 

Was there just before the pandemic (January 2020). It's quite nice, but I preferred the old one. The new lounge is open to the terminal (above the shops et al), whereas the old lounge was its own private enclave, totally separate from the rest of the terminal.

[clo]

1 minute ago, Twickenham said:

 

Was there just before the pandemic (January 2020). It's quite nice, but I preferred the old one. The new lounge is open to the terminal (above the shops et al), whereas the old lounge was its own private enclave, totally separate from the rest of the terminal.

And on two levels. Thanks for the report. We adored all of Turkey and glad we got to see a good bit of it (escorted land tour) as not sure if we'll be making it back.

 

[bbangel74]

For the Canadian equivalent visit:

 

https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/registration

[ldubs]

I've never registered but my son has.  He spent a few years working in rural areas in countries ranging from Turkey to Northern Ireland.  Because he was typically in out-of-the-way places, he felt it wise to register his whereabouts with the State Dept.  

 

I think this is probably an under utilized service.  Certainly a best practice.   Thanks for bringing it up.    

[silvercrikhix]

Thanks OP for sharing such great information.  
I do not see the need to register for a cruise out of the USA because the cruise line knows exactly where we are and so does our family and friends.  

[clo]

On 8/28/2021 at 4:19 PM, silvercrikhix said:

Thanks OP for sharing such great information.  
I do not see the need to register for a cruise out of the USA because the cruise line knows exactly where we are and so does our family and friends.  

So if you get arrested or something is the cruise line going to contact the US State Dept. and try to help you?