No travel can be considered completely safe. There are from , , , and .
Still, 鈥 for those who .
To reduce the chances of , governments issue official travel advisories: public warnings meant to help people make informed travel decisions.
Sometimes these advisories seem puzzling 鈥 why, for example, does the US still have the despite the ongoing volatility in Los Angeles?
How do governments assess where is safe for Australians to travel?
A brief history of travel advisories
The travel advisories in 1978, with other countries such as , the and following.
Australia started providing travel advisories in 1996 and now runs its system under the platform.
To determine the risk level, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) draws on diplomatic reporting, assessments from Australian missions overseas about local security conditions, threat assessments from the and advice from (Australia, the US, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada).
The goal is to create 鈥渟mart, responsible informed travellers鈥, not to restrict tourism or damage foreign relationships.
DFAT has stressed by 鈥渃ommercial or political considerations鈥.
Soft power and safety
In theory, these advisories are meant to inform travellers, keep them safe and reduce the burden on consular services.
However, they can also and alliances.
While travel advisories are presented as neutral, fact-based risk assessments, they may not always be free from political bias.
Research shows governments sometimes they are close with and .
A of US State Department travel warnings from 2009 to 2016 found only a weak correlation between the number of American deaths in a country and the warnings issued.
In some cases, destinations with no record of US fatalities received frequent warnings, while places with high death tolls had none.
In early 2024, Australia about rising safety concerns in the US and extremely strict entry conditions even with an appropriate visa.
Yet, the 鈥 鈥渆xercise normal safety precautions鈥 鈥 the same advice given for places such as or .
Meanwhile, Australia鈥檚 warning for France was Level 2 鈥 鈥渆xercise a high degree of caution鈥 鈥 due to the potential threat of terrorism.
Experts have also criticised Australia鈥檚 .
The UK, a country with than the US, also sits at Level 2 鈥 putting it in the same risk level as , and .
Inconsistencies and grey areas
The problem is, the advisory levels themselves are vague: a Level 2 warning can apply to countries with very different risk profiles.
It鈥檚 used for places dealing with , or vastly different law and respect for human rights such as Saudi Arabia, or countries recovering from .
Until early , Sweden was also rated Level 2 due to , despite relatively low risks for tourists. Its rating has since been revised down to Level 1.
Travel advisories often apply a blanket rating to an entire country, even when risks vary widely within its borders.
For instance, Australia鈥檚 Level 1 rating for the US doesn鈥檛 distinguish between different regional threats.
In June 2025, in Boulder, Colorado after a man attacked a peaceful protest with Molotov cocktails.
Earlier in 2025, in West Texas resulted in more than 700 cases reported in a single county.
Despite this, Australia continues to classify the entire country as a low-risk destination.
This can make it harder for travellers to make informed, location-specific decisions.
Recent travel trends
Recent data indicate a significant downturn in : in March 2025, overseas visits to the US fell by 11.6% compared to the previous year, with notable declines from Germany (28%), Spain (25%) and the UK (18%).
Australian visitors to the US decreased by 7.8% compared to the same month in 2024, marking the steepest monthly drop since the COVID pandemic.
This trend suggests travellers are reassessing risk on their own even when official advisories don鈥檛 reflect those concerns.
The US case shows how politics can affect travel warnings: the country regularly experiences mass casualty incidents, violent protests and recently has been detaining and deporting people from many countries at the border including , and .
Yet it remains at Level 1.
What鈥檚 really going on has more to do with political alliances than safety: increasing the US travel risk level could create diplomatic friction.
What travellers can do now
If you鈥檙e a solo female traveller, , are , come from a visible minority or against the country you鈥檙e visiting, your experience might be very different from what the advice suggests.
So, here are some tips to stay safe while travelling:
Check multiple sources: don鈥檛 rely solely on travel advisories 鈥 compare travel advice from other countries
Get on-the-ground updates: check local news for coverage of events. If possible, talk to people who鈥檝e recently visited for their experiences
For broader safety trends, tools like the offer data on crime, political stability and healthcare quality. If you鈥檙e concerned about how locals or police treat certain groups, consult , , or country-specific reports from
Consider identity-specific resources: there are travel guides and safety indexes for LGBTQIA+ travellers like , women travellers (Solo Female Travelers Network) and others. These may highlight risks general advisories miss.
Travel advisories often reflect whom your country trusts, not where you鈥檙e actually safe. If you鈥檙e relying on them, make sure you understand what they leave out.
, PhD Candidate in Public Health & Community Medicine, School of Population Health, and , Associate Professor & Principal Fellow in Urban Risk & Resilience,
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .
