The US State Dept unveils an all new travel site

After a year of collecting suggestions from over 32,000 people, the U.S Dept of State has unveiled a completely revamped source for travel information, travel.state.gov.

While most Americans may only interact with the Bureau of Consular Affairs when they obtain or renew their passports, their charter also includes assisting citizens who fall victim to crime, accident or illness in other countries, or just want to cast their absentee votes in US elections. They “deal with events and issues that have a personal impact: birth, death, marriage, adoption, child custody, citizenship, and relocation to another country” and they manage the visa applications of visiting foreign nationals.

Together, the CIA World Factbook and the State Dept site provide vagabonders with useful information when planning international travel, such as the history, climate, geography, political structure, economy, travel warnings, entry and exit requirements, crime, medical facilities, criminal penalties, and embassy locations of countries worldwide.

The new travel.state.gov highlights recent travel alerts on their front page, such as lifting a six month warning on Sri Lanka and noting a possible danger during the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. There are easily navigable links to hurricanes and emergencies, passports and visas, and of course, country information, where you can find out that “Traffic in Laos is chaotic and road conditions are very rough. Few roads have lane markings. Where lane markings, road signs, and stoplights do exist, they are widely ignored. Many drivers are unlicensed, inexperienced, and uninsured,” or that “An exit tax must be paid when departing Guatemala by air.”