I'm curious about other travelers: do you register your trips, along with contact info, hotels, dates, an emergency contact in the States? I feel that, if something comes up (heightened terrorist threats, mainly) in the country I am visiting, the local American consulate will notify me, advise me about staying, and help me leave if need be.

At the very least,it makes me feel better. At best, it would (hopefully) cause someone to account for my presence or death if I were caught in a natural disaster or some huge accident. Do you register? Why or why not?

It's probably not a bad idea but we've never done it. The reason? Hmm, I guess because we never really know where we'll be staying from one day to the next on some of these trips.

And after I started typing, I think I suddenly realized something. My thought? "ugh, contacting the gov't. When has that ever sounded like a good thing?". I know that's not right, but I think I'd rather leave contact info and plans with family and seek out gov't help when we actually need it. I figure if our family knows where we are, they wouldn't be contacting the consulate to ask and if we can make it to the consulate (likely the only way we'd get help, pre-planned or not), then it would all work out about even.

I was really thinking that we would hear from the consulate in a more timely manner if something came up. I can't read Italian, for example, so it by the time I realized something was dead wrong, it might be too late to do anything about it, like leave the country or even get to the consulate.

The form is a bit of a pain to fill out, and then they have to email a confirmation link to you for a response. But then, we do have a set itinerary in terms of hotels. If you don't have reservations, how will your family back home know where you are?

The less the government knows about me the better I like it. I travel to Europe alone so I leave an itinery with my family of the hotels or apartments at which I will be staying with phone numbers and my flight information. No one else needs to know. I am very good at taking care of myself; in fact I do it better than anyone.

I check e-mail nearly everyday so if anyone wanted me to know anything I'm not hard to contact. I also watch CNN at my hotels and apartments almost everywhere I go to stay current on world events. You can also buy the Herald Tribune (English newspaper) at any newstand in the world. What more what anyone need? If I still felt uncomfortable I would not travel abroad but hide under the bed at home.

Larry J

Hi Kswl, no I have never registered with the State Department. But then I don't travel to third world countries.

I don't really know where I will be from day to day. But I do leave info with family (flight info and a contact number in the country I am in). And like Larry I always watch CNN and read the International Herald Tribune almost daily.

I am not saying that advising the State Department is a bad idea. It is just something that I have never thought of doing, and would probably never do. I do however have my daughters info for an emergency situataion on file with my passport info.

kswl, to your question about how our family would know where we were, since we didn't have reservations.

I guess they don't, but then, neither would the consulate in that case. We do carry our own mobile phone though, so that they can call us if need be. It was a bit strange really. In October we were driving through the hills in Romania when our US based phone rings and it's my wife's dad in Australia. I swear, the world is shrinking.

Doesn't passport control have at least a modicum of info - - that we got on a plane, headed for _ _ _ _ ?

That's enough info for the government to have about me. I leave tons of family informed about my itinerary. Much more important than the government knowing details of my whereabouts.

Best wishes,

Rex

I know it might be a good idea, but experience has left a bad taste in my mouth. I had to register in the job I used to have with the Government, but when push came to shove I got no help from them.

I was on a boat in the middle of France (Lyon) when the Turks invaded Cyprus at Kyrenia where my wife and kids were staying. I got NOTHING from State, even though I had contacts with the Embassy in Paris. Finally had to go through British Embassy (The Starter Wife was a Brit). They came through for me.

I still thought registering might be of value when, years later, one of my sons dropped out of sight in Thailand. Again I got zip/zilch/niente/bupkas from State. ---- Well, not quite true; they did send me a letter (with completely incorrect information) after I called my Senator.

Actually, all's well that ends well as he was merely shacked up (literally) on a remote island with a big smile on his face. He was sorry he worried me -- but that didn't erase the grin.

In my experience the people who tell you they don't want the government "interfering" in their lives are the FIRST ones in line when the government starts to give something "back" or away...I'll let you decide if that is true or not.

I leave an itinerary with my office staff and with trusted friends. I suspect they would respond much FASTER than the government would in case something happened.

Clifton, you are right about the size of the world. My phone rang while I was waiting for the train to Rome at the station in Paris, and it was my son, informing me of a car wreck. You can run, . . .

Nukesafe, I am appalled at your experiences! The situations you describe are EXACTLY why we register with the SDept. I can only hope that they are better at protecting/helping their own citizens now.

We also leave our itinerary with family--but my parents and my husband's are elderly, our older chidren aren't old enough to be really helpful yet, I am an only child and my brother and sister in law both married late in life and have three little children each! They wouldn't be much help, either, I'm afraid, so we are actually depending upon the government to help in a crisis.

I'm very interested in the replies--it seems there is widespread distrust of our government out there in Fodor-land.

I must say that I agree with LarryJ and rex. The government knows too much already. My family has all the info that I care to give out.

kswl -

Can you leave your itinerary with a co-worker, a boss, a friend, your clergy or a neighbor?

Registering with the State Department has never occured to me. However, it might not be a bad idea to know the location and phone number of the American embassy in the area that your visiting. In case there is an emergency, you will already have an idea of where to go. Peace. >-

Robyn

kswl, I hope everything turned out ok with completing your trip, but more importantly, that your son was ok.

intrepid, you may be experiencing the wrong people.

It has never occurred to me even to leave an itinerary with anyone, even family. Nowadays they have our mobile phone numbers in case they want to call; but even in the days before mobiles (and when I travelled alone), I don't remember ever thinking to tell anyone exactly where I was going.

I wonder if there is even a service available to register with the Foreign Office in the UK ? I doubt it - I think they'd think you were mad if you called them & said you wanted to register. How did you know you could do this in the US ?

I'm with the others. I didn't even know you could register with the State Department. But I wouldn't do it. I leave my info with family and my boyfriend (if he's not with me).

You asked how family will know where I am if I don't have reservations ahead of time. I try to email them as I move around so they know where I am. But, sometimes, people just won't really know (especially if you're in small towns with no internet cafes!). It's a risk I'm willing to take.

In your title, you mention the Tsunamis. How does telling the State Department help there? They can't warn you in advance. If you gave your info to a relative, they know where you are and can contact the government if need be. Plus, airlines collect emergency contact information when you travel internationally, and they know who has traveled somewhere - because they have your ticket info.

I guess my point is, that enough people know where you are without the need for the State Dept. I think if something was so wrong that you'd have to leave a country, you'd figure it out pretty quick, even if you don't speak the language.

Karen

I agree with the others. I can see where registering with the State Department might be a good idea, but what if my plans change along the way? I think it sounds more of a pain than it's worth.

I always leave our travel itinerary and contact info, as well as passport copies, with both a family member and a close friend/neighbor. In all honesty I think that is sufficient. If anything were to happen they can contact the government, if need be.

No.

I wouldn't rely on the local American consulate giving notification of terrorism, given that the consulate itself is one of the sites most likely to be attacked. On the other hand, a bomb is an excellent means of notification, given that it is multilingual and needs no translation.

As for natural disasters, this again presumes that the consulate or personnel are themselves not affected by said disaster. Even if they are not, I doubt that they would have the personnel available to deliver service of the type and extent needed. Bureaucracies have their place, but they are simply too cumbersome to handle certain things.

As for my presence or absence, I can rely on the hotel keeping track of my whereabouts, if only because they will want to settle the bill.