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A mother and her thirteen year old daughter were looking forward
to their trip to England and Paris. They'd planned a fun itinerary to see
the sights of London, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon, then take the high
speed train to Paris. Their flight arrived in London the afternoon of July
7, 2005. The day four bombs blew up in the subway and on a public bus. |
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Unaware that anything was amiss when they landed,
the mother first discovered the Heathrow Express into London was cancelled.
So she grabbed a taxi into the city. Riding in the taxi, the driver told
her the news about the bombs. This was not the planned introduction for
her daughter's first trip to England, but as the mother said, "Driving
into London, I had forty minutes to find out what was going on, and think
about how to keep my daughter safe." |
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After checking into their hotel in London, the mother and
daughter went out on the streets to look for a snack. Most shops were closed,
or about to close. They quickly bought some yogurt and drinks (so at least
they wouldn't be hungry), but also found a restaurant that was open, but
not for long. It was early for dinner, but the mother wisely recommended
they have a bite to eat. Then returned to their hotel, revived and ready
to plan the next day. |
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Having visited London previously, the mother
felt that they could go ahead with their visit, but modify where they went
in the city. The first day, she and her daughter got on a big red double-decker
sightseeing tour bus, one that does a circle loop around the city. That
went well, so they also just walked a lot, avoided the subway lines that
were affected, and stayed away from sights such as the British Museum, which
was close to one bomb location. Their first day in London was memorable,
for a variety of reasons. |
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The 2004 tsunami that devastated Thailand or attack on the
World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001 are reminders that even
"safe" destinations can be quite the opposite. Every family has
a different tolerance for uncertainty. No one wants to put a family in harm's
way. If something comes up that could affect your trip as planned, get all
the information available, then decide what is appropriate for your family. |
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To get timely information about the situation in a country,
consult the Consular
Information Sheets, issued by the State Department. |
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The Consular Affairs publishes consular information sheets
on every country in the world, and also issues warnings or public announcements.
"Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends that Americans
avoid a certain country." Some announcements are temporary, e.g. a hurricane
is headed towards the Bahamas, or there has just been an earthquake in Athens.
Others are long term warnings for areas of unrest, such as Colombia. |
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The consular information pages also include information about
medical care, crime information, and any travel restrictions (e.g. travel
to Kashmir in India is restricted). This information is useful, but some
statements may be alarming. Be informed, but don't panic. |
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And you know your family best. If you want to
travel to a certain country, but your family isn't very experienced with
travel abroad, consider signing up for a family tour, so you can travel
with peace of mind. |
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When you arrive in a country, you can register
with your embassy. At the embassy, you present your passports and let them
know your proposed itinerary in the country. If any should happen, the embassy
has an official record of who you are and where you planned to go. When
I've registered with our embassy, it's given me confidence that we aren't
just unidentified flying tourists, passing through. |
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The news can be unsettling, but we still have
plans to travel. It may be less convenient in the future, but every effort
is being made to ensure that all travelers return from their trips, happy
to have gone to marvelous places, and happy to be home. |
