Smart Traveler Enrollment Program

cheelim

I have no idea how the US system works ... not being a US citizen. However, the equivalent system for Australian citizens, Smarttraveller, is purely voluntary and the onus is on the individual to register ... or not. We register online, and register each member of a travelling party individually, but "linked" within the registration. It has nothing to do with any travel company, bar, perhaps, suggesting that individuals take the time to register.

I would hazard a guess that the US system works in a similar way.

When something bad hits the fan, like, say the terrible earthquake in Nepal, it is a Really Good Thing to be able to call on your Embassy for help. And it helps to be traceable on their system so help can find you. So registering before travelling overseas is just another thing you don't leave home without.

Cheers,

Jan

cheelim

Dear Jan,

seems you are the Tauck Forum guardian angel. When we went to 2014 Oct Tauck Grand Australia and New Zealand Tuor you were there to give a lot of us advise. Many thanks.

[Deleted User]

We use STEP, especially when traveling to remote regions. The primary value is the email updates they'll send you with news/alerts for the countries you are traveling in. Effectively the same as checking the DoS web site daily for the countries to see if there are notices, but much simpler, The emails are text only so even a low-bandwidth internet connection is fine whereas browsing to the DoS site may not always be feasible. It doesn't take long to enter a trip, so in my opinion there is no downside.