US Passport - STEP program?

It is an aid for assisting US citizens when help may be needed. Don't need a terrorist act, the earthquakes last year in Italy were enough and recent floods. Problems can occur but don't see it as some great tracking of US citizens. Besides, google is doing a better job of tracking you daily than the government.

We have considered this and said "No". The less Big Brother knows about me the better. We can, and have, taken care of ourselves on our journeys, and we travel with a lot less paranoia than most other folks.

I think it is a wise idea if you are traveling to more dangerous or dodgy parts of the world. But for Western Europe? Not really necessary. And in today's world of email, text, Skype and cell phone communications, it is very easy to keep in touch while traveling internationally.

I happen to know of someone who benefited from the program. It was during the Israel-Lebanon(Hezbollah) a few years back. She was teaching in a school in Lebanon right in the middle of the war-zone. Because she registered the US embassy was able to find her and communicate and arrange for her evacuation to a ferry that would take her to Cyprus out of the cross-fire. Everything worked as advertised, and possibly saved her life. During a trip to Mexico City for a World Cup qualifying match I know some US fans who registered, and the embassy was able to text fans who were staying inside the Sheraton to stay inside while it was being attacked by unruly locals (a US fan though it was funny to hang a large flag outside their window after the match). Obviously a war breaking out in Western Europe is improbable but natural disasters can happen any where; earthquakes and volcanoes do occur across the pond. Something to think about. Personally I have never used the service for Europe, but I've registered for some of my travels to Asia, and for my trip to North Korea in January I absolutely will. Even though the USA has no embassy in Pyongyang they will forward the info to the Swedish Embassy which handles US citizens over there.

Linda, There's more information collected on air travellers than just Passport details, according to this story: www.nbcnews.com/travel/security-check-now-starts-long-you-fly-8C11436326 The increasingly pervasive tentacles of "big brother" continue to expand. I'm sure George Orwell would approve. To answer the original question, Canada has a similar program called Registration of Canadians Abroad. I'd probably only register if travelling in "dodgy" countries which had an increased danger of both crime and/or conflicts (ie: those rated as "Exercise a high degree of Caution, Avoid all non-essential travel or Avoid all travel". It's not likely I'd ever visit those sort of countries anyway (at least not without body armour and a sidearm). Cheers!

Ken's link is interesting and it explains something. Our little airport doesn't have PreCheck. The other day my wife and I were headed in different directions. She was going first, so I ran her over to the airport. By the time I'd gotten home she had sent me a note saying she'd received some kind of expedited security processing. When I went back for my flight they gave me a card for apparently the same deal: laptop in, shoes on, jacket and belt on. I'm not so sure what it saved except not having to drag my boots down the hall to find a bench, but it does seem to have some merit. There's no way of knowing what's in the 'puters, like it or not. When the Brits scan my passport I get a smile and a 'Welcome back, Colonel'. That monicker hasn't been hooked to a passport for twenty-five years. Another nation, forever nameless, has a greeter meet me before immigration based on what must be scoop off of the passenger manifest. And what I can't figure out is how the heck they know which one is me, it's not like I wear a big sign that says 'Harmless Old Fart Idiot'. You just can't hide from the buggers.

Thank you all for your thoughts and stories. I will mull this over some. These are all valid arguments pro and con and I value all of your opinions. Linda

I have signed up but don't always. If you do, the Dept. of State will send you email updates about any travel warnings for your itinerary and any applicable information relating to incidents. In low risk areas, it may not be that big of deal. In higher risk areas, however, I'd strongly consider signing up.

State really likes people to sign up. If something happens (including a storm, tsunami, or volcanic eruption), the press asks them, "How many Americans are there?" Signing up gives them an idea, and allows them to contact you to provide assistance. If you don't sign up, they'll still assist you - but not until you track them down. As far as I can tell the only downside was State kept sending me alerts years after my trip was over.

The recent revelations about NSA spying though do give me pause on how much information I'm willing to volunteer. Is it just me, or is the U.S. getting more like big brother every day?

"...U.S. getting more like big brother every day..."

While I'm not saying a necessarily agree with widespread monitoring, do find it odd how much outrage there suddenly is over it. Industrialized nations have been monitoring electronic communications since the radio was invented way before 9/11. Also the outrage our allies have expressed is also a bit hypocritical. The NSA has facilities scattered all over the globe. What did these governements think was going on underneath those domes;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSA#International_stations

Linda,

if that gives you and your travelers piece of mind then go for it.

happy trails.

I have entered my travel data for the State Department before, and I consider it more a protection for me than being tracked by the government.