Smartraveller travel advice: how to read the levels

Smartraveller travel advice is the Australian Government's guide to how safe it is to travel to each country, and you should read it before every trip. Smartraveller is run by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, known as DFAT. Each country gets a level, from "Be alert to own security" up to "Do not travel", plus a written summary that tells you why.

This guide explains the levels, shows how to get updates by email, and covers what the advice means for your travel insurance.

Sources for this section: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Smartraveller home page (archived 18 March 2011).

The five advice levels

Each country page lists five levels. They run from the calmest to the most serious.

1. Be alert to own security
2. Exercise caution
3. High degree of caution
4. Reconsider your need to travel
5. Do not travel

The home page also lists, in separate groups, the destinations where DFAT advises against travel and the ones where it asks you to reconsider your need to travel. That makes the two top levels easy to find at a glance.

A country's level is not always the whole story. DFAT notes that cities or regions inside one country may sit at different levels. Always open the full country page, not just the level.

Sources for this section: Smartraveller, Travel advice: Japan (current for 19 March 2011); Smartraveller home page (archived 18 March 2011).

A live example: Japan this month

This month shows how fast a level can change. After the large earthquake and tsunami off the east coast of Japan on 11 March 2011, DFAT reissued its advice for Japan.

The advice says Australians should not travel to Tokyo and northern Honshu unless their presence in Japan is essential. It also says Australians in those areas should leave unless their presence is essential. Each country page carries a line such as "This Advice is current for Saturday, 19 March 2011", so check the date every time you read one.

The Libya advice is also firm. DFAT tells Australians not to travel there and asks those already in Libya to leave by any safe means as soon as possible.

Sources for this section: Smartraveller, Travel advice: Japan (current for 19 March 2011); Smartraveller home page (archived 18 March 2011).

Get updates and register your trip

You do not need to keep checking the site. Smartraveller offers three simple ways to stay informed.

• Subscribe: The Subscribe page lets you receive email updates of travel advisories.
• Listen: You can hear the travel advice by phone on 1300 139 281, which is a local call cost within Australia.
• RSS feeds: The travel advice and the travel bulletins each have an RSS feed.

You can also register with DFAT before you go. The home page says that registering lets the department contact you in an emergency, and it asks you to read the Registration FAQ first.

If you are in trouble overseas, the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre is on 1300 555 135 within Australia, or +61 2 6261 3305 from outside Australia.

Also look at the travel bulletins. These cover wider topics, such as the 2011 Cricket World Cup and flight disruptions caused by volcanic activity in Indonesia. The bulletins sit beside the country advice and do not replace it.

Sources for this section: Smartraveller home page (archived 18 March 2011).

What the advice means for your insurance

DFAT's insurance page is blunt: "if you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel." It says the department handles over 25,000 cases a year of Australians in difficulty overseas. These include over 1,200 hospitalisations and 900 deaths.

The page also gives cost examples. Daily hospital costs in Southeast Asia regularly exceed $800. Medical evacuation from the United States regularly costs $75,000 to $95,000. Travellers without insurance are personally liable for these costs.

One point surprises many people. DFAT says there is no automatic refund when it raises the advice level to "do not travel" or when it issues advice about an incident, such as an airport closure. Insurance is a contract, so it depends on the terms you agreed when you bought the policy. Read the fine print before you pay.

DFAT does not endorse any particular insurance provider. Its travel insurance postcard (a PDF) lists practical points to consider when you choose a policy. If you have an existing health condition, tell the insurer and ask what is covered. This is general information, not medical advice.

Sources for this section: Smartraveller, Travel insurance (archived 18 March 2011).

A simple checklist before you book

1. Open the country page and read the level and the summary, not just the level.
2. Check the "current for" date at the top of the advice.
3. Look for regional differences inside the country.
4. Read any travel bulletin that matches your trip.
5. Subscribe to email updates for your destination.
6. Buy insurance, and read what it says about changes in the advice level.
7. Register your trip, and save the emergency numbers in your phone.

Smartraveller travel advice changes often, so read it again a few days before you leave.

Sources for this section: Smartraveller home page and Travel insurance page (archived 18 March 2011).

Sources

1. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Smartraveller home page: smartraveller.gov.au
2. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Smartraveller, Travel advice: Japan: smartraveller.gov.au
3. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Smartraveller, Travel insurance: smartraveller.gov.au