A list of Embassies and Consulates can be found on the U.S. Department of State's website, www.state.gov. You might want to bookmark the site (or the travel-specific site travel.state.gov) because U.S. embassies and consulates overseas can be a traveler's best friend, if you the U.S. citizen will help your government help you. All the tools you need are available at the U.S. Department of State's travel website.

The most important thing you can do on the Department's travel website is register with the Embassy or Consulate closest to your intended destination. This is important, and easy. When you register, you make it possible for your government to assist you in case of a disaster. If there's a problem, like the tsunami three years ago in Indonesia, your registration gives the Embassy a place to start looking for you. They will attempt to verify the welfare and whereabouts of every U.S. citizen in country, and they'll help you return to the U.S. When you register, you can sign up to automatically receive notice if a travel warning is issued that could affect your trip.

You can and should register, even if you don't want your friends and family to know where you are. Government employees are prohibited from sharing any information about you without your specific authorization. Unless you give permission, they can't even confirm you're in the country. Whether you choose to share or not, you still have access to the same services at the Embassy.

There is at least an Embassy, and often Consulates, in the countries Americans visit most. In some cases, usually smaller, more remote locations, the Embassy in a neighboring country has that responsibility. You can learn about this, by selecting "Tips for Traveling Abroad" and then "Embassies and Consulates."

The website also includes information on documentation requirements, seasonal concerns (hurricanes, floods), and a list of all current travel warnings. You can learn about health concerns specific to the country or region of your trip, including what shots you should get. You can learn how to avoid common tourist scams, and get information about child adoption and protection.

If your trip includes business, there is also a wealth of information about doing business overseas and how the U.S. government can facilitate it. You should go to the main State Department web page (www.state.gov) and select the "Travel & Business" tab at the top.

Whatever your purpose or destination, there is information on the State Department's website that could be the key to a safe, productive, and memorable trip. Don't let your trip end in "woulda, shoulda, coulda." Everyone who has ever worked in an Embassy or Consulate's Citizens Service Section has a story about an American who ignored the advice and disaster ensued. You, and taxpayers like you, paid for this assistance. So use it, and have a wonderful trip!

Learn more about this author, Jocelyn Breeland.
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