Traveling Internationally? You should consider enrolling in STEP.

As a professional travel designer of nearly 14 years, 98% of my clients' travel is to international locations.

And with that, all of our clients are given a packet of important travel information that contains things like travel tips, destination recommendations, and of course important travel and safety resources. Regardless if you are a client of ours or not, if your travel plans take you beyond the U.S. borders, you should highly consider enrolling in the U.S. State Department's STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program) program.

What is the U. S. State Department's STEP program? There is a reason they call this the 'Smart Traveler Program' because it is good practice to utilize this program. This is a free resource offered to U.S. citizens and nationals to register or enroll their trip abroad, enabling the State Department to notify them in case of emergency. It only takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete and can be done from your computer, smart phone, or tablet.

What are the key benefits to the STEP program? As outlined on the State Department's STEP program website, the following are listed as the key benefits:

• Get updates about health, weather, safety, and security for your destination.

• Plan ahead using information from the local U.S. embassy.

• Help the embassy or consulate contact you if there's an emergency like a natural disaster, civil unrest, or a family emergency.

Additional benefits include:

• Embassy locations and contact information abroad

• Entry, Exit, and Visa Requirements

• Destination based local laws, transportation information, health information, safety & security information, and much much more!

All of this information is sent your email once you are registered.

If you've been watching the news lately, you know that Puerto Vallarta (at the time of this writing) is experiencing civil unrest after one of the country's top cartel leaders was killed on Sunday, February 22, 2026. Last year in October of 2025, Jamaica experienced one of its worst hurricanes in recorded history with Hurricane Melissa. Like weather, civil disturbances and unrest can often be unpredictable. But

you can prepare yourself with valuable information and resources by enrolling in STEP as they will notify and assist you with crucial information to aid in your safety and wellbeing.

How do I sign up? Signing up is very easy. Simply, click on this link here: https://mytravel.state.gov/s/step and in the matter of minutes, you add an extra layer of protection onto your trip. If you're on your smart phone or tablet, you can also access this information as well as travel advisories, embassy locations and contact information, destination information, entry, exit and visa requirements, local laws and more of the destination country(s) that you may be visiting. Having this app on the ready is a great resource to have while traveling abroad! Simply visit the Apple or Google app store and search "smart traveler" or "step program" and click on the app with this image below.

State Department STEP Program

Whether you travel internationally occasionally or frequently, we recommend you utilize this free and amazing resource to stay in-the-know when traveling abroad.

Want access to other helpful resources? We have a page dedicated to helpful travel resources and information to help you be prepared when you travel! Check out our website here to discover frequently requested information and resources to help you prepare for your next trip! https://www.theeverydayescape.com/travel-resources

Need help planning your next vacation? We'd love to assist you with your next trip domestically or abroad! If you'd like to inquire to utilize our travel planning services, reach out to us here: https://www.theeverydayescape.com/contactus and we will be in touch. We have been in the travel industry in one form or another since the late 90's and owned and operated our travel agency since late 2012! Let us help you 'Escape the Everyday' to amazing places far away!

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