Are you going abroad? Are you an American citizen leaving the country? Are you accepting a job overseas or anything else vaguely international involved with traveling?
Then this post is for YOU! (sorry international followers, this is post really only pertains to American citizens)
The STEP program stands for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program and is run by the United States Bureau of Consular Affairs. Basically, you tell the government what countries you are going to and when you'll be there. STEP is used for many different very useful things. For example:
If there was a situation where all Americans needed to be evacuated, like the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, it lets the government know that you're there and that if you are not accounted for during evacuations, they'll know where to look for you.
They will email you anything and everything happening in the country your visiting so that you can stay up to date on where to and not to go. This is important for when there are protests, illness outbreaks, visits from the pope or any other sort of news that you might want to know about. Pro Tip: large crowds aren't necessarily a safe place for a foreigner to be and it's nice to get STEP emails warning you where they'll be, so you can avoid them.
If you're enrolled and you lose your passport (or it gets stolen), it's a lot easier and faster for the consulate or embassy in the country you're in to replace it, if your information is already on file.
Isn't that kind of like Big Brother?
Well, yes and no. I guess if you're really paranoid about the government knowing where you are, this isn't the program for you. But honestly, the benefits much outweigh the negatives. A well-informed traveler is a smart and safe traveler, and STEP will definitely keep you well informed. The government already knows that you left the country (they scan your passport when you before you get on the plane), and it's not like the vacation police are going to show up at your hotel. But if something does go wrong, isn't it good to know that you took every precaution to get "home" to the US safely?
Some schools and programs require everyone enroll in STEP and others may require you to enroll in an international insurance company. International insurance is great, but that being said, their warning and informational emails are often times less detailed and come later than the STEP emails. So I definitely suggest that you still sign up for STEP.
But how do I enroll myself in STEP?
It's easy! I'll show you how!
Click on the button marked "Enroll" on the right hand side of the page!
Now, you might begin to notice that this website isn't the best, but it;s pretty easy to use. Click on create account near the top-right hand side of the page.
Make your username, password, etc.
Pull that handy-dandy passport out! Enter in all your very important contact info, passport info, and identification info. This part is what makes it easier for them to replace your passport.
Submit all your info and verify it!
Click on the button that says "Add a Trip/Residence Abroad" at the bottom of the page.
Get your travel info out, make sure you have a local, in-country address and phone number handy, so that if there is a natural disaster or evacuation situation, it's easier for them to find you.
Click "Next" and it will give you a summary of your travel plans.
Click "Next" again and it will give you a very intimidating list of everything that is wrong in the whole world, separated by continent.
Click "Confirm" and get ready to start receiving Travel Alerts for your destination. Ta-da! You did it!
There ya go, Talia's one stop shop on the US STEP Program!
