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Traveller on a hotel balcony at dusk holding a phone, a packed bag beside them

Unrest at my travel destination

Sirens in the old town, roadblocks, rumours in the hotel. Now: keep your distance, stay informed, papers to hand.

First

  1. Avoid demonstrations and crowds; stay in your accommodation or a safe place.
  2. Follow the instructions of the local authorities and your foreign ministry's travel advice.
  3. Keep passport, money, medication and a charged phone to hand.
  4. Tell relatives where you are and register with your country's crisis list if you have not done so yet.

Call emergency services if

  • Immediate danger to you or others: local emergency number
  • You are injured, detained or threatened: emergency number and embassy
  • You can no longer leave safely: embassy or your foreign ministry's crisis hotline

Emergency numbers for Austria · Change region

What is happening

Protests, riots or political crises can take travellers by surprise. Usually the greatest danger is not targeted violence against tourists but getting caught up in crowds, police operations or traffic chaos.

The basic rules are simple: avoid crowds and demonstrations, do not film or take photos, stay in your accommodation or a safe place and follow the instructions of the local authorities. The most reliable information comes from your foreign ministry and the local authorities – not from rumours.

Many countries keep crisis registration lists through which they reach travellers in an emergency: Germany the Federal Foreign Office's Elefand list, the USA the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). EU citizens are also entitled to consular protection from other EU states when their own country is not represented locally.

This page helps you assess the situation and prepare what is needed. Whether and how you leave is decided by you following the advice of your embassy and the authorities.

Step by step

Unrest at my travel destination – Phase 1 of 4Distance and a safe place. Avoid demonstrations, crowds and gatherings of police. Do not stop to film or take photos. Walk calmly in the other direction, into a building or back to your accommodation. Stay in your accommodation while the situation is unclear.
Phase 1 of 4

Phase 1 of 4

Distance and a safe place

Avoid demonstrations, crowds and gatherings of police. Do not stop to film or take photos. Walk calmly in the other direction, into a building or back to your accommodation. Stay in your accommodation while the situation is unclear.

The animation shows the key actions of each phase schematically; the text below is what counts.

  1. Phase 1

    Distance and a safe place

    • Avoid demonstrations, crowds and gatherings of police.
    • Do not stop to film or take photos.
    • Walk calmly in the other direction, into a building or back to your accommodation.
    • Stay in your accommodation while the situation is unclear.

  2. Phase 2

    Stay informed

    • Read your foreign ministry's travel advice and the local authorities' announcements.
    • Register with the crisis list if you have not yet (Elefand, STEP or your own country's).
    • Distrust rumours on social media.
    • Obey curfews and the authorities' instructions.

  3. Phase 3

    Be ready

    • Passport, copies, cash, cards, medication and charger ready in a small bag.
    • Keep phone and power bank charged.
    • Tell relatives where you are and agree fixed check-in times.
    • Save the contact details of your embassy and your foreign ministry's crisis hotline.

  4. Phase 4

    Leave or wait

    • Follow the embassy's advice: if you are advised to leave, leave early on regular connections while they still run.
    • Use only safe routes and official transport.
    • If you are in danger: local emergency number and embassy.
    • After returning pay attention to how you feel – tension and sleep problems are common.

★ Pro tips

What experienced people do differently: proven practice from mountain rescue, fire services, lifeguards and civil protection that beginners rarely know.

  1. Tear gas: get away, uphill and upwind

    Tear gas tends to collect in low spots and drifts with the wind. Move out of the cloud across or against the wind, uphill if you can, and don't rub your eyes. Afterwards flush eyes and skin with plenty of clean water and take out contact lenses. Get medical help for breathing trouble or symptoms that don't settle.

  2. Dress neutrally

    Clothes in party or protest colours, with political symbols or in a military style can mark you as being on one side. During unrest wear plain, neutral clothing and sturdy shoes. Then neither protesters nor security forces mistake you for a participant.

  3. Download offline maps before the internet goes

    During unrest, authorities sometimes shut down the internet or messaging apps. Download offline maps of the city early, mark your lodging, the embassy and the airport, and save key numbers in your contacts. A paper list helps if the battery dies.

  4. Cash in small notes, tank at least half full

    In a crisis, cash machines and card payments fail quickly and queues form at petrol stations. Keep some cash in small notes so you can pay the exact amount. If you have a car, never let the tank drop below half.

  5. At checkpoints: calm, hands visible

    Stop at roadblocks, stay polite and keep your hands where they can be seen. Say that you are reaching for your passport before you put a hand in a pocket or bag. Don't argue and don't take photos – the only goal is to get through without trouble.

What to watch out for

  • Curiosity

    Anyone who watches or films can easily end up between demonstrators and police.

  • Rumours

    Many false reports circulate in a crisis. Embassy, foreign ministry and official bodies are reliable.

  • Leaving too late

    Regular flights and connections can be suspended quickly. Whoever leaves early has more options.

  • Photos of police and military

    In many countries photographing security forces or installations is forbidden and can lead to arrest.

Common mistakes

  • Going to demonstrations to look.
  • Photographing security forces.
  • Not registering with the crisis list.
  • Leaving passport and money in the hotel safe when you need to leave quickly.
  • Believing rumours more than official sources.

Prepare in advance

  • Read the travel and safety advice before you travel.
  • Register with your country's crisis list.
  • Copies of passport and important documents, digital and on paper.
  • An emergency card with contacts and medication.
  • Check your travel insurance: what is covered in case of unrest?

Special consideration

Children
Keep children close, radiate calm and keep news images away from them where possible.
Solo travellers
Tell your accommodation when you will be back and send relatives regular signs of life.

Sources

  • Krisenvorsorgeliste ELEFAND (Elektronische Erfassung von Deutschen im Ausland) · Auswärtiges Amt, Deutschland
  • Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) · U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs
  • Council Directive (EU) 2015/637 on the coordination and cooperation measures to facilitate consular protection for unrepresented citizens of the Union in third countries · Council of the European Union, 2015

Your situation

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With you

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Basics for this situation

Why: Always applies to this situation – regardless of your answers.

All rules of this situation (4)

  1. [not active] If Where are you? = Out and about, near protests

    Keep away from crowds, do not film or take photos, walk calmly in the other direction and into a building or back to your accommodation.

  2. [not active] If Registration = Not registered

    Register now: Germans via the Elefand crisis list, US citizens via STEP, others via their own foreign ministry. Without your own mission locally, other EU states help EU citizens.

  3. [not active] If With you = Children

    Keep children close, explain calmly what is happening and put an emergency card with contacts in their pocket.

  4. [not active] If With you = Travelling alone

    Agree fixed check-in times with relatives and tell your accommodation when you will be back.