United States embassies have been established around the world starting in 1782 with the first American embassy in The Hague. The primary purpose of an embassy is to foster and promulgate diplomatic relations between two-embassy sharing countries. Embassies also provide consular services to their citizens while in other countries, and a citizen may get in touch with their government through these organizations. Embassies also aid countries in expanding commercial ties between countries, and are typically a mutually advantageous step.
The US has hundreds of embassies around the world where United States citizens can visit and get passport travel information, travel documentation, and in times of a crisis, gain safe haven and transport home. There are four countries in the world that do not have officially recognized diplomatic relations with the US: Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, and North Korea. Taiwan also does not have a US embassy because it is not recognized as an independent country.
Travel warnings, which are notices issued by the State Department, caution citizens against traveling to a country. According to the State Department, travel warnings are issued when “long-term protracted conditions make a country dangerous or unstable.” In addition, the US may or may not be able to offer US citizens assistance in the event of a crisis because embassy and consulates may be closed, or be operating on a skeleton staff.
As an example, some current travel warnings include the Philippines due to the risk of terrorist activity, Sudan because of the continued risk of violence and armed conflict in the Darfur region, and Mexico due to government efforts to crack down on transnational criminal organizations and the ensuing violence this has prompted. Travel warnings and access to embassies are probably the first things US citizens should be concerned about when venturing to a foreign country. Safety and security are of pinnacle importance, and any traveler should make tracking this type of knowledge down their first priority.
What if citizens are already in a country when the travel warning is released? What if they are in a remote location with limited access to the Internet and need to know about the most current conditions in a country, or the most recent travel warnings? An interactive voice response system would come in quite handy in this type of situation.
Users could just need access to a landline phone (which is infinitely more accessible than the Internet even in the most remote countries. An interactive voice response system could be set up that could allow users to call in, select their location, and get information based on their geographical coordinates. If something happened in the country that required urgent attention, the IVR could be programmed to make outbound calls and immediately alert travelers of any urgent information they should be aware of.
An IVR system could not only offer users a technological advantage, it could be highly practical in situations that could become potentially life threatening. Anything is possible while traveling, and even in the safest of countries, natural disaster could strike and make it a necessity for travelers to get in touch with their embassy or receive imminent travel alerts. An IVR system integrated with other traveling and tourism information would offer vacationers the most up-to-date and relevant information, in the easiest way possible!
