Before you go

Travel Advisory

Our guides tell you what a place is like. They cannot tell you whether it is safe or open on the day you arrive. This page is about where to check that, and how to read what we publish.

Last updated 12 October 2026

The short version: before you book, check your own government’s advisory for the destination, confirm entry requirements with the destination’s embassy or an airline-grade source, and buy travel insurance that covers what you plan to do.

How to read a Trift guide

Every guide and story on Trift is a first-person account from a writer who went, written at a point in time. The date on the article tells you when. We keep guides live because a good description of a souk, a trail, or a neighbourhood stays useful for years. Prices, opening hours, visa rules, and safety conditions do not. Treat the practical details as a starting point and the descriptions as the reason to go.

When a guide contains information we know has expired, such as pandemic-era entry rules, we remove or rewrite it rather than leave it in place. If you spot something out of date, tell us at hello@trift.io or through the contact form. We fix those quickly.

Check these before you go

1. Your government’s travel advisory

Advisories are written by consular staff with access to security reporting you do not have. Read the one from your own country first, then compare with one or two others. Where they disagree, the more cautious one is usually reacting to something recent.

2. Entry requirements

Visa rules, passport validity windows (many countries want six months beyond your stay), proof of onward travel, and vaccination certificates. Rules change without much notice and airlines enforce them at check-in. Confirm with the destination’s embassy or an airline-grade source within a couple of weeks of departure.

3. Health

Required and recommended vaccinations, malaria risk, altitude, water safety, and any current outbreaks. A travel clinic appointment four to six weeks before you fly is worth the cost for anywhere outside your usual region.

4. Insurance

Medical evacuation can cost more than the rest of the trip combined. Make sure the policy covers every activity you plan to do. Diving, trekking above certain altitudes, motorcycling, and most adventure sports are excluded by default on many policies.

5. Local laws and customs

Dress codes, alcohol rules, drone restrictions, photography near government or military sites, and medication that is legal at home but controlled at your destination. Several of the countries we cover take these seriously.

6. Register your trip

Many foreign ministries let citizens register their itinerary so they can be contacted in an emergency. It takes five minutes.

Official sources

These are the sources our editorial team uses. None of them is affiliated with Trift.

Adventure activities in our guides

We write about cliff jumping, diving, canyoning, desert driving, high-altitude trekking, and similar activities because our writers did them. Describing an activity is not a recommendation that it is safe for you. Conditions change daily, and the difference between a good day and a bad one is usually the operator. Use licensed guides, check equipment yourself, and be willing to walk away.

Disclaimer

Trift is a travel publication, not a government agency, a travel agent, or an insurer. We do not issue advisories of our own and we cannot be responsible for decisions made on the basis of our guides. See our Terms of Use for the full position.