If you\u2019re in an emergency situation abroad, the embassy and your travel insurance won\u2019t rescue you, but this post might. I\u2019m not even trying to be boastful, but several news outlets <\/a>reported recently that I, a travel blogger, helped get more people out of the Middle East during the \u201cEpic Fury\u201d war, than the government did.<\/p>\n From the moment I arrived in Kuwait recently<\/a>, I started hearing missiles overhead (or what I learned later were \u201cinterceptions\u201d) and immediately thought to contact the US embassy for information about what to do. The response was basically an automated,\u201cEnroll in STEP, wait for notifications\u201d.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n By the time they actually sent me useful information (which sounded identical to a \u201cHow to Self-Evacuate the Middle East\u201d <\/a>blog post I had written for others days before), and a form to fill out to be considered for a government-assisted evacuation, I was already home. Because I decided to self-evacuate myself, which, fun fact<\/em>, is actually exactly what the governments want you to do.<\/p>\n When something goes wrong overseas, most travelers imagine the same scenario.<\/p>\n You call the embassy. That\u2019s the movie version. The real version is very different. And I think it\u2019s because we portray the wrong idea of government assistance when we travel.<\/p>\n Most bloggers and influencers (including me, guilty<\/em>) have at one point posted a \u201ctravel safety tips\u201d post, usually starting with \u201cEnroll in STEP, know where the nearest embassy is, etc\u201d <\/em>\u00a0But now that I\u2019ve actually lived through a major emergency, I know that\u2019s not always the most helpful tips to know! Especially if the embassy has recently been bombed like it was in Kuwait.<\/p>\n Because of the heavy and positive promotion of those tips, many travelers assume that if you\u2019re an American abroad and something serious happens \u2014 war, political unrest, natural disaster \u2014 the U.S. government will come get you.<\/p>\n But in reality, the system is designed around something else entirely:<\/p>\n You getting yourself out. <\/strong><\/p>\n And since I\u2019ve done that, I\u2019m going to explain what you should realistically<\/em> do in an emergency situation abroad.<\/p>\n While navigating my own evacuation, a few things proved far more useful than people might expect. They were no-brainers to me as someone who has traveled a lot and has had to do these things before, but to many, some of these things might be as scary to think about doing as the situation they\u2019re in.<\/p>\n Trust me on this one, these tips are what always work.<\/p>\n Government advisories are important \u2014 but they\u2019re often cautious and sometimes slow to update. Government leaders on the news are at a totally different level. They do not give any cautious or practical advice, and during this recent emergency, they actually confused and misled us more than helped us.<\/p>\n We watched the news to see if we should flee ASAP or wait it out. If I only relied on the US news with government officials talking, I\u2019d probably still be in Kuwait, or gone mad.\u00a0<\/p>\n Instead, be sure to check the news in and around the country you are in.<\/p>\n Local journalists, bloggers, and influencers frequently share real-time information<\/strong> about what\u2019s actually happening, what to do in an emergency, and contact information for help. Check their posts and search their websites to see if they\u2019ve posted anything that can help you.<\/p>\n That kind of local insight can be invaluable when you need to make decisions quickly.<\/p>\n One of the most underrated strategies during travel emergencies is simply talking to people who live there. The people who helped get me out the most were a Kuwaiti travel influencer, a local tour guide, and a traveler already having spent time in Kuwait.<\/p>\n Locals often know:<\/p>\n In many cases, they\u2019ve navigated situations like this before and have been trained to offer this kind of help!<\/p>\n The local people you should be asking for information and help are usually hotel reception, tour guides, or travel industry experts, like blogger\/influencers. But again, check their posts first, because there\u2019s a good chance they\u2019re getting a lot of messages about it and might not be able to answer everyone!<\/p>\n As soon as I decided I was going to self-evacuate Kuwait by finding a land transfer, I announced it on social media in cases anyone else needed the information for the car or route. Hundreds of people messaged me. So I made a group chat on Whatsapp, and put all of the information on a blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n Then I posted the links for people to join the group chats if they were stuck, and nearly 5,000 joined them. That\u2019s 5,000 people that governments around the world weren\u2019t helping, but others were.<\/p>\n If you find yourself in an emergency situation, look up on regular search, on Facebook, and ask on social media if anyone knows any group chats or groups in general you can join. These proved to help hundreds if not over a thousand people get out safely.<\/p>\n Before traveling somewhere unfamiliar, ask yourself a simple question, \u201cIf I had to leave tomorrow, how would I do it?<\/strong>\u201d But let\u2019s be serious, most of us don\u2019t pre-meditate being in emergency situations, so if you forget to do that, you can still follow these guidelines for exit option research.<\/p>\n Look things up like:<\/p>\n These were the things that got me out of Kuwait the fastest. I simply looked at the flight radar map, looked at the surrounding area on a map, and figured out the nearest land border crossing, and city with functioning airport.<\/p>\n Just like the governments, you should not solely rely on travel insurance to help get you out of emergency situations, or even to pay for them. Also, just another little story; one of my friends who was with me in Kuwait works for a big company with expensive travel guard insurance. They told her they could get us a secure evacuation through them, and we all got our hopes up. When they finally got back to us, they had confirmed it was available, but just the land transfer alone would be $30,000. The total cost per person for us to do the land transfer I found and get domestic flights home, was $2000.<\/p>\n Make sure that in addition to travel insurance, you also have an emergency cash stash (USD or EUR), and a credit card to use in emergencies as well. Having a separate checking account with its own debit card for emergencies is also smart. I recommend Charles Schwab or Revolut<\/a>.<\/p>\n After sharing my experience, I realized how many misconceptions exist about what embassies actually do. A lot of people, including news stations, were shocked when I said that the government wasn\u2019t helping and that I was self-evacuating on my own.<\/p>\n Yes, I was annoyed that they didn\u2019t get me out of the mess that they created, but I wasn\u2019t surprised. Especially after learning and understanding these things.<\/p>\n Here are some of the biggest misconceptions about how the government will help you when you\u2019re traveling abroad:\u00a0<\/p>\n Government evacuations do happen<\/strong>, but they are rare and typically only occur when:<\/p>\n Even then, evacuation transport is a lengthy process and often comes with a catch.<\/p>\n For example, you don\u2019t know how long it will take to get the evacuation. By the time it comes, you could have been the victim of an attack, or developed trauma from being stuck in the conditions.<\/p>\n Also, the government-evacuation ain\u2019t free sweeties! Citizens usually must sign a promissory note agreeing to repay the government for the evacuation flight later <\/strong>(LegalClarity<\/a>) and I would assume the cost is more than the commercial route option.<\/p>\n STEP is primarily a communication system<\/strong>, not a rescue system.<\/p>\n Its main purpose is to send alerts and help officials contact you during emergencies (Travel.gov<\/a>). And again, that\u2019s not a personal contact, it\u2019s a general one. They\u2019ll give you tips and information (likely delayed) but it will be up to you to do something with that information.<\/p>\n They definitely have enough money, but unfortunately, the budget for help abroad is nowhere near as much as it is for other things, like war.<\/p>\n In fact, a recent estimate said that the US government gave a budget of 40 million dollars total to spend on evacuations for US citizens stuck in the Middle East during the war that they<\/em> caused. Meanwhile, around 1 billion per day is being spent on the actual war, and we\u2019re going into week three of it.<\/p>\n Oh and even with that budget, they still expect to be reimbursed if they have to help you. So you\u2019re probably better off paying out of pocket!<\/p>\n Never just show up to a US embassy abroad. First of all, you need an appointment, and second of all, if there is a dangerous situation happening, it could put you in more danger. Like how the US embassy was a target for attacks by Iran, and they succeeded at hitting it.<\/p>\n There is no secret shelter for civilians, or special plane runways at the actual embassy, so again, not advised to just show up there.<\/p>\n The U.S. State Department explicitly recommends leaving while commercial travel is still available. It has never been stated anywhere that if something bad happens, they will help you. <\/p>\n In other words, use them and the STEP program as a precaution and for reassurance that someone knows where you are. But always be prepared to figure out and fund your way out of emergency situations.<\/p>\n A lot of travelers assume they\u2019re protected if they enroll in the U.S. government\u2019s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)<\/strong>. Again, people like me are likely guilty of making you feel that way, but to be fair, that\u2019s what the gov basically tells us to advise.\u00a0<\/p>\n STEP is a free service where travelers register their trip with the nearest embassy in the country they are traveling to.\u00a0<\/p>\n Once enrolled, you may<\/em> receive alerts about security conditions, demonstrations, health risks, or other emergencies in the country you\u2019re visiting. We didn\u2019t receive notifications during the war until a day or so later, but they did come.<\/p>\n It can also help embassies contact you or your emergency contact during a crisis (according to Travel.gov<\/a>). However this would be a general mass message, not individual, personalized contact.<\/p>\n![\"5](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-18-130011.png\")
They organize an evacuation.
A government-funded plane eventually flies you home.<\/p>\n
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\n![\"proven](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/DSC00198-1024x683.jpg\")
\nTip #1: Follow Local Voices and News<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nTip #2: Ask Locals for Help<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Tip #3: Find Other Travelers\/Help via Group Chats<\/h2>\n
\nTip #4: Always Know Your Exit Options<\/strong> (and How to Figure them Out)<\/h2>\n
![\"safety](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-02-182425-1-1024x608.png\")
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\nTip #5: Don\u2019t Depend on Travel Insurance, But Always Have It<\/strong> and Money Set Aside<\/h2>\n
Most travel insurance companies do not cover<\/strong> wars, civil unrest, or even natural disasters. They typically clearly state that too. But what they might cover are things like having to go to the hospital if you were injured during one or during the evacuation, so it\u2019s still worth it to have it. (I usually use this company<\/a><\/strong>).<\/p>\n
\n1. \u201cThe embassy will evacuate me if something happens\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\n2. \u201cSTEP means the embassy will find, contact, and rescue me\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n3. \u201cThe government has enough money to help travelers in emergency situations\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n4. \u201cIf I go to the embassy, they\u2019ll help me\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n5. \u201cThe government will handle everything in an emergency\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-29-at-6.10.56-PM.png\")
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