Anyone enrolled in the STEP program? (plane, passport, flight, Spain)

[Sand&Salt]

So the U.S. government knows where you are when travelling. "Just in case".

I'm not so sure...

[AksarbeN]

First time I've heard about it.

The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free service to allow U.S. citizens and nationals traveling and living abroad to enroll their trip with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

It sounds reasonable to me.

[The_Atlguy]

Yes, I am enrolled. It saved me from getting stuck in Spain in March. I was notified Ukraine's borders were closing (my next stop) and so I flew back to the U.S. and didn't get stuck in Ukraine for 2 months.

[hertfordshire]

Haven't heard of it before, but it sounds like a good idea to me. What's the downside?

[Aredhel]

I've enrolled in it. Fortunately the government has never needed to reach out to me through it, but as The_Atlguy's post shows, under some circumstances it can be helpful. (Even more so in the event of a natural disaster or sudden civil unrest like Arab Spring. How can the US government try to help a US citizen in those situations if it doesn't know they are even in the country in question?)

[prospectheightsresident]

No, though I try to register with the embassy when I do travel to certain countries. Don't always get around to it (I think I only did it in China, actually). Perhaps the STEP is something worth looking into.

[rational1]

I attempted to do so once. I gave up because of the amount of information requested. It looked like it was going to take too long to enter it all.

[southkakkatlantan]

I enroll (update my info) every time I travel abroad just prior to departure.

I've had some interesting things happen to me abroad so it gives me a bit of a peace of mind.

[Sand&Salt]

Originally Posted by hertfordshire

Haven't heard of it before, but it sounds like a good idea to me. What's the downside?

I guess there isn't one. But many seem to dislike government knowing where they are, so that's why I asked.

I should probably look into it. Embassies have been impossible to deal with , in my experience.

[kira kira]

Originally Posted by Sand&Salt

I guess there isn't one. But many seem to dislike government knowing where they are, so that's why I asked.

I should probably look into it. Embassies have been impossible to deal with , in my experience.

You should definitely look into it. I have never used it while travelling (never thought of it, to be honest), but I signed up when I moved to Japan. The alerts I got were extremely helpful, and I will now use the service when I travel overseas.

And regarding the privacy concern - I would think the government knows where you are if you use your passport to enter a country or purchase a plane ticket. Heck, even Google knows when I have an upcoming flight and where I am going.