In February 2026, I made a trip to Porto, Portugal, for the second time. It’s one of those cities where I’m not from there, but I know my way around.
I had only been there a week when the U.S. launched strikes on Iran. My feed was quickly filled with scary war updates, and the story was all over CNN International.
I remember sitting at the kitchen table of my Airbnb, which was just two blocks from the famous Church of Saint Ildefonso. While scrolling through some work emails, I was enjoying a mid-afternoon café with a delicious pastel de nata (ok, two). I had just returned from a quick little stroll around my neighborhood, happy as a clam.
And then came the alert from the U.S. State Department.
“Security Alert: Worldwide Caution - February 28, 2026” in the subject line.
So much for a relaxing afternoon.
I closed my eyes and let out a deep, frustrated sigh. The fucking world at war. Again. And I’m not even in my own home.
Even though it seemed like a glorified email list (and maybe what conspiracy theorists would call the government spying on you), receiving those STEP alerts kept my mind from spiraling. They knew where I was.
Rewind to March 2023: I was approaching my long-awaited, post-divorce solo trip to Portugal. And my to-do list seemed absolutely never-ending.
I was just weeks away from leaving. Eventually, my list dwindled while my anxiety levels rose. Being away from home for this long was foreign territory for me…literally.
What if I got sick? What if my wallet got lost or stolen? What if there was a terrorist attack? Does Portugal get hurricanes? (spoken like a true Floridian)
My mind was racing with all the doomsday scenarios. One night, I found myself doing some doomscrolling on TikTok to avoid a downward mental spiral. Thankfully, I came across a post that made me feel instantly dumber AND made me a smarter solo traveler all at the same time. In that video that the algorithm so kindly blessed me with, I learned about the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).
I secretly felt so stupid that I hadn’t known about this program before, and I can’t tell you the number of times I had traveled out of the U.S. without opting in to it. When I was freshly divorced and needing to take care of pretty critical things like updating my emergency contact info and leaving my travel itinerary with trusted family members, there really wasn’t an excuse to whiff.
Turns out I wasn't alone. Most women I talk to have never heard of it either.
From that moment on, I’ve never forgotten to enroll in STEP for each of my solo trips abroad. There’s only been ONE time I’ve almost slipped up and forgotten to enroll. In May 2025, I was heading to Panama City, Panama, and almost missed my flight because of an accident on the way to the airport. While sweating out the clock in my Uber, my brain was quietly screaming at me that I had forgotten to do something. And it was that. Fortunately, I made my flight (barely), got enrolled after I arrived at my Airbnb in Panama City, and could finally move on to way more fun things like booking my tour to see the Panama Canal.
See, even the most seasoned traveler fucks up sometimes.
No matter how busy I get, how long my to-do list is, or how far I’m going, it will always be a top priority.
The truth is, nobody's sitting next to you to notice if something's off. And no one back home is tracking your every move (well, hopefully!). When you’re on your own with no partner or friend to have your back, you need to build your own safety net on purpose.
Back then, I felt so embarrassed that I had spent weeks sweating over mundane pre-trip to-do tasks like making a last-minute hair appointment and obsessing over my bag weight. Yet, the thing that actually mattered took one TikTok and a quick 5-minute form. We tend to obsess over the vanity shit you see on Instagram, which truly isn’t important, and skip the boring thing that could keep us safer.
That’s why every woman traveling solo to another country should enroll in STEP. Every trip. No excuses.
And if you ever find yourself in a pickle in a foreign country, the State Department has 24/7 numbers for Americans who need help: +1-202-501-4444 from abroad and +1-888-407-4747 from the U.S. and Canada.
After that afternoon in Porto, I decided to quit making fun of the old clichés like “better safe than sorry”… and then quickly switched from a café to a glass of Vinho Verde.
So be honest: have you ever left the country without enrolling?