The State Department has issued a travel alert for all of Europe. So, should anyone and everyone planning to travel to Europe this summer cancel plans?
No, says travel guru Rick Steves. In a blog post, he noted:
This is a travel “alert,” not a “warning.” The State Department reserves “warnings” for serious business: It means, essentially, “Don’t go there.” But an “alert” just means “Be careful.” …
Isolated terrorist events — 2004 in Madrid, 2005 in London, 2012 in Boston, 2015 in Paris — are as tragic as they are impossible to predict. With this alert, the State Department is simply confirming something we already knew: Going forward, it’s possible that there will be more terrorist events in Europe (just as it’s possible here in the United States).
Of course, experts made a similar argument after a deadly attack in Paris in November.