The US government has warned citizens ‘against travel’ to a major tourist destination ‘for any reason’.

The US Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela released an urgent warning on its website on May 27.

The release urges US citizens not to travel to the country ‘for any reason’ and to also ‘avoid Venezuelan borders with Colombia, Brazil and Guyana’.

The State Department has warned against travel to Venezuela for years – the country’s Travel Advisory level at the highest level of four – with March 2019 seeing the temporary suspension of operations of the US Embassy in Caracas and withdrawal of diplomatic personnel.

However, with more US nationals having been wrongfully detained in the country, the department has ramped up its alert.

Diplomatic personnel left the US embassy in Caracas in 2019 (Lokman Ilhan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

The ‘severe risks’ facing US citizens in Venezuela

In a release shared earlier this week, the US government detailed the ‘severe risks’ which citizens face should they travel to the country.

The risks include:

• Wrongful detention
• Torture in detention
• Terrorism
• Kidnapping
• Arbitrary enforcement of local laws
• Crime
• Civil unrest
• Poor health infrastructure

The alert alleges ‘more US nationals are currently wrongfully detained in Venezuela than in any other country’.

“Other foreign nationals in Venezuela are also frequently unjustly detained,” it adds.

It states US citizens ‘may be unjustly charged with terrorism or other serious crimes and detained for long periods’ drawing on examples which have seen citizens ‘detained upon arrival at land borders, airports, and maritime ports of entry.’

It adds: “Venezuelan authorities do not inform the US government of the detention of US citizens and the US government is not able to visit those citizens. Venezuelan authorities do not allow detained US citizens to contact family members or private attorneys.”

But what about any US citizens currently in Venezuela?

US citizens have been urged not to travel to Venezuela (Getty Stock Images)

Details for US citizens currently in Venezuela

The government explains there ‘is no US embassy or consulate operating in Venezuela’ and it ‘cannot provide routine or emergency consular services to US citizens in Venezuela’.

It ultimately advises: “There is no safe way for Americans to travel to Venezuela.

“[…] The US Department of State recommends that all US citizens in Venezuela leave immediately.”

It also notes citizens shouldn’t go near any of the Venezuelan borders with ‘Colombia, Brazil, and Guyana’ either – which ‘are not clearly marked in many locations’.

“Do not go near the border due to the risk of crossing into Venezuela accidentally and being detained,” it adds.

The US has issued an urgent ‘do not travel’ warning for two countries amid increased political unrest and even risk to life.

While it’s great to experience new countries and cultures by traveling the world, even seasoned veterans need to keep in mind places that are not safe to visit.

I mean, people like Drew Binsky, who has traveled to every single country in the world, managed to travel such countries unharmed – but the official advice from the US is to avoid these visiting these two particular nations.

The State Department has issued a ‘do not travel’ warning to parts of Colombia amid increased risk of ‘violent crime’ and ‘terrorism‘.

“Do not travel to these areas for any reason. Violent crime, like armed robbery and murder, is common in these locations. Terrorist groups are active in some areas here,” the department states on its website.

The Venezuela-Colombia border (SCHNEYDER MENDOZA/AFP via Getty Images)

“Due to the risks, U.S. government employees working in Colombia are prohibited from traveling to these areas.”

While some regions are in the ‘reconsider travel’ category, the State Department advises against visiting Arauca, Cauca, and the Colombia-Venezuela border because of crime.

The department added: “Violent crime, like murder, assault, and robbery, is common in many areas in Colombia. In some places, organized crime is rampant. This includes extortion, robbery, and kidnapping.

“There is risk of terrorist violence, including terrorist attacks and other activity, in Colombia.”

The department also stated that US nationals that have entered Colombia without a visa have faced ‘terrorism charges’, which has led to them being held for ‘long periods’.

Burkina Faso is another nation the US government advises against all travel due to a ‘terrorism, crime, and kidnapping’ risk.

The landlocked country based in West Africa has an estimated population of 23 million, and its one of the least developed nations in the world.

The US has advised against all travel to Burkina Faso (Getty Stock Photo)

Issuing a warnings to travelers thinking of paying Burkina Faso a visit, the State Department said: “Do not travel to Burkina Faso for any reason due to terrorism, crime, and kidnapping.

“Terrorist organizations continue to plan and conduct terrorist activities throughout Burkina Faso.”

They continued: “The threat of kidnapping remains persistent throughout Burkina Faso, including in Ouagadougou and especially in the Sahel and East regions.

“Due to the risks, the U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in most of the country. U.S. government employees working in Burkina Faso are prohibited from traveling to regions outside the capital due to security concerns.”

A travel content creator has detailed an incredible hack that lets you go almost twice the length of the US for less than $180.

Rob Adcock, from the UK, has garnered thousands of followers on the likes of TikTok and Instagram for his incredible travel adventures on a budget.

His TikTok account, @robdidatiktok, has a ton of videos for those seeking to get on holiday without breaking the bank.

And in one viral clip, Rob spoke about how you can get to the Maldives for under $180; well, £133 to be exact, which is just over $178.

To put that into context, the distance between the UK, where Rob is based, and the Maldives is around 5,500 miles.

2,800 miles makes up the distance between the west and east coast of the US – meaning you can travel nearly double the length of the States for less than $180.

Rob is the king of travel deals (Rob Adcock)

So, how on earth did Rob find this incredible deal?

He explained to UNILAD: “So I am pathetic and the fact most people find productive things to do with their free time, I’m the kind of person that will jump on Skyscanner and will flick through and see what I can find.”

Skyscanner is a search aggregator site that allows you to find the cheapest flight from any given airport and date.

“What I do is I just go on United Kingdom and click [final destination] to ‘everywhere’ and it will just rank all the places you can go to for how much,” Rob added.

“It [Maldives] popped up and it was like 130 quid, it was ridiculous. How on earth is it that cheap?

“With that one it was just a series of really cheap flight back to back.”

In May 2023, Rob found a flight from London Gatwick to Naples for the stellar deal of £21 ($28), before flying from the Italian city to Abu Dhabi the next day for £39 ($52).

The final part of the trip sees you catch a flight from Abu Dhabi to Malé, the capital of the Maldives, for £73 ($98) – making a grand total of $178.

It’s worth noting this doesn’t include return flights, but this is surely one of the most incredible travel deals heard of.

The Maldives for $180?! Incredible (Getty Stock Photo)

Rob is the king of travel deals and detailed some of his biggest tips to take advantage of some incredible deals.

“There are loads of little tricks you can do that can get you some money back,” the travel content creator added.

“For example, Hotels.com, there’s a deal where whenever you book ten nights in a hotel you can get one night free.

“Let’s say you were going away for two weeks and you book it through Hotels.com, once you get back, you will get a free night stay.”

Rob also spoke about how many cashback sites offer up to 10 per cent on cashback for hotel stays, which could then be used to fund further trips.

Whatever your plans, there are certainly many incredible holiday deals out there.

Happy hunting!

After a 16-year-old boy died in what is believed to be a caffeine overdose, a warning has been given to others about drinking too much of those products.

Most people have a caffeinated drink every day, and maybe even two or three – maybe four or more.

It all depends on the day, whether you need stress-relief or more energy throughout the day.

However, there are hidden dangers when consuming too much, which could cost you your life.

As was the case of Allen Cripe.

How did Davis Allen Cripe die?

Cripe died in 2017 from a caffeine overdose two hours after drinking caffeine-fueled soft drinks, coffee and an energy drink, as per a South Carolina coroner.

Gary Watts, the coroner in question, told a press conference just one month after his heart gave out.

“On this particular day within the two hours prior to his death, we know had consumed a large diet Mountain Dew, a café latte from McDonalds and also some type of energy drink,” Watts said. “It was so much caffeine at the time of his death that it caused his arrhythmia.”

While it could be speculated that Cripe had an undiagnosed heart issue, which was exacerbated by his caffeine consumption, that was not the case.

“The autopsy was performed and there was nothing there to indicate any type of… undiagnosed heart condition,” Watts said.

Watts has been very open about his thoughts on caffeine drinks, even sharing how he warns others to steer clear.

“These drinks can be very dangerous,” Watts said. “I’m telling my friends and family don’t drink them.”

What is a caffeine overdose?

A caffeine overdose occurs when a person’s intake of caffeine is more than the recommended amount, causing a range of harmful symptoms and even death in some cases.

Allen Cripe died two hours after consuming caffeinated drinks (Family Handout)

Caffeine essentially prompts the release of natural compounds called catecholamines, including norepinephrine.

Norepinephrine is a stress hormone that can speed the heart rate.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the recommended amount of caffeine is up to 400 milligrams each day for healthy adults.

Adolescents should have no more than 100 mg of caffeine per day, and pregnant women should limit their daily intake to less than 200 mg of caffeine per day.

If a person ingests more than this amount, you could expect to experience these symptoms:

· dizziness

· diarrhea

· increased thirst

· insomnia

· headache

· fever

· irritability

For a more serious overdose, which requires medical intervention, you might expect to see or feel trouble with breathing, vomiting, hallucinations, confusion, chest pain, irregular or fast heartbeat, uncontrollable muscle movements and convulsions.

A caffeine overdose can be life-threatening in the most severe cases, and it can even cause things including an irregular heartbeat and seizures.

A caffeine overdose can cause a wide range of dangerous symptoms (Getty stock images)

What have experts said about caffeine overdosing?

Of course, Watts has been very open about this topic, particularly when it comes to warning friends and family of the dangers of the drinks.

But he also understands that people may not be too aware of the dangers.

“I realize this is a controversial scenario,” Watts added. “There are are obviously people that don’t think this can happen — that you can have this arrhythmia caused by caffeine.”

Watts said he hoped the case would help to prevent more deaths by caffeine overdoses.

“The purpose here today is not to slam Mountain Dew, not to slam cafe lattes, or energy drinks. But what we want to do is to make people understand that these drinks — this amount of caffeine, how it’s ingested, can have dire consequences. And that’s what happened in this case,” Watts said.

The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) warned against children and teenagers consuming energy drinks, saying ‘no-one can ensure they are safe’ as the ingredients have not been tested on children.

It also says they have side-effects, including irregular heartbeats and blood pressure changes.

If you think you might be having a caffeine overdose, it’s important to call for immediate help if you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed as severe in the above section.