The US government shut down on October 1st. How will this affect travel?
On October 1st, the US government was required to shut down due to the failure of Congress to pass funding legislation. This is the first shutdown since 1996, which lasted nearly a month. 'Essential' functions will still be performed, including customs, airports, and Amtrack. Everything else, including all sites managed by the National Park Service, are now closed. What effect will it have on travel plans?
Reply to this US government shut down has many implications on travel. One cannot go to national parks, zoos or museums as they would be closed. Besides this, monuments, US Capitol building and white House tours will also be disrupted. Travelers hoping to visit American Cemetery sites located outside US will also be affected. It is therefore pertinent to check the official websites of your travel destination before making any plans. If you want to travel overseas and don’t have a passport, you may have to say goodbye to it as you will not be able to get that in time. Travel visas to U.S. are being processed as the State Department remains operational. Similarly, Travel visas from the U.S. for other countries are handled by Consular Services of those governments and hence tourist visas will be processed on time. Nevertheless, one can move into and around US in flights as air traffic control and airport security staff are still functioning. Similarly rail networks aren’t facing any disruption, so travelers can still travel by trains.
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