[Jemian]

As was noted earlier, missionaries. Also, the advice about looking to the State Department to help save you is ludicrous to the point of being counter-productive. Any American who travels outside the borders of the US needs to realize that they are on their own. Your civil rights stop at the border, your freedoms stop at the border and your military is not necessarily going to be there to save you if you get in trouble. You need to make your own plans, make your own contacts and be aware of what is happening.

Sometimes, people get caught on the wrong side of the border when war breaks out. If State is there and can help, great, but if not, you are on your own.

[angkor]

"You need to make your own plans, make your own contacts and be aware of what is happening.... If State is there and can help, great, but if not, you are on your own."

Good advice, and unfortunately not understood by many Americans who are new to traveling abroad.

State has very, very limited abilities to do anything outside the bureaucratic mission, and playing Big Daddy is not within their area of responsibility.

I have seen them go above and beyond the call (guaranteeing the hospital bills for an acquaintance who'd gotten food poisoning and gone comatose from dehydration), but it's unusual.

Outside of Western civilization, you pretty much have to live on your own wits.