The escalating military strikes in the Middle East by the United States have transformed some of the world’s most desirable travel destinations into dangerous, anxiety-filled airspaces, leaving thousands of travelers stranded and searching for a way home.
Since February 28, 2026, when the first airstrikes targeting Iran were coordinated by the United States and Israel, more than 13,000 flights have been canceled. Major airport hubs, including those in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Israel, and Kuwait, have closed amid fears of missile and drone attacks.
As the conflict intensified, the U.S. government began issuing urgent travel warnings. On March 2, the U.S. State Department released a rare worldwide caution, followed by an urgent “DEPART NOW” advisory for more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries, signaling that the situation represents more than routine travel turbulence. Instead, it reflects a major and rapidly evolving shift in regional security.
In the days since the initial strikes and warnings, travelers have turned to social media to share their experiences navigating the unfolding crisis. Posts detail everything from being advised to shelter in place to feeling left to navigate evacuation logistics on their own while awaiting guidance from American embassies.
Among those caught in the early stages of the disruption was social media influencer and podcast host, Oliver Sims, whose February 28 trip from India placed him directly in the path of the unfolding conflict during a connecting flight in Doha, Qatar. Sims tells ESSENCE he was about an hour into his flight from Doha to Dallas, Texas, when a sudden route change forced the aircraft to return to its departure airport.
“I received a notification that said the U.S. and Israel began air strikes on Iran. Following this, the plane turned west over Saudi Arabia, and I thought we were in the clear until 20 minutes passed, when the captain said that “the company” had ordered the plane to turn back to Doha due to airspace restrictions and a military conflict. Once we landed, things felt eerie because the airspace was closed and there were absurdly long lines to get our hotel information,” Sims says.
In the immediate aftermath of the rerouting, Sims and other passengers were placed in temporary accommodations while airlines and officials assessed the situation. Sims spent the next seven days in a hotel in Doha. He says he enrolled in STEPS (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program) immediately, but aside from standard safety alerts, he received little direct assistance or direction from the U.S. Embassy.
“I also contacted the U.S. embassy multiple times,” he says. “They answered my calls, but had to hang up to answer others. It seemed like they were short-staffed.”
He adds, “I encountered long wait times for calls and to have calls returned, and much confusion when seeking help. After calling the number the government provided, I was told they didn’t have a plan in place yet, which didn’t make sense. When I was given guidance on evacuation options, the two options were to take a bus to Saudi Arabia or to take a chartered flight in two days to get to Europe.”
While official guidance appeared slow to materialize and chaotic, Sims says his interactions with local residents offered a very different experience. Despite the tense geopolitical backdrop, he describes moments of kindness and practical support from people in Doha.
During his time there, Sims says his engagement with locals stood in stark contrast to the global headlines dominating the news. Although he occasionally heard jokes about the crisis being “your country’s fault,” he said he never felt ostracized because he was American, and some of the most helpful advice he received came from residents.
“I befriended a few Qatari locals who offered much advice and even shared their options for leaving the area if it came to it,” he says.
As stories like Sims’s circulated online, pressure mounted on the U.S. government to provide clearer evacuation options. On Tuesday, March 3, following the initial advisory, the State Department said it was “facilitating charter flights from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan for American citizens, and will continue to secure additional capacity as security conditions allow,” according to The New York Times.
The outlet also reported that the State Department said “9,000 Americans” had already returned from the affected areas and that officials were “assisting nearly 3,000 Americans who had reached out for assistance,” primarily through commercial flights departing from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Egypt.
Even with those efforts underway, travelers were also encouraged to leave “independently” if possible.
For Sims, his eventual path home came not through a government evacuation plan but through airline assistance. Qatar Airways had a representative stationed in its hotel lobby around the clock, providing updates and helping stranded passengers navigate rebooking options. Seven days later, the airline secured him a flight to London, bringing him one step closer to returning home.
The U.S. government has faced criticism for what some travelers describe as a slow response in establishing a clear evacuation strategy for citizens in the region. Addressing the situation during a March 3 press conference, President Trump said, “It happened all very quickly.”
For Sims, however, the experience left lingering concerns about how effectively embassies communicated with Americans abroad, particularly those still waiting for assistance.
Looking ahead, the long-term impact on travel to the region remains uncertain. Although some flights have begun to resume, aviation experts say it can take months for routes to fully stabilize after conflicts disrupt major air corridors.
As a result, destinations once considered safe gateways and bucket-list cities, including Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi, now carry a level of uncertainty that is prompting travelers like Sims to reconsider their plans.
“This experience does not deter me from traveling to or through the Middle East in the long term,“ he says, mentioning the kind people and clean, pristine streets of Doha. “However, I will avoid it in the short term, or for as long as this conflict lasts.”