The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a service provided by the U.S. Department of State for U.S. citizens and nationals traveling and living abroad to enroll their trip with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
[1] For the next stage in the enrollment process, the itinerary for each specific trip can be entered on the website.
Information which can be entered includes arrival and departure dates, destination country, closest embassy or consulate, purpose of visit, and emergency contact information.
[2][3] This particular benefit can be obtained without enrolling in STEP, by proactively checking and filtering the full alert list issued by the U.S. Department of State.
Itinerary and contact information filled in by STEP enrollees, can also be used by the U.S. Department of State to help locate persons in case of an emergency, and can also help with issues such as the replacement of lost or stolen passports.