Kara Richardson had been looking forward to mid-March.
The Georgia-based travel content creator had mapped out a trip to Orange County, California, where she planned to attend the Overland Expo. However, in the days leading up to her flight, a cascade of headlines – from geopolitical tensions to airport disruptions – began to chip away at her confidence in traveling at all.
After reading reports that the FBI had warned California authorities of a potential attack by Iran on the West Coast – though the agency said it did not have substantial verified intelligence to back the claim up – she decided not to go.
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“It spooked me enough that I was like, I think I'm just going to sit this one out,” the 42-year-old told USA TODAY.
