Cairo ? Foreign governments stepped up their warnings Sunday about travel to Egypt, with several urging their citizens to evacuate as soon as possible amid uncertainty over where the Arab nation is headed after nearly a week of mass protests.

The fears of foreign tourists mirrored those of many Egyptians. Dozens with the means to do so rented jets or hopped aboard their own planes in a mad dash that did little to boost confidence in the future of a country long viewed as a pillar of stability in a restive region. Those leaving included businessmen and celebrities.

The United States, Canada, Switzerland, Turkey and the Netherlands issued advisories encouraging nationals already in Egypt to leave and telling those who planned trips there to reconsider. The U.S. Embassy in Cairo said it was making arrangements to transport Americans who want to leave to “safe haven locations in Europe.” Flights would begin today.

Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Janice Jacobs said it will take several flights in the coming days to accommodate all Americans who want to leave.

Jacobs, who is in charge of consular affairs, said the U.S. may also send planes to other cities in Egypt, such as Luxor, if there are a number of Americans stranded there. Americans taking the charter will be billed for the flight and must make their own travel arrangements home from Europe.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said its charter flights will begin as early as today to fly Canadians who wish to leave to locations in Europe.

A growing number of countries — including China, Australia, France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Russia and Poland — warned against travel to most, if not all, of Egypt. Arab nations, including Iraq, either sent in jets or offered to do so.

“If I had a visa to anywhere, I’d join them. But that’s not going to happen,” said Mohammed Khaled, a 28-year-old Egyptian doctor. “Right now, I’d settle for a gun, but I can’t even find one of those.”

Surging lawlessness on the streets after the much-reviled police essentially melted away prompted neighbors to form armed patrols. But crowds of men armed with shovels, sticks, clubs, chains, guns and even whips did little to project an image of stability.

Compounding the problem was a continued Internet outage after the government cut off service Friday to undercut protesters’ ability to organize demonstrations against President Hosni Mubarak.

U.S. Embassy officials said they were unable to send text message alerts — which have been blocked nationwide since late Thursday — complicating efforts to distribute advisories.