Since students generally spend time away from campus during spring break, experts advise student travelers to use extra caution when traveling domestically or abroad.
LSU Police Captain Mark Shaw offers a number of suggestions to travelers leaving Baton Rouge for the break.
“Crime prevention is essentially the same regardless of where you may be,” Shaw said. “When traveling, pay extra attention to your surroundings.”
Shaw gives the following tips to ensure a safe and fun vacation:
-Be sure to travel with someone you know. Plan activities with friends so that if problems occur, you will not be alone.
-Familiarize yourself with the area where you are staying. Know the location of hospitals and law enforcement.
-Use good judgment in the decisions you make, especially with alcohol. Do not overindulge.
-Be careful about taking food or drinks from strangers.
-Travel with as few valuables as possible. “If you are going to the beach, you do not need to wear your most expensive jewelry,” Shaw said.
-Be cautious about using credit cards, especially on transactions requiring a PIN number. Travelers checks generally are safer and can be replaced if they are lost or stolen.
-Carry identification at all times. If you have a medical condition, be sure that your fellow travelers are aware of it and have medical identification as well.
-Most importantly, let someone back home know where you are traveling and how to reach you. “Some students simply leave town without telling their parents about where they are going,” Shaw said. Be sure to have a contact back home in case of emergencies.
Anson Trahan, an English junior, says he never has problems traveling during the break, especially since he never travels alone.
“I have a group of friends, and we always cover each other’s back,” Trahan said. “Make sure you’re with someone you trust.”
Students going to foreign countries during the break should exercise additional care.
Possession of illegal substances has caused severe problems for student travelers in the past.
According to the U.S. State Department Web site, “each year, more than 2,500 American citizens are arrested abroad — about half on narcotics charges, including possession of very small amounts of illegal substances.”
The Web site adds some travelers, especially younger ones, “are victimized because they may be unaware of the laws, customs, or standards of the country they are visiting.”
Since ignorance of foreign country’s laws or a traveler’s American citizenship do not guarantee immunity from punishment, the State Department encourages student travelers to “avoid risky behavior and become familiar with the basic laws and customs of the country you plan to visit before you travel.”
The State Department also gives other general advice for travelers:
-Know the location of the U.S. Consular Agency or Embassy in the country to which you are traveling.
-Always carry proof of citizenship in a safe place. While some neighboring countries do not require a current passport, they will require a certified U.S. birth certificate, naturalization certificate, consular report of birth abroad, or other proofs of citizenship. Regardless of what is required, all documentation should be current.
-Extra cash, a credit card or travelers checks should be brought in case of emergencies, but kept in a safe place.
For more information, visit http://travel.state.gov.