Post-midterm spring break trips are a tradition among undergraduates. Although these beach vacations are often harmless, many see such an influx of reckless college students as an easy target for crime. While having fun next week, keep these safety tips in mind to protect yourself!

Trip Planning and Research:

• Thoroughly plan your trip by researching your destination (especially travel warnings). Book a reputable hotel and find reliable transportation.
• Make sure your family knows where you’re going and when you’ll return.
• If traveling abroad, make sure you have the right documents, immunizations, and medical insurance. Don’t pack flashy valuables and try not to stand out as a tourist. 

Fun and Activities:

• Keep your hotel safe by never admitting strangers and keeping personal information, such as where you’re staying, secret from people you don’t know. Lock up valuables.
• Visit ATMs in groups and be wary of any suspicious people hanging around. Don’t carry too much cash at once, and keep smaller bills rather than larger ones.
• Avoid sun poisoning and sun stroke by remaining hydrated, lathering on SPF, and avoiding the outdoors in the hottest part of the day.
• Most importantly, do not drink if you are underage. If it is legal for you to drink, be responsible: intoxication greatly increases your risk of victimization.

Common Sense Safety:

• Trust your instincts and be aware of your surroundings.
• Always look confident–even if you are lost–so you don’t resemble easy prey for criminals.

 That said, you don’t have to be paranoid during your trip. It’s a vacation after all! If you remain aware and informed, it should be a trip to remember (in a good way).

Tags: alcohol, crime, safety, spring break

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 1st, 2012 at 6:42 pm and is filed under Crime Safety Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.