Spring Break
The Daily OrangeColumn: Enjoy break, but litter in Mexico and go to jail
By Steve Krakauer
Posted: 3/9/06, 2:22 AM EST Section: Opinion
Within the next couple days, thousands of college students will be en route to their spring break destinations. The girls will commence in going wild; the guys will keep busy raising their blood alcohol level beyond their GPAs. Hell, the girls will be doing that too.
But alcohol-induced stupidity is not the only thing to be careful about on spring break. In fact, the U.S. State Department has offered words of caution. Its annual report of spring break warnings was released earlier this month. This resource should not be ignored by any student leaving the country for spring break.
It is important to note, in advance of traveling, some differences between the United States and the paradises students are about to invade. When you're downing your fourth tequila sunrise, you probably won't be worrying about how, in Mexico, you can be thrown in jail for littering. But you can.
You could also be arrested for making obscene remarks to police, drinking in public or leaving a taxi without paying. While these may seem like common sense, it doesn't hurt to be aware of all the ways you could exchange your hotel room for a jail cell.
The report goes on to list individual cities and warnings for each, in Mexico and the Bahamas. It also lists specific differences between U.S. law and law in other countries, and gives the numbers for the U.S. embassies in each country, in case any legal trouble should arise.
Maybe spring breakers who don't plan on simply spending their vacation with a good book by the pool should keep these handy just in case: U.S. Embassy to Mexico - (01-55) 5080-2000, US Embassy to the Bahamas - (242) 322-1181.
Notably absent is a report about Aruba, considering the current push for extreme spring break safety stems from the Natalee Holloway Effect.
"There is definitely a heightened awareness (due to Holloway's disappearance)," said Laura Tischler, spokesperson for the U.S. State Consular Affairs. "There is an increased outreach to college students this year."
Ever since Holloway vanished in late May, her story has captivated the nation (well, at least Greta van Susteran). The State Department, which surely has larger issues to worry about, certainly wants to avoid another Holloway situation, and warning college students is probably a good public relations move.
It is this desperate need to ensure all American students make their way home that led the State Department to turn their tone from helpful information into scare tactics.
These are no travel tips from mom and dad. "Over 100,000 American teenagers and young adults travel to resort areas throughout Mexico over spring break each year," the Mexico report said. "While the vast majority enjoy their vacations without incident, several may die, hundreds will be arrested and still more will make mistakes that could affect them for the rest of their lives."
So … go enjoy your vacation?
What's important to remember is that the cute adage "what happens on spring break stays on spring break" doesn't really apply in many instances.
If you happen to have contracted some venereal disease on spring break, it certainly will be joining you back to the States. Or if you slept with your best friend's significant other, that drama will probably be coming home with you too.
And if you're arrested for some reason, well, you may never come back at all.
With that said, be safe no matter where you go this spring break. But as long as you follow the law, the biggest problem you'll face is where you left your shorts the night before.
But alcohol-induced stupidity is not the only thing to be careful about on spring break. In fact, the U.S. State Department has offered words of caution. Its annual report of spring break warnings was released earlier this month. This resource should not be ignored by any student leaving the country for spring break.
It is important to note, in advance of traveling, some differences between the United States and the paradises students are about to invade. When you're downing your fourth tequila sunrise, you probably won't be worrying about how, in Mexico, you can be thrown in jail for littering. But you can.
You could also be arrested for making obscene remarks to police, drinking in public or leaving a taxi without paying. While these may seem like common sense, it doesn't hurt to be aware of all the ways you could exchange your hotel room for a jail cell.
The report goes on to list individual cities and warnings for each, in Mexico and the Bahamas. It also lists specific differences between U.S. law and law in other countries, and gives the numbers for the U.S. embassies in each country, in case any legal trouble should arise.
Maybe spring breakers who don't plan on simply spending their vacation with a good book by the pool should keep these handy just in case: U.S. Embassy to Mexico - (01-55) 5080-2000, US Embassy to the Bahamas - (242) 322-1181.
Notably absent is a report about Aruba, considering the current push for extreme spring break safety stems from the Natalee Holloway Effect.
"There is definitely a heightened awareness (due to Holloway's disappearance)," said Laura Tischler, spokesperson for the U.S. State Consular Affairs. "There is an increased outreach to college students this year."
Ever since Holloway vanished in late May, her story has captivated the nation (well, at least Greta van Susteran). The State Department, which surely has larger issues to worry about, certainly wants to avoid another Holloway situation, and warning college students is probably a good public relations move.
It is this desperate need to ensure all American students make their way home that led the State Department to turn their tone from helpful information into scare tactics.
These are no travel tips from mom and dad. "Over 100,000 American teenagers and young adults travel to resort areas throughout Mexico over spring break each year," the Mexico report said. "While the vast majority enjoy their vacations without incident, several may die, hundreds will be arrested and still more will make mistakes that could affect them for the rest of their lives."
So … go enjoy your vacation?
What's important to remember is that the cute adage "what happens on spring break stays on spring break" doesn't really apply in many instances.
If you happen to have contracted some venereal disease on spring break, it certainly will be joining you back to the States. Or if you slept with your best friend's significant other, that drama will probably be coming home with you too.
And if you're arrested for some reason, well, you may never come back at all.
With that said, be safe no matter where you go this spring break. But as long as you follow the law, the biggest problem you'll face is where you left your shorts the night before.
Steve Krakauer is a senior broadcast journalism major. His columns appear weekly in The Daily Orange, and you can email him at sakrakau@syr.edu.
