Officials issue travel warnings for spring breakers

Many students at the University of Northern Iowa look forward to the third week in March. On March 12 many students will travel across the country and around the globe to enjoy spring break.

According to VisitFlorida.com, more than 80 million people traveled to Florida last year. Mexico, Hawaii and the Dominican Republic followed as the most popular destination for spring break in 2009.

Spring break can be a chance for many students to relax and let loose, but travel safety is something that is commonly overlooked.  In the month of February, the U.S. Department of State issued a travel warning and a travel alert for both Mexico and Haiti.

Mexico was put on the travel alert list Feb. 22 due to the increased security threat for travelers. Violent crimes and demonstrations have been on the rise, and the United States Embassy urges travelers not to make any unnecessary trips.

Powerful drug cartels are another reason the State Department has issued the warning. The warning explains, "Drug cartels and associated criminal elements have retaliated violently against individuals who speak out against them or whom they otherwise view as a threat to their organization."

The State Department has also published a guide specifically for spring break travelers going to Mexico called "Know Before You Go." In the guide, cities such as Cancun, Cabo San Lucas and Acapulco are only a few of the places that the State Department views as potentially dangerous cities for spring break travelers.

"I'm not too worried about the warnings," said Ben Hammann, a sophomore who will be traveling to Cancun. "I'm going to relax and have fun, so I think getting into trouble is the last thing I'll be doing."

But many students at UNI including Taylor Kelly, a junior business major, plan on staying within the country for spring break.

"My friends and I are going to Panama City," he said. "It's going to be a blast. We knew it was an awesome place to go for break and we're definitely going to have a good time."

But staying in the country still means students should be careful. The Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco reported more than 5,000 underage drinking arrests during the span of four weeks in March and April of 2004. This was the worst year in the number of arrests, and this number has declined to 800 in 2008. The agency also reported that more than 1,000 fake IDs were confiscated last year.

In a report from the Los Angeles Times, Panama City and Daytona Beach were the top two places for arrests in Florida during spring break.