College Life
Student Feature
Student Success
A safe spring break is a fun spring break!
Spring break has been sensationalized in the media for decades. The TV shows we watched would dedicate entire storylines to the occasion, where we’d watch our favorite characters embrace their week of freedom by jetting off to lavish places and letting loose. The trip would of course go terribly wrong, some situations silly and some extremely dangerous, and then the characters would come home to resume their everyday life as if nothing happened.
Most of these storylines were created to show us the realities of what can happen on spring break and what not to do, but they rarely ever showed the preventative safety measures we should take to have a safe and fun week.
But don’t fret fellow spring breaker! Before you jet off to your lavish spot for the week, go over this list of ten ways for you to have a safe spring break this year.
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1. Share your travel plans with loved ones.
Due to the stressors in our life, our generation likes to make jokes and memes about flying off to an undisclosed location where you’re unreachable, but the idea isn’t as appealing if you find yourself stranded somewhere and none of your loved ones know where you are.
Taking extra precautions by sharing your current location and itinerary with your friends and family adds another level of safety to your travels. If you end up somewhere that isn’t on your itinerary, and they aren’t able to get ahold of you, they’ll be able to keep track of where you are through your location dot on the map. On iPhone, you can even set it up to notify certain people when you arrive at or leave a location.
It’ll provide peace of mind to those close to you, and it’s always fun to watch someone’s location dot moving throughout the map when they’re on the opposite side of the world!
2. Be aware of your surroundings.
Whether you’re vacationing in a new place, or somewhere you’ve been a hundred times before, it's vital to stay vigilant of what’s happening around you.
Survey the crowd, don’t wear headphones, or at the very least, don’t blast music through your headphones so loudly that your hearing is impaired. And most importantly, trust your instincts. If you feel unsafe, leave.
3. Stranger Danger.
Some strangers are extremely kind and have good intentions, however, you can never be too careful. If you’re traveling solo, never let a stranger know you’re alone, or go off with them by yourself. If you feel like you’re being followed, call 911 or go into the nearest open establishment to ask for help.
4. Watch your drinks.
I think it’s safe to say most of us appreciate free things, but not everyone has good intentions in their offerings. If someone offers to buy you a drink, decline, or order it yourself, and watch your drink be made and served to you.
If you need to step away for a second, ask a friend to hold your drink for you or ask for a new one when you come back.
Even with these precautions, things can still happen. If you feel that your drink has been tampered with, tell the person you are traveling with. If you are alone, alert the management of the establishment you’re in and seek medical attention as quickly as possible. Check out this article by Lifeline Treatment Center for additional helpful steps to take if you think you’ve been drugged.
5. Use the buddy system.
Remember when you were in elementary school and your teacher sent you and a buddy together to deliver something to another teacher? You can still implement that system in your adult life.
If you’re traveling with someone else, take them with you. Whether it’s somewhere as simple as the bathroom or the store to get some snacks, go together, and make a trip out of it! With both of you looking out for each other, you’ll both have an extra pair of eyes monitoring your surroundings and another layer of security.
6. Utilize contactless payment.
Things can get lost throughout the rush of traveling or stolen from right under your nose, especially wallets. In the event of this happening, consider going contactless with your payment methods!
For iPhones, you can add any cards you use to your wallet app so you can use your phone to pay with Apple Pay, and for Androids, you can use Google Pay. It’s quicker than inputting the pin of a card, and cleaner because you only have to hover your phone over the screen instead of touching the pin pad.
7. Carry cash.
This sounds like it’s going against the previous step, but hear me out. While we are turning into a cashless society, you never know if your wallet or phone will go missing and you’ll need to freeze all your bank cards.
You may come across cash-only places, so it's always smart to have cash on hand while traveling. This will ensure that you’ll still be able to buy your essentials like food and gas or take care of any unexpected expenses while you’re getting your missing goods sorted out.
8. Charge up.
Time flies when you’re having fun, and so does your battery percentage! Make sure your phone is always charged before you go out to explore just in case you need to get ahold of someone, or someone needs to get ahold of you.
Even better, buy a portable charger from any local store before your trip! This way, you can have your phone charging in your bag and can take it out to use it as much as you want without worrying about conserving your battery.
Learn a New Language for Your Trip @ Coastline
9. Language translation apps.
If you’re traveling overseas, you may encounter language barriers between you and the locals, or other tourists. Consider learning a couple of the important phrases in the local language on the trip over with apps like Duolingo and Babbel.
Of course, it’s impossible to become fluent in a language over the course of a couple of hours, but luckily Google Translate and other language translation apps are at your disposal to use in conversation.
Knowing even a little bit of the language or having these apps can come in handy when you need directions, if you or someone else is in an urgent situation and needs help, or if you just want to ask the person next to you where they got their hat from!
10. Prepare Accordingly
Nothing is worse than getting to your destination and realizing you’ve arrived completely and utterly unprepared. Prior preparation, however, can minimize the impact of any mishaps that may come up. Research your vacation spot beforehand and put together a checklist of items and documents you’ll need to have on you during your travel.
If traveling overseas, make note of the location of the American Embassy, make sure your passport is up to date, and search for how to exchange currency. For additional travel tips, this article by nextvacay.com's How to Research Travel Destinations article is a helpful guide on how to research your next travel destination.
And, most importantly...
HAVE FUN! Remember, safe and fun aren’t synonymous with boring and dangerous. Being safe is vital in ensuring you have the time of your life on vacation. As long as you’re looking out for yourself and others, you’ll be able to have a safe and enjoyable spring break!
