by Marc Phillippe Babineau

Created on: February 02, 2009   Last Updated: February 07, 2009

Staying safe on spring break can be quite the battle of wits and common sense, especially for the fairer sex travelling to common party hotspots, where they let their hair down and drink to excess. For common thefts, beatings, kidnappings, sexual assault, and even murder, females are greater targets than males, and should never be left alone for any amount of time. It only takes a few seconds to snatch someone who is not in control of themselves or their surroundings, or to rob them of all their personal belongings that they have with them. And to lose a friend or family member because you let them leave your group while extremely intoxicated will haunt you for the rest of your life.

When travelling for spring break, buddy systems must be established, especially for shopping trips and parties, bars and beaches. Nobody should wander off on their own, away from the safety of the group dynamic. If travelling alone, the same applies, however you should try your best to appear to belong, always seating beside groups, and travelling with guides and tour groups. Money belts should be used, in case that wallet is picked, or that purse is snatched, so that you only lose minimal money, and no identification.

Travelling to all inclusive resorts greatly diminishes the spring break travellers' chances of having some unfortunate incident befall them, but does not eliminate the dangers. At most of the all inclusive resorts, you do not have to leave the compound, and your safety within the compound is a lot more secure than at hotels, hostels and campgrounds. Smaller groups, especially female groups, should try to either stick to populous areas, and never leave without all of their companions in tow, or try to join other, similar group(s).

How to stay safe on spring break also includes using common sense. If you are interested in hooking up with someone that you meet while on spring break, you should have your friends follow you to where you are going. Or, better yet, leave the romance at the level that it reached at the bar, beach or wherever your romance blossoms, so that no problems arise when you are alone with the person that you met while extremely intoxicated, and not completely in a safe state of mind.

Every year, we read of spring break beatings, robberies, rapes, rape/murders, and murders. In most cases, the victim was alone, in a private area (no witnesses), or in the over-crowded, less expensive accommodations, where yelling is so common that a person yelling in distress can easily be mistaken for some partiers getting out of control. Again, following the buddy system, where nobody is allowed to totally separate from the group, no matter how much they protest. Friends don't let friends get taken advantage of while extremely drunk.

With spring break partying starting, usually, as the revellers awake in the late morning to early afternoon, revellers can get a lot more inebriated than they think they are. They may even appear to be relatively sober, but elevated hormone and testosterone levels can make people more trusting, more friendly and more attractive while inebriated. Friends don't let friends hook up drunk. Caution, as well as listening to your friends, may save you from consequences that you may have to live with for the rest of your life.

Stay safe.

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