Spring Breakers Should Keep These Travel Advisories In Mind & Mexico Has Several In Place

Know before you go!

A young woman at the airport. Right: A hotel resort strip in Cancun, Mexico.

A young woman at the airport. Right: A hotel resort strip in Cancun, Mexico.

Senior Writer

If you're planning on traveling over spring break, you'll want to take note of a few travel advisories that have been issued for several popular tourist destinations, including major resort hubs in Mexico.

While Mexico is the biggest area of concern due to ongoing violence, there are other countries that have warnings in place as well.

Looking at the U.S. State Department website, here are some of the most popular holiday destinations that have warnings in place and what you should know before your trip.

Mexico

Mexico is a hot spot for travellers over the course of spring break and is one country with multiple warnings in place due to ongoing violence in several regions.

The U.S. State Department has issued "do not travel" advisories for six states in Mexico, including Colima state, Tamaulipas state and Guerrero state, for reasons related to crime and or kidnappings.

The department is asking travellers to reconsider travel to certain areas as well including Baja California, where Los Cabos is located, and Jalisco state — which has the popular resort spot of Puerto Vallarta.

It's also advising travellers to exercise increased caution when going to over 10 different regions in the country, including Quintana Roo, which is where Cancun and Playa del Carmen are.

Travellers heading to Cabo San Lucas, which is in Baja California Sur state, are also being told to exercise increased caution.

The department's website also says travellers should exercise "normal precautions" when heading to Campeche state and Yucatan state.

In January, the government of Canada also issued travel warnings for Mexico, after violence erupted in western parts of the country.

In early March, Mexican authorities announced that two of the four Americans who were kidnapped at gunpoint in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas had been recovered, while the other two were dead.

Jamaica

A travel advisory is also in effect for Jamaica, which is a popular holiday destination for spring breakers.

The U.S. State Department advises people to avoid travel to certain regions in Jamaica, including the popular area of Montego Bay, due to crime.

If you do travel to Jamaica, officials recommend avoiding walking or driving at night, avoiding public buses and staying away from secluded places.

Dominican Republic 

Officials are asking travellers to exercise increased caution in the Dominican Republic due to violent crime.

Be cautious when travelling to areas outside of resorts and into urban areas like Santo Domingo.

If you do travel to the Dominican Republic, the department suggests trying to avoid wearing expensive pieces of jewelry, to be aware of your surroundings and not to resist robbery attempts should they occur.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.


  • Senior Writer

    Asymina Kantorowicz (she/her) was a Senior Writer for Narcity Media. She has worked at Yahoo Canada, CTV News Vancouver Island, CTV News Channel, and CHCH News. Over the past eight years, she took on various newsroom roles and helped produce award-winning newscasts. Loving the fast-paced environment of any newsroom, she helped cover stories like the 2016 royal visit to Victoria, the 2019 B.C. manhunt, and provincial elections. She had an MA in journalism and a BA in media from Western University. She moved from Toronto to Victoria a few years ago and loved being close to the ocean.

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