Photo by Karen Gavis/The Collegian
By Shu Patel/reporter
With spring break right around the corner, every college student planning an adventure should think about proper safety precautions.
This can include anything from planning the trip to taking the right essentials to survive spring break.
“Students should take any and all precautions necessary for a safe trip with their friends and family,” said Kirk Driver, TCC’s emergency management coordinator.
Students should first create a list of things that need to be done or planned in preparation for the trip, Driver said. This includes the names and phone numbers of people going in the event someone gets lost. Being in an unfamiliar location can be chaotic when it comes to keeping track of where everyone is, which can result in many people getting lost.
“Having that contact information helps to ensure that everyone will be able to reach each other in case of an emergency,” he said.
“Miami, Fla., has many Hispanic speakers in certain parts,” she said. “And many consider it to be very hard to go around the city without a Spanish speaker alongside.”
Having someone who speaks the language or simply learning the basics of the language will help to ensure better communication or less miscommunication, Cano said.
“Students can easily learn the basics of almost any language for free by searching the Web,” she said.
Being in an unfamiliar place can create a scary environment, so students should always be aware of their surroundings.
“No one can predict the future, but everyone can always take the right precautions to help prevent anything bad from happening,” said TCC police chief Shaun Williams.
Students should be aware of strangers and not go off with them alone, Williams said. He advised being with a friend at all times — no matter where. Most of the time, students will probably be in an unfamiliar location, and that can get them in a lot of trouble, he said.
Students should also make sure they watch what and how much they drink. Since many spring breakers are over 21, overconsumption of alcohol could create an unsafe environment.
Students can find more tips and a more in-depth guideline on safety precautions for spring break at www.safespringbreak.org. The site offers travel guides, safety tips and other resources to help ensure the safety of everyone going on the trip.
