Top Five Travel Tips for Spring Break 2014

Making plans to travel this Spring Break?  Be sure to read this press release, released by the United States State Department.

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
February 26, 2014
For some college students, Spring Break is a time to bask in the Caribbean sun. Some use their respite from classes to volunteer in a foreign country. Others venture across the Atlantic to embark upon a European adventure or to visit friends studying abroad. Regardless of the destination, the U.S. Department of State encourages students to follow our tips for traveling abroad:

1. Avoid underage and excessive alcohol consumption. “Overdoing it” can lead to an arrest, accident, violent crime, or death.
2. Obey all local laws, and remember they might be different from our own. Don’t carry or use drugs, as this can result in severe penalties. Don’t carry weapons either—some countries have strict laws, and even possessing something as small as a pocketknife or a single bullet can get you into legal trouble.
3. Before you leave for your trip, learn as much as possible about your destination at our website dedicated to student travelers: studentsabroad.state.gov. Here, you can find out about entry requirements, crime, health precautions, and road conditions.
4. Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). This program keeps students up-to-date with important safety and security announcements, such as Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and security messages.
5. Keep in touch with your parents. If you will be without Internet or phone service for a few days, let them know. We receive many calls from parents who fear the worst when they have not heard from their children. In most cases, their child is fine, but has been too busy to check in.

Of course, even well-prepared travelers may face an emergency, like a lost passport or an injury. In those cases, our embassies and consulates are available to help 24/7. Be sure to write down the contact information for the U.S. embassy or consulate in your destination country.

Top 5 Travel Resolutions You Should Start Doing This 2014

In Traveler's Today magazine, author Althea Serad discusses the changes you should make this year to your travel habits.

Many people want to travel better and even more. It's easier today because of the advancement of technology, airline tickets are cheaper than they used to be, travel blogs websites and books are readily available and more affordable, so what's your excuse for not being able to travel?

If you really want to travel, set some goals. Whatever it is your reason for wanting to travel, whether you just want to get with the fad, or you want to fill stamps on your passport, or the classic reason of seeing the culture and surroundings each new country has to offer, set your goals, and set them with quality.

If you want quality travel tips, here is the Top 5 we've gathered from www.wheretraveler.com.

Resolution 1: Stop overlooking nearby destinations

Traveling doesn't mean you have to have a passport, hop on a plane and get far away. You never know, but the next amazing place might be even in your own backyard (pun intended). There could be a nice zoo inside your city, a college campus or church with amazing architecture, and of course maybe a new restaurant down the block. It could also be another city that's next to yours, never considered by anyone as "travel-worthy" just because people are so used to seeing it. You must resolve to never again disregard the fact that any place, even the nearest one could be a destination for quality travel.

Resolution 2: Do one thing that scares you.

This doesn't mean that 'one thing' has to be life-threatening. How could you travel then if you're dead? This just means taking a step forward in conquering your fears a.k.a. a culture's tradition like getting inked by a tribal elder in the Philippines or eating balut, a scrumptious delicacy also in the Philippines which isn't for the liking of everyone. Besides, travel really is about new experiences and becoming more open to what the world has to offer and just understanding our amazing planet. Travelling isn't really about moving from one place to another.

Resolution 3: Turn every trip into travel.

We don't usually travel when we're on vacation, especially family trips. You don't usually explore because you're simply there because of the family. However, these overly familiar family trips can turn into travel if we just open ourselves up to new experiences and see the road ahead a little differently. Stick in an extra hour or two ahead or in between your trip and just...explore. Pull off the highway, gas up and check any local attraction that you haven't been to before that's along the way to your final destination. You can also try looking at any local flora or fauna and you'll be surprised at how diverse and blessed your country is.

Resolution 4: Try something new on each and every trip.

Not everything you try has to be something that you like. In line with Resolution 2, doing something that scares you, this will be less scary as it will just take you a little bit out of your comfort zone. This is part of travel - doing something new that you may or you may not like. Just make the most out of every destination and try everything new that you can. You will be bringing back less regrets and just new travel experiences. Hey, even something as mundane as saying "good morning" to the person next to you at the bus can be considered something new. Just try it!

Resolution 5: Go on at least one solo trip.

This resolution has been mentioned in countless blogs and articles for 20-somethings. It is maybe considered a universal goal already. This is because something changes within you when you're flying solo, whether you're travelling or not. Of course, the change is more intense when travelling.  You have to depend on nobody but yourself. You literally have to be a friend to yourself. You will experience and learn new things with and about yourself that you've never thought possible. It will be a life-changer and an eye-opener in all sorts of ways. This can also be freeing. You can literally try ANY thing that you want because who's there to stop you but yourself? But of course, to do this right, you have to be open to the world, respect people and each place's culture and just limit digital connections. Do it the old-fashioned way, ask strangers. You'll realize it can be more fun than it actually sounds.