 "Photo: MCT Campus")
For those of you thinking about traveling to Baja California, Mexico this Spring Break, travel experts have an important message for you: Don't.
Robberies, kidnappings and even murders have people changing their plans and staying stateside for their upcoming vacations.
Usually this time of year presents college students with a golden opportunity to loosen up and head to Baja for drinking, partying and relaxation. However, times are now different, with crime running rampant throughout Tijuana and Rosarito, which has proven tough enough to scare away even the most seasoned of travelers.
Spring Break season is the time of year when tens of thousands of students from all across the U.S. drop their books, lock up their houses and apartments and head south of the border for wild Spring Break parties. However, travel veterans such as those from www.bajasafari.com heavily support the trend of travelers staying put and changing their Spring Break plans.
"Every so often the government supports boycotts of Mexico travel during heavy crime periods, and now is one of those times," Baja Safari tour guide Joe Martinez said. "It's just not safe for people in Baja California right now."
The company, which leads groups through Mexico, has offices in San Diego and Cabo San Lucas.
Baja Safari is a company that organizes groups and informs the public of events, problems and general information about traveling through Baja California. For $25 a year, students can join the travel Web site to get insider tips on travel in Baja.
The company has led many expeditions and consulted many high-profile groups on security, including Brad Pitt on the set of "Troy" and Brooke Burke from "Wild on E!" With 25 years of experience, it is now looking to inform students of the ups and downs to traveling to Baja California.
Recently, there have been more than enough horrific occurrences to justify warnings. Martinez describes scenes where fake officials wearing the appropriate insignia pull over and rob people of all their possessions, including their vehicles.
Along with robberies, kidnappings and murders are not uncommon at this point.
"We have documented instances of people being dragged from their seats in restaurants, kidnapped, held for ransom, hoping family members will pay," Martinez said.
Baja Safari is not the only group that warns of the danger of heading south. According to a recent Los Angeles Times article on the dying tourist business in Mexico, there were 50 murders from Jan. 1 to Feb. 18.
There are some measures that will protect you from putting yourself in dangerous positions. Baja Safari suggests that keeping a low profile is the best way to keep you and your party safe.
The company suggests not acting outlandishly, which means staying away from attracting unwanted attention.
"The days of acting crazy are over," Martinez said. "The Mexicans have never liked it. Now there is a safety reason not to do it."
Along with tourist efforts, Mexican federal authorities are also stepping up their efforts to safeguard those choosing to make the trip. Convoys of federal officials are making their presence felt both in Tijuana and Rosarito, trying to reassure tourists of a safe atmosphere.
"We just got into Rosarito and there were three trucks filled with armed guys rolling around the streets," tourism and hospitality management junior Rance Jones commented about Rosarito. "There are also tourist police roaming around the main strip."
So before you and your friends decide on a trip to Baja this Spring Break, be careful and consider the implications of foreign travel. Mexico can be an amazing experience but can be ruined in a moment of lapse judgment. With careful planning and following certain tips from travel experts, your Spring Break in Mexico can be enjoyable.
More travel trips can be found at www.bajasafari.com. Emergency contacts and more information are available at the State Government of Baja California's Web site: www.discoverbajacalifornia.com/safety/index.html.
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