Pitt gives advice for a safe spring break

Sure, that iced margarita looks gorgeous after a long day at the beach, but tequila is good for… Sure, that iced margarita looks gorgeous after a long day at the beach, but tequila is good for killing brain cells, not bacteria found in water.

Along with the common advice against drinking Mexico’s tap water and going home with strangers, the University offers several services to students prepare for a safe spring break, whether it is in the states or abroad. Spring break is next week for Pitt, and many students plan to leave town.

Student Health Services referred questions on spring break travel to PantherWELL, a student group promoting health on campus. While most of their advice centered on long term preparation, something procrastinating college students might not have been up for, some of their tips are ripe for students about to hop on a plane or into a car.

Staying together is vital to avoiding problematic situations, said Chris Yakscoe, a member of PantherWELL. The group tabled in Towers Lobby on Monday, distributing information about a safe spring break.

Friends make students a harder target for criminals and can help find a way back to the hotel in a foreign land, Yakscoe said. The junior finance major intends to follow his own advice on break; he’s going to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Senior Danielle Pooler also plans to stay surrounded by her group of 10 friends — hopefully never splitting into groups smaller than two or three — when she heads to Bourbon Street for Mardi Gras, which aligns with spring break this year.

Regardless of where they go, students should practice safe drinking habits. Yakscoe recommended avoiding anything “on the rocks” and iced margaritas, as ice is often made with local tap water, which is contaminated in some areas. Yakscoe said the classic rules of watching your drink and keeping track of how much you consume become especially important abroad, where college students could make easy targets.

The department’s website recommended caution for those traveling to Mexico, a popular destination for spring break. Among other countries with travel warnings are Haiti and Columbia. Because of drug-related violence, students should stay on major roadways when traveling at night, the website says. It also recommended against displaying expensive clothing or jewelry and to avoid carrying large amounts of cash.

And students traveling to foreign countries to keep in mind that each nation has its own sets of laws. Each year, more than 2,500 Americans are arrested abroad, The Department of State’s website says, nearly half of them being for drug charges.

The state department’s website includes a number of other recommendations for Mexico. It also says that “U.S. Embassy are prohibited from hailing taxis on the street in Mexico City because of frequent robberies. American citizens are urged to only use taxis associated with the organized taxi stands (“sitios”) that are common throughout Mexico.”

Keeping safe on spring break doesn’t just involve being alert at night. The daytime can hold its fair share of snags. Sun poisoning can be a big problem for sun-starved Pitt students, said Sara Radakovich, a member of PantherWELL.

The first beam of sunlight might tempt some to strip down to their swimsuits and bake under the sun, but the stronger sun in the tropics can burn the over-eager. Sun-poisoning from overexposure results in large burns accompanied by nausea and disorientation, she said.

Radakovich, a senior studying Health Service Management, said students should buy higher-SPF sunscreen, reapply it every couple hours and drink plenty of water to help prevent sun poisoning.

Taking frequent breaks from the sun, especially in mid-day when it is strongest, can help prevent sickness. However, if students do end up burned, Radakovich said they should take a cool shower and hydrate. Avoid oily lotions which can trap heat in the skin and worsen burns. Instead, to soothe, she said students should learn to “love their aloe.”

Yakscoe said that preparation and research are the best defenses against an unpleasant spring break experience. Just as many students check ahead to make sure their resort has at least a dozen pools, many should make sure that their hotels are reputable and in a good neighborhood.

Yakscoe said that he thoroughly researched the resort he’s staying at and read reviews online before he signed on to make sure he was comfortable with its security. Pooler outsourced the inspection to, “a family down there who OK’d the hotel and said where we were staying was completely safe.”

If nothing else, Yakscoe advised that students, “stay informed, stay hydrated” — with water.