Each February, the Department of State distributes information to over 1,000 college and university newspapers to alert American students traveling abroad during their spring and summer breaks about conditions that may affect their safety and welfare. Students, who can be caught off-guard by differences in local practices and unfamiliar surroundings, sometimes face the risk of arrest in connection with drug and alcohol abuse and can become the victims of crime while traveling in foreign countries. The information is part of the Department's effort to inform as many Americans as possible of hazards they may encounter outside the U.S. We endeavor to achieve as wide a distribution as possible to some of our most vulnerable travelers--young people going abroad, some of them for the first time.

The State Department urges college and university newspapers to use this information. We encourage them to consult the Bureau of Consular Affairs' web site, http://travel.state.gov, for the latest travel safety information.

See also the following Fact Sheets:
Travel Safety Information for Students
Spring Break in Cancun

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