Popular Louisiana Vacation Destination Deemed ‘Off Limits’

Louisiana travelers who have made plans to travel south for the winter might need to reconsider their options. This was after the United States Department of State updated travel advisories and warnings for perhaps Louisiana’s most popular international destination for travel and leisure.

The threat of widespread and common violent crimes certainly doesn’t sound like a relaxing vacation does it? To make things worse, many of the areas listed in the State Department’s recent update of travel advisories are places that many of us have been told: “are safe because of the tourism industry”.

I think all of us who travel do so with a healthy amount of caution and concern. It doesn’t matter where you travel you should always be vigilant of ne’er do wells who might pick your pocket or steal your phone. Heck, that happens in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and almost every other major city in Louisiana and the nation.

But these aren’t petty crimes the Department of State is warning about. These are life-threatening crimes such as assault and sexual assault. To make matters worse the authorities in this destination appear to be limited in what they can or are willing to do to quell the tide of violence.

Which Destinations Fall Under the “Do Not Travel” Advisory?

Unfortunately for a lot of sunseekers, the destination in question is Mexico. To be clear, not every part of Mexico falls under the “Do Not Travel” advisory from the Department of State. There are two states, Campeche and Yucatan that only have a Level 1 advisory. Level 1 means “exercise normal caution”. A Do Not Travel advisory is considered to be Level 4.

We should note that Quintana Roo, the Mexican State that is home to Cancun is at Level 2 and travelers are encouraged to “exercise increased caution” due to crime. So vacationers who have Cancun as a destination on a cruise can still travel there, just be extra careful when you do.

It’s been my experience when traveling in areas where crime is rampant that you do a few things to protect yourself. One, stay aware, in other words, if you head down to Senor Frogs and get plastered you are an easy mark. Also, leave your jewelry, and that includes wedding and engagement rings on board the ship if you’re on a cruise.

I would also advise you to stay in a group if you can, there is safety in numbers. And I would also carry my cash and credit cards in a hard-to-reach place on your person. Sure, it might mean digging in your pants for a credit card but the effects of having a card stolen in a foreign country far outweigh that inconvenience.

The website Al.com has a complete and easy-to-read list of all the advisories and warnings concerning Mexico. You can see that list here. If you’d like to see the Department of State’s complete list of nations and destinations that have travel advisories you can find that here. 

Travel is supposed to be fun, relaxing, educational, and entertaining, it’s not supposed to be a fight for your life and property around every turn. Travel wisely and travel safely and remember some places are best seen from a distance.