Search
Recommended Products
Related Links


 

 

Informative Articles

10 Tips for Hassle-Free Business Travel
If you're a road warrior, these travel tips will help reduce the stress of your journeys. 1. Choose your Travel Modality Wisely Planes, trains or automobiles: what's the choice to be? While air travel is clearly the only way to go for long...

Planning your Trip using Travel Tips
No matter where you're traveling or whether you're traveling by car, plane, or train, you'll want to make sure that you arrive there with everything that you need. You'll also want to save as much money as you can in getting there. If you're...

Successfull travel is not just cheap plane tickets
Planning ahead when traveling can save you so much time. Simple things such as trying to find cheap plane tickets is obvious, but researching your selected place of travel is the most important thing you can do to ensure a fantastic holiday or...

Travel Blog Your Next Vacation
Some years ago, I took an extended trip to Europe. During that vacation, I kept a travel journal in which I made notes of the places I visited, the people I met and the events that occurred. I still get out that travel journal and read through some...

Travelers with Disabilities: The Untapped Market
When most people think about accommodating people with disabilities in their business they get a scared feeling in their gut and their mind scrambles to search for that all-important date when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) went into...

 
Crime Against Caribbean Travelers: Should You Believe the Hype?

Since the 1980s, the Caribbean region has been struggling against its own inner demon: crime. Citizens of the Caribbean have quickly learned that rising crime rates on one island can negatively affect other islands in the vicinity. While the islands still offer some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, travelers can sometimes feel insecure about their surroundings, making relaxation more of a challenge.

Several recent news stories about crimes in the Caribbean, including the highly covered disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, have reignited the debate over how to keep the islands safe for travelers. Concern for safety has even inspired a conference in late October, the second Caribbean Conference on Crime and Criminal Justice, and a statement by the Caribbean Commissioners of Police about ways travelers can stay safe. These efforts are visible steps officials are taking to help travelers feel more secure about their vacations, especially as the Caribbean's tourist season approaches.

Studying Crimes

One of the biggest problems in studying crime among the islands has been that, until recently, few efforts had been made to distinguish crime against island residents from crime against visitors. Obtaining clear and specific crime data has become an important step toward fighting crime in the islands, and newer studies have revealed that violent crimes against vacationers in the Caribbean islands are indeed rare occurrences. While Jamaica, for example, may be known for its high murder rates, the vast majority of murders are crimes by Jamaican nationals against Jamaican nationals.

Vacationers planning a trip to the islands are more likely to encounter petty theft and other nonviolent crimes than anything else. However, as recent events have shown, this is not a certainty. Some believe that areas inundated with tourists have higher crime rates against tourists because there are as many visitors as residents, while others believe that the relaxed attitude of most travelers is the main contributing factor in these crimes. Although there are several different theories about this, one thing is certain - travelers who take


precautions generally do not experience such problems during their stay.

Staying Safe

The best way to be safe during Caribbean travel is to avoid making the mistakes most vacationers make - just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you shouldn't be cautious. Leaving doors unlocked, leaving valuables in plain view in a hotel room or rental car, displaying too much wealth, and wearing flashy jewelry are all ways to attract thieves. Remember that you are far from home, and replacing valuables, such as a stolen wallet, will be even more difficult. Take the same precautions you would take at home or in any big city to avoid losing important items.

Another way travelers can stumble upon trouble is by walking into "bad" areas of town. It's common sense to avoid walking down a dark alley in most cities, but vacationers may not always recognize a part of town that locals know to avoid. If an area makes you feel uneasy, or would make you feel uneasy at home, it's probably best to avoid that area, especially at night. Women particularly should take extra precautions at night and avoid walking alone.

While some believe that tourist-heavy areas inspire more crimes against tourists, these areas have established more rigid security measures to help travelers stay safe. It is difficult to determine whether these areas are more or less safe than any other location. However, one certainty is that most travelers to the Caribbean have never experienced any sort of crime.

Travelers who return year after year to experience all the Caribbean offers rarely tell stories of vacations turning into horrible experiences. So with just a bit of caution in mind, it's still safe to relax on a Caribbean vacation while the island governments work to put a stop to the troubles that can keep travelers from their shores.
About the Author

Jennifer Smith writes for Antigua-Guide.info, StKitts-Guide.info, and other Segisys travel Web sites.

© 2005, Interactive Internet Websites, Inc.
Article may only be reprinted if it is not modified in any way, and if all links remain live.