Why traveling to Jamaica, the Bahamas and Mexico can be dangerous: from crime to bad medicine
With spring break approaching, the United States has issued several travel advisories asking travelers to be careful when planning their next trip.
Popular spring break destinations such as the Bahamas and Jamaica are under the US government's travel advisory, Yahoo reports.
Jamaica
U.S. citizens should reconsider traveling to Jamaica due to crime and poor health care, according to a Level 3 travel advisory from the U.S. State Department.
According to the department, home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and murders are common there.
Hospitals and medical care often do not meet U.S. standards and can be expensive, as many places do not accept U.S. insurance. Travelers can obtain insurance to cover any financial losses due to trip cancellation or medical emergencies.
Bahamas
The travel warning issued by the State Department for the Bahamas is level two, one level lower than for Jamaica, meaning that travelers should "exercise increased caution" due to crime.
According to the advisory, most crime occurs in Nassau, the capital, which covers the island of New Providence, and the city of Freeport on Grand Bahama.
According to the US Embassy, there have been 18 murders in Nassau since the beginning of the year. And violent crimes, including burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults, are occurring in both tourist and non-tourist areas, the report warns.
Mexico
While there are no general travel advisories for Mexico itself, the State Department has different levels of travel advisories for different states in Mexico.
Most states fall under the second level, so people are asked to exercise extra caution. Two Mexican states, Campeche and Yucatan, are at level one, meaning travelers can be just a little more cautious than usual.
But the department warns that violent crimes such as murder, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery are "widespread in Mexico" and that the U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to its citizens in many parts of Mexico.
