If you're headed to Mexico this spring break, you may want to listen up. The State Department issued a travel alert for Mexico on February 20, and now colleges across the country are warning their students before they head off for vacation. The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire released an email today to all students about the recent dangers in Mexico, as well as some general safety tips for travelers headed anywhere.

For many UW-Eau Claire students, leaving Wisconsin’s frigid temps behind can't come soon enough. Students are traveling the globe, from Pensacola, Florida, to Germany, to one woman who says, “Yes my husband and I are going to North Carolina to go backpacking in the Great Smoky Mountains.”

But Associate Dean of Students Jodi Thesing-Ritter says in light of the recent increase in violence in Mexico, particularly along the Mexico-U.S. border, student travelers need to be careful. She says, “We want to give them just in time information, just as they’re about to begin those journeys to remind them of all the different precautions they should take, regardless of their destination.”

The State Department’s website says to use caution in unfamiliar areas, be aware of your surroundings, and make every attempt possible to travel on main roads during daylight hours. Thesing-Ritter says, “We are encouraging students to do research specifically on the city they are visiting because every city has a different experience.”

She says while much of the advice the University gives to students is common sense, it's important and applicable to all travelers. These tips include things like always staying with friends, not carrying large amounts of money, making photo copies of important travel documents, and always leaving your travel itinerary with close friends or family.

Thesing-Ritter says, “Unfortunately, all of this information has come out, probably after most of our students have made their travel plans.” Even so, many students said friends were staying closer to home-or canceling trips all together.

One student says, “Most students I’ve heard are choosing to go to Florida instead, it's a littler safer, their parents are worried about them.” Another student says, “Yea, actually, some of my friends planned to go to Cancun, but now they're not going anymore because they are too afraid to go.”

Thesing-Ritter says she doesn't want to unnecessarily scare students, but just wants to make sure they're completely aware of the risks involved in traveling to a country with heightened violence. She also says she hopes the last minute email will remind students to take all precautions while traveling.