GREENSBORO, N.C. — Spring break for many Triad students is less than 2 months away. Two popular destinations now have a new warning.
U.S. leaders upped the travel warning for Jamaica and the Bahamas. It comes as people are already planning trips.
WFMY News 2's Nixon Norman learned what to do after speaking with a woman who is currently in the Bahamas right now for vacation as well as two travel agents.
Citing increased crime, the State Department on Friday issued a Level 2 travel advisory for anyone going there. That means they want visitors to the Bahamas to "exercise increased caution."
For anyone heading to Nassau, the government says to be aware of the “Over the Hill” area, where they say homicides have been on the rise because of gang-on-gang violence, primarily with locals there.
According to the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas, there have been 18 murders since the start of 2024.
They also said burglaries, armed robberies and sexual assaults are happening in both areas designed for tourists and areas that aren’t. They said you should be vigilant when staying at short-term rentals without private security.
The Level 2 advisory issued for the Bahamas is just above Level 1, which is to "exercise normal precautions." Level 3 is to "reconsider travel" and a Level 4 advisory is to "do not travel."
Holly Suppe is in the Bahamas's right now, visiting Freeport and then Nassau. She said she learned of the travel advisory the day before she and her family left for vacation.
"It was a little unnerving and most of the time, we're vigilant anyway," Suppe said.
As she arrived to her destination, she started asking locals and the employees on the cruise ship she's on about the advisory, "the locals are totally not phased, they didn't even know about it. By the time we got to our excursion and talked to people, I was just totally fine," Suppe said.
But what exactly IS a travel advisory?
Ginny Maurer, Senior Travel Professional with Cruise Planners explains, "the U.S. Government looks at really every location throughout the world and it is just putting out exactly what it says, an advisory, things to be cautious of. They range from a level 1 to a level 5."
With the Bahamas currently being under a Level 2 advisory, Shane Lawrence, Co-Owner and Travel Agent with Imagine Travel Vacations said these advisories take the whole country into consideration.
Lawrence says as long as you stay near your resort, you should be fine, "if you're a tourist and you're in the wrong place, you know, somewhere where it's pretty obvious you shouldn't be, then you could get targeted, but any resort destination, they want to see the tourists safe and happy."
They also say its important to keep a copy of your passport on you and at home, don't get into random cabs and don't physically resist if you are getting robbed
As for Jamaica, the country is at a Level 3.
The U.S. State Department also advises to never answer the door at your hotel or rental unless you know who it is.