Fun in the sun, traveling and a week off from school – Spring Break can be a fantastic opportunity to relax and unwind before the end of the semester. But, it is important to follow a few important tips so that Spring Break festivities don’t turn into legal consequences.
Make sure to hold your mail, and lock your doors and windows before leaving. Coming back to stolen possessions or vandalized property is never a pleasant experience.
Also, inform your landlord or a trustworthy friend that you will be out of town so that they can check on the property.
Clean your apartment or home before you go. Some landlords do inspections over Spring Break to check for lease violations, so clean to prevent possible fines.
If you are traveling overseas, consider a power of attorney.
Powers of attorney allow someone at home to maintain your financial and legal affairs while you are out of the country.
Inform your credit card company if you’re leaving the country.
If you don’t, your credit card company might consider your expenditures suspicious transactions and might suspend your credit card.
Have all appropriate travel documents.
Check http://travel.state.gov/travel for your particular destination to see what travel documents are needed as well as important travel and safety information.
Consider traveler’s insurance, which could help reimburse you for baggage loss, trip delay, trip cancelation, illness or other unexpected occurrences.
Obey the local laws.
Breaking a law, wherever it may be, brings legal consequences, which could range from a ticket, an arrest, a court appearance and possibly fines and jail time.
If the criminal act occurs out of state or country, the court appearance will be in the same location.
West Virginia University’s Code of Conduct applies off campus, so you could face University punishment as well.
Don’t Twitter, MySpace or Facebook your whereabouts.
If any of your accounts are public or if you are friends with the wrong people, you have given potential criminals confirmation that you are not at home.
Stay in groups and inform trustworthy people of your whereabouts.
You might be unfamiliar with the surroundings, the language and the local people.
Natalee Holloway’s disappearance in Aruba during her graduation trip in 2005 is a frightening example of how bad the consequences can be for straying from a group.
Immediately address any potential issues or problems that occur.
If you run into legal trouble, lose anything while on your trip, find a problem when you return or issue arises, take care of it as quickly as you can so that the problem doesn’t get any worse.
WVU Student Legal Services is a free legal service for enrolled WVU students. To schedule an appointment, call 304-293-4897.
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