(KMDL-FM) The summer travel season is already starting to take shape across Louisiana. For many of our state's vacationers, the first getaway of the summer happens right after school gets out. If you didn't hear, that's this week for many school systems across the state. In Lafayette, Louisiana, high school graduations are taking place this week.
Graduation ceremonies at LSU, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and McNeese State have already been held, so the time is right for those who want to get out and travel the world to do so. Or is it the best time to leave the safety and sanctity of the United States?
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You're probably well aware of the travel advisories and flat-out "don't go" warnings posted for some Caribbean nations. That's usually what we think about when we hear the State Department has issued a travel advisory. The cautionary tales are usually for places where pickpockets and petty crimes run amok, or in the case of Mexico and Jamaica, more serious crimes have resulted in more stringent advisories.
That's why the most recent Level 2 Advisories published by the State Department caught us off guard. The two nations listed were not in the Caribbean but in Europe. Both nations have long been considered to be "safe" for Americans. In fact, I have visited both of these nations in the past six months and experienced no issues as an American traveler whatsoever.
Still, the U.S. State Department has reissued Level 2 Travel Advisories for both Germany and Spain. The advisory is posted for Germany because of potential terror threats. The same concerns are in Spain, too, but there is an additional concern over social unrest in that nation.
A Level 2 Advisory does not discourage travel, instead, it suggests that travellers in the advised area travel with an extra sense of caution. In the case of Spain and Germany, you're not advised to spend time in large groups or visit large public spaces with large crowds. It's also a good idea to be cognizant of local protests or significant holiday celebrations in those nations. Those events often lead to issues for travelers.
I guess if you really need your German "fix," you could always pop in to one of the stores around Robert's Cove, I bet they could hook you up with the best of their "wurst". Or you could just go soak in a lazy river.
Gallery Credit: Jude Walker
