AAA advice amid Mexico travel concerns

If you have plans to travel out of the country any time soon, AAA says 'look before you book', meaning conduct extensive research before selecting a destination.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – If you have plans to travel out of the country any time soon, AAA says ‘look before you book’, meaning conduct extensive research before selecting a destination.

“It’s important that you work with a trusted travel agent because they can help you navigate some of those unpredictable waters that you don’t know what you might face. Having said that, travel restrictions change and they vary from region to region, state to state. So that’s why it’s important to work with a trusted travel agent to help you navigate those waters,“ says AAA Spokesperson Tiffany Wright.

Texas authorities are advising people to avoid Mexico and advocating that drug cartels should be labeled terrorist organizations. This comes as three Texas sisters are missing in Mexico as well as the killings and kidnappings of South Carolinians who were visiting the country Mexico. South Carolina also has a list of high risk areas for travelers to avoid in Mexico due to crime and kidnapping. 

“Over the years you hear about teens going across the United States and a lot of times families on the other end don’t know exactly where they are going, they say ‘well I know they were going to go  in this city on this day but I’m not sure where they were going to go the next couple of days’. – Make sure you have planned itineraries so your friends and family know exactly where you’re going to be and your travel patterns, that’s very important incase trouble rises,” says Wright. 

Wright recommends travelers to sign up for the Safe Traveler Enrollment Program before going on a trip. “It allows the U.S. Embassy to keep tabs on you and allows you to be advised of those travel advisories ahead of time should problems arise.” She says a recent AAA study shows over half of South Carolinians want to purchase travel insurance. “Please consider getting travel insurance I can’t stress that enough it helps you with cancellations, it can help you with any medical issues that you might encounter along the way. Travel insurance is definitely the way to go especially if we’re talking about international travel.”