With spring in the air, many students at Skyline have been waiting for Spring Break to arrive, but with the war on Iraq intensifying, many students may be reconsidering spending Spring Break abroad.
     The Homeland Security Advisory has been on high alert since the war’s inception, leaving students and parents concerned about possible retribution from terrorists and foreign backlash from global anti-American sentiments. Some students have simply cancelled their plans altogether while others chose to stay stateside.
     Lambert Chambers, 20, a freshman at Skyline, wanted to go abroad to London for Spring Break, but considered Miami instead.
     “I’m not scared to travel in the United States, but I’d be concerned to travel to other places like Africa, the Middle East, or Southeast Asia” Chambers said.
     Chambers, who has been to Spain and London several times, knows that there are different perceptions of Americans in Europe than how Americans consciously view themselves.
     “I think Americans have a very bad reputation because they are ignorant towards people of other countries, and do stupid things,” Chambers said. “I don’t act ignorant when I travel.”
     Some students have decided on driving instead of flying with airline schedules being so uncertain, and the fear of retaliation lingering in the background.
     Ana Duvon, a nursing major at Skyline, still plans on going on her trip to Rosarito Beach, Mexico with other students from her anatomy and physiology class. Duvon, who chose to drive down to Mexico rather than fly, plans to party and have fun. She isn’t too worried about any anti-American backlash.
     “I intend to continue on my trip as planned, unless it gets too serious, and then maybe I’ll cancel it”, Duvon said, who is of Latina ethnicity. “I’m not too worried about any backlash against myself in Mexico because I’m Latina and I fit in pretty good.”
     American students have long had a reputation for drinking and partying wildly on Spring Break, leaving some parents anxious and worried about their children going to foreign destinations for Spring Break. This has led to some decisions of keeping Spring Break local.
     The concern over safety overseas during Spring Break while at war isn’t just speculation. The numbers reflect the predictions that airline and travel analysts have been fearing all along: a decline in spring and summer travel. According to a report by the Air Transportation Association, a Washington-based firm, bookings for domestic air travel for the next 60-90 days have declined by 20% while international bookings are down 40%.
     Ron LeMoge, a travel agent at Argo Travel in Daly City, said that the war with Iraq and the elevation of the Homeland Security Advisory to threat level Orange (or high) has harmed the travel industry significantly.
     “Many airlines respond reactively with their schedules, and are constantly changing or cutting back on flights because of the threat level Orange,” LeMoge said. “Most of the travel overseas has been affected, except for the Florida market packages, which have been sold out since the beginning of the year.
     “Venice Beach and Cabo, Mexico seem to be the California hot spots. We deal with a lot of students, and we would be happy to serve Skyline students in the future.”