Lifestyle

By Miles Johnson
Staff Reporter of the
New York Daily Herald

March 14, 2003

Rest assured—the bombs may be falling on Baghdad, but even Saddam Hussein's longest-range missiles won't hit anywhere near the hot Cancun nightclubs: Spring break, in other words, is officially on.

If anything, tourism officials say the trouble overseas may actually benefit the annual migration south of the border, as the enterprising students who might have struck out for the Med or beyond stay closer to home this year. Representatives from American Airlines, which serves more destinations in Mexico than any other U.S. carrier, say that news of the pending conflict has failed to register at all in expected reservations, still recovering from post-9/11 lows.

In fact, some psychiatrists are recommending that students keep their travel plans for the sake of their mental health: "Repeated exposure to the stresses of warfare are difficult for even hardened soldiers, and even through the prism of a 24-hour news channel," said R. Thomas Ludlow, who practices in Westchester. "Seven days on the beach are probably just what the doctor ordered."

Still, don't expect entirely smooth sailing, even if you're boarding a cruise ship: Expect long lines at airport security and leave the commemorative butane lights at the bar—or trade them in for a genuine Señor Frog's sun hat!