Its graduation season, a time when teenagers and young adults head off for fun and sometimes wild vacations... And whether they are staying here in the states or heading overseas, the safety rules are pretty much the same.
Long gone are the missing person posters and the yellow ribbons, but everywhere locals and tourists know her name and her story.
“A lot people ask about Natalee Holloway. Everybody comes here and you can't get away from that…it's terrible.”
Terrible, yet something everyone we talked with in Aruba this week had learned from.
“You want to talk to your kids more about it and prepare them for this type of thing.”
Preparing them, according to police, has to begin with a good long talk. What's acceptable, what are the limits, and simple rules...
“The most important thing when you leave to go back to the hotel go back with the ones you came don't go with nobody you don't know,” said Edwin Comenencia with the Aruba Police.
Comenencia says never ever get into a car with someone you just met. And just like anywhere else, hide your valuables, don't carry a lot of cash and stay in busy, well-lit areas.
“When you stay in a tourist area there is a lot of security and police walking the streets.”
He also advises you to keep any spare keys at the hotel and program all police and hotel numbers into your cell phone. And above all, “Don't drink too much. When you drink you are not the same person.”
And if you are drinking, make sure you take your drink from a bartender or servers. And have someone from your party watch your drink if you go to the bathroom to make sure no one puts anything in it.
And if there are adult chaperones be sure there is a clear understanding what their role will be and when you as a parent will be called. One adult group from New York says they take no chances at home or overseas.
“All activities, we stay together. Nobody is by themselves. You can't even go to the restroom by yourself. It’s something we always did; now we make it a common practice. We make sure no one goes off by themselves.”
And while Aruba caught the international spotlight we could only find one other kidnapping here. Daniel Ferrara's brother was taken by a Venezuelan gang in 1998 and held for ransom until his rescue. Ferrara still calls his country safe.
“You can walk around 3am. Doesn't matter what day...”
True, but we must all remember Natalee must have felt very safe on her vacation, surrounded by friends and locals who appeared to be safe.
“It was a very sad story...could happen to anybody anywhere.”
