I just found out my 18 year old niece is going on a mission trip to Tijuana, Mexico. I am frankly worried about her safety. She has never traveled before. Tried to find info about this area but there is nothing recent. Anyone been there lately?

No I have not been there but...

Overall I think vacationing in Mexico is quite safe (when we are talking resort areas, colonial cities, etc). That said, Tijuana is NOT very nice, not very safe, and no I would not be comfortable sending an inexperienced teenager there.

No, I wouldn't send anyone I know to a Mexican border town these days. She should find a nicer, safer area to travel to.

Mission trips don't go to Cancun or Puerto Vallarta. They go where the need is. Still, I say what's wrong with whomever is organizing this trip? Tijuana has become dangerous, and it's no place for a group of kids to go even though they will be under adult supervision.

If she should go, she should NEVER wander anywhere without being with a group.

I think they need to find a need that's not in a border town.

Jeff, I'm always surprised by how many youth groups go to Costa Rica. We always see huge groups of church kids on the plane - is there a big need there? CR has more churches than any place I've ever seen, and we've never seen the abject poverty there that we've seen in other countries. They seem to have good medical care as well. I've always been curious about it.

Jeff, Fine so go where the need is. There are plenty of more stable yet poor countries in Central and South America, or even other parts of Mexico. Going to a US/Mexican border town with the current political climate (drug wars) is plain foolishness imo. I don't care how worthy their cause.

And actually mission trips DO go to PV, there's the children of the dump, a well established orphanage, quite a few charitable organizations working in that general geographic area.

I don't understand it either, volcanogirl. There's more need than in the U.S. (that's a given) but I can think of places that need a lot more help than Costa Rica. Guatemala and Honduras do host a lot more groups than Costa Rica does.

To the OP: Are your niece's parents (I assume that's your brother or sister [in-law]) in favor of this trip? Are parents of the other kids? I suppose if they're 18 they can make the decisions for themselves, but who is organizing this trip?

No, suze, my comment about going where the need is was not in favor of going to Tijuana. I think it's a really bad idea. I was just saying that these are never typical fun-in-the-sun, spring-break trips, but no one should go courting danger either.

I understand Jeff. I was just adding that there are in fact worthy causes that can use volunteer help, even in nicer, more mainstream, touristed areas including Vallarta.

This is not the first time I've read about these Christian youth groups going (being sent) to Tijuana. I just do NOT understand it. It's such a BAD idea for so many many reasons.

This is not a good idea in any way, shape, or form.
She has never traveled before.
She is going to an area which has been a hot spot for violence.
I don't know who is arranging this trip but they need to know the situation they are placing a group of people into if they don't already and they need to be held responsible for anything that may occur. Such a bad idea on many levels and I live in Mexico. Sorry to be so blunt but they need their heads examined.

Having taken groups of kids to work on the border and the interior of Mexico I would question taking a group of kids to TJ now. I would want to know the arrangements, the experience the people taking the kids have with taking groups to TJ, what kind of thought had been given to security etc. I would need a lot of info. before I would consider it.

If you Google MISSION TRIP TIJUANA, you find a lot of organizations still making trips there. Just for the heck of it, I Googled MISSION TRIP CIUDAD JUAREZ too, and there are groups that still go there!

Not that there aren't needs in those communities, but then I think the people that go on trips there should be old, experienced Mexico hands. It seems a bad idea to take a group of kids there who have never traveled before.

Tijuana is NOT the place for rookies to get their Mexico legs on. Period. Take them somewhere rural, away from the current violence on the border. There's certainly plenty of places could use help, and the kids could be pretty much guaranteed safety. Tijuana is not one of them.

I definitely don't think a trip to TJ would be a good idea. By no means do I consider myself an expert on TJ, but I live in San Diego now and used to take trips to Ensenada and TJ several times a year. Now I've stopped traveling to or through this area (hopefully temporarily) because of the potential violence. It's just not worth it.

Um, yeah- 14 responses in agreement that something is a really, really bad idea might be a record on Fodor's.

We're adventurous travelers from the Detroit area, and there's no way would would go ourselves, much less send an 18 year old.

Seems we lost our OP?

Maybe she is trying to catch her breath? I'm with the rest of you. Have taken youth groups on dozens (literally) of mission trips. We used to go to Rio Bravo (near Progresso), but no way, no how would I take a group to a border town these days. You are right, Jeff. That's courting danger, regardless of the need. Not for the inexperienced.

And also you are right, Jeff. True mission trips go where the need is, focusing on service to the people of the area rather on whatever fun there is to be had. We never ventured to Central America, even as familiar with Costa Rica as I was. To me, foreign mission is better suited to adult groups. Just me. Appalachia--huge need. South Texas--huge need. The list goes on. I am a big proponent of taking the kids somewhere where they can experience another culture, though.

By the way, I think the reason so many groups DO go to Costa Rica has a lot to do with it being perceived as a more secure location in Central America.

As someone said earlier, I would seriously question the judgment of the organizer of this trip. I might even change churches. Reckless endangerment.