wow

I am posting this on behalf of the nervous parents of 4 great guys(best friends) who want to go away for Spring Break, 2006....w/o their parents!!!! (We are not totally comfortable w/ this idea.) Can you suggest someplace "safe" where our 4 sons cld go for a week in mid-March, 2006? "All Inclusive" wld probably be best. Flying from Toronto, Hamilton(Ontario) or Buffalo(NY)

Diana

My suggestions would depend on how they behave and what they are expecting from their trip.

If they are party animals and are going to want a loud party place, than Cancun is the classic. (And despite occasional horror stories like happen anywhere, it is quite safe.)

If they are respectful and can have fun without going over the top and behaving badly, then I would suggest Isla Mujeres, Cozumel or Playa del Carmen - probably PDC.

They are all easy to get to from Cancun, loads of fun, zillions of things to do, and not nearly as much of a zoo as Cancun will be.

The plus side to PDC is that there are ALWAYS tons of gorgeous young Europeans and other samplings of stunning young people from all over the world there year round.

If they want to spend their break on a (partially) topless beach surrounded by some of the most beautiful women they will ever see, I would go with PDC. It is also quite safe. I'll be headed back for my fourth visit in less than a month, and it is a neat place for people of all ages.

miguelgcuadra

No one whereever they go will be watching them or taking care of them. Important thing is, if they know how to behave or act like most stupids kids in spring break, drinking like there is no end.
It is very easy to blame the Mexican authorities when there is a tragedy, but parents should be blamed for the action of their kids.
Cancun would be heaven for them.

Dee3

You are talking about 18 year old males on a spring break without any adult supervision. There is no "safe" place. It doesn't matter how great your guys are. If you are not totally comfortable with this idea, you are the parent, say no.

Poppa

Who would be paying for all this?


"He who pays the piper calls the tune."

mothradave

If you trust them, let them go. I would have loved to have been able to go on a trip like at the age of 18. All inclusive is the way to go if you can afford it. There are also tons of spring break agencies that are a google search away that coordinate everything for reasonable prices. This would put them with other kids their age and while that seems like it might be a disaster it actually might be safer in the sense that they'd be part of bigger group less likely to be taken advantage of or attacked (although is that really a fear for 18 yr old men?). Plus it'd be tons of fun for them.

They'll be college age soon, doing whatever they want anyway. Why not let them have their fun and grow up a bit at the same time?

wliwl

Tell them to go to Europe (I presume they are paying). They can bring a backpack and a list of hostels. Rather than just drinking the whole time they'll probably actually learn a thing or two.

Little_Man

Agree w/ the Europe idea!

mikemo

A Spanish language school in Antigua, Guatemala or San Miguel de Allende, MX.
M

RBCal

Let us know where you decide so we can plan to avoid it.

sunbum1944

my daughter has been to Cancun, Lake Havasu, Padre Island and Costa Rica for spring breaks and survived all them - and she enjoyed each experience- I think she liked the Mexico experience the least -just gotta trust your kids will be somewhat responsible. The Costa Rica scene was by far the quietest-

wow

Thanks, everyone for your replies!
To: Sunbum1944: Where are Lake Havasu & Padre Island??
Any other suggestions/comments?
BTW, our sons are paying for this trip. They are also doing their own research at the same time as we, the parents, are!

MNP

Padre Island is in South East Texas...

Lake Havasu, I believe, is in Arizona...