<p>So my daughter was invited by her best friends family to travel with them to Nuevo Vallarta for the spring break. They will be staying in the resort the entire time, but with all the warnings about Mexico, I'm getting nervous!!! This is her senior year and last chance to spend with her 2 best friends, so of course I'm getting the "guilt". I called the mom who is taking them and she assured me that it is completely safe and far from the boarder areas where all the bad things are happening but I'm still a little apprehensive. Am I being overprotective or rational?? She is a very responsible girl, not into partying or drinking ( nor are her friends) so I don't worry about that and they will be with the parents the entire time but all this media about "Stay away from Mexico" gets me concerned!! Any thoughts?</p>
<p>I have a mother that lives in Mexico. (She’s not Mexican, she is an American retiree that got tired of cold winters).</p>
<p>Your daugther is an adult, this is one of the first tough decisions that she gets to make as an adult.</p>
<p>This warning from the state department has some useful info. Read past just the basic warning.
Link … [Mexico[/url</a>]
I assume she’d be flying there and would thereby at least avoid the border areas.</p>
<p>Another relevant link - <a href=“404 - Page Not Found”>404 - Page Not Found](<a href=“404 - Page Not Found”>404 - Page Not Found)</a></p>
<p>Nuevo Vallarta is a very nice, safe resort area just north of Puerto Vallarta. Puerto Vallarta is a charming Mexican city and I am excited to be going there in one week with my sister. I have no hesitation traveling there for a week leaving my husband at home to have some quality time with my sister. Puerto Vallarta is hundreds of miles away from the border towns. As long as you have spoken to the parents, are assured that they will be chaperoned, and agree on some ground rules I would let her go and not worry.</p>
<p>Google: “Nuevo Vallarta” crime
The results are surprisingly reassuring. Most travel guides and traveler anecdotes identify Nuevo Vallarta as having an unusually crime rate.</p>
<p>Here is another question for you:</p>
<p>Would you let your daughter go to New York/San Francisco/on a road trip/fill-in-trip-of-your-choice-here with these people? Maybe your inner negativity is not so much toward the specific vacation place, as it is toward the concept of the vacation with the other family and those friends. Or, maybe it’s because you’d rather spend your family vacation money on something that you can do with your daughter. </p>
<p>There is more than one question here. Be sure that you have the answers to all of them.</p>
<p>Nuevo Vallarta is like a “suburb” of Puerto Vallarta. Our family is headed to PV (the city) on the 1st, so I’ve been researching it for several months on [Hotels</a> and Vacation Reviews - TripAdvisor](<a href=“http://www.tripadvisor.com%5DHotels”>http://www.tripadvisor.com). There have been a few instances of crime mentioned by returning tourists. One woman had items stolen from her luggage at the airport. Tell D to carry any valuables in her carry-on, not in her checked luggage. There was also an entire group of tourists robbed while on a horseback-riding excursion at a ranch.Apparently, this is the second time that ranch has been hit. Other than that, most people have returned with wonderful trip reports. I think she will be fine.</p>
<p>Sounds like a wonderful vacation with responsible adults. My son just returned from spring break in Mexico of a different sort, and he survived…sleeping on the beach, just south of Arizona with hundreds of other college students. Not totally relevant, but an example of a less-wonderful plan that worked out fine.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your responses, I feel a little more reassured now 
Funny enough I was at a fundraiser meeting last night and mentioned it to some of the woman there and they thought I was crazy to let her go, so that is what got me thinking!! Anyway, one of the side trips the family mentioned was horseback riding, along with zip lining. I think I might mention what happened with that one ranch, maybe it will change their plans.</p>
<p>I think it will be a fun adventure and a great vacation where she’ll be supervised by responsible adults in a secure, resort setting. Nothing could be safer. Whoever tried to discourage you is probably just being a little silly.</p>
<p>With a family you know? Sure!</p>
<p>Thank you. Funny how words of encouragement from strangers can make you feel better than those of your peers!! The area we live in tends to be quite judgmental and competitive…( a little phony to be honest ) so its nice to get perspectives from honest parents with sound advice :-)</p>
<p>Here’s the horseback robbery story:</p>
<p>[Vacation</a> from hell | Manitoba | News | Winnipeg Sun](<a href=“http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/manitoba/2010/03/01/13074466.html]Vacation”>http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/manitoba/2010/03/01/13074466.html)</p>
<p>I am moving down to Mexico for work in a few months. At this time, it’s not the safest place to be at, but not every place in Mexico is dangerous. Most crimes involve drugs around border towns, except the recent one around Acapulco. One thing they caution us against in doing is to take a taxi off the street. Always use a car service engaged by the hotel. Don’t show a wallet with ATM card(s) or a lot of money. Carry some pesos around. If run into problem, offer few hundred pesos could usually get you out of it. Considering your daughter will be with adults at a nice resort, I don’t think you have much to worry about. Just remind her not to go off on her own, always be with someone. I would say the same thing about any new, unfamiliar palce.</p>
<p>Here’s another perspective. With all the lovely resorts on many different island within a few hours of the USA, my family chooses not to spend our hard earned vacation dollars in a country that has significant crime, including crime spilling into the US border states and a government that by many reports has a large problem with corruption. </p>
<p>I understand that may hurt the laborers in those resorts, I understand the resort area may itself be safe. But there are many other small islands that also benefit from the tourist dollar (as well as some areas in the US) and are able to do so with “clean hands”.<br>
Take it for what it is worth…</p>
<p>My college soph son is heading to Cancun tomorrow and I am very worried too. He is flying into Cancun with 3 buddies and staying at a time share owned by one of the parents, but no parents will be there. One kid has been there many times and speaks fluent Spanish (allegedly). He’s a fairly cautious kid, but I don’t think I will sleep well until he is back in the US!</p>
<p>Sorry to tell you this, but a post came up on [Hotels</a> and Vacation Reviews - TripAdvisor](<a href=“http://www.tripadvisor.com%5DHotels”>http://www.tripadvisor.com) on the Puerto Vallarta forum. This is a good warning for all teens/college aged kids and unattended drinks. The alleged perpetrators were young American men.</p>
<p>[Word</a> to the Wise…It can happen anywhere - Puerto Vallarta Forum - TripAdvisor](<a href=“http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g150793-i46-k3486460-Word_to_the_Wise_It_can_happen_anywhere-Puerto_Vallarta_Pacific_Coast.html]Word”>http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g150793-i46-k3486460-Word_to_the_Wise_It_can_happen_anywhere-Puerto_Vallarta_Pacific_Coast.html)</p>
<p>Given all the crazy spring break/beach week plans that kids make, I would be thrilled if my kid was invited somewhere that parents were included and if he thought that was fun. </p>
<p>Im just glad that he is too poor and unorganized to come up with a crazy beach week plan on his own.</p>
<p>I think its a lovely opportunity and how nice of them to include your daughter. I would let my kid go for sure.</p>
<p>my post came up simultaneously with toledos post, so I am just reading it now. This could happen on any vacation. It is definitely a cautionary tale and I would tell my son or daughter not to leave drinks unattended.</p>
<p>And that paricular incident could start a whole new debate here on cc…Is it o.k. to let 18 yr. olds drink in Mexico? Clearly, this is an example of what could happen. I don’t want to debate it, but as a parent, I think you have a right to request that your D not be allowed to drink.</p>