<p>Please remind your son in the strongest terms possible that while he is in Mexico, he does not have the legal rights he enjoys in the United States. If he is caught with drugs, if he gets into a fight or other altercation, if he is in an accident, he is subject to the laws of Mexico and they are different than the laws in the U.S. A boy from my son’s old summer camp was found with the end of a joint in the pocket of his duffel bag, probably months old–he knew better than to fool with that stuff in Turkey. He’s still in a Turkish jail–it’s been ten weeks.</p>
<p>Hi everyone. Lots of excellent tips here. Thanks for the feedback. I got my son to sit down with me and we scrolled through the posts together. One good suggestion among many was the idea of a “designated driver” at night (even though they won’t have a car); the kids are well versed in the concept but he hadn’t considered adapting the idea to this trip. </p>
<p>I had a good laugh when he agreed that the posts had good ideas then expressed surprise since he assumed that “all the parents on CC were crazy.” (like his mom!) It’s one thing for me to express concern about the Mexican legal system and another for him to have it reinforced by several other parents. Way to go, CC posters!</p>
<p>Technically, he did not ask permission to go, but he did ask how we would feel about it. I told him it was his money, that I didn’t know much about Cancun and I’d rather he stayed in the states, and that if he went he’d need to be very careful. The kids made their own travel arrangements, and they are staying here for a night at either end since they are flying from an airport near us. I plan to request contact info for the other parents so I can reach them if need be.</p>
<p>I agree with Coranged’s post. S went to Cancun Spring break of freshman year, and everything worked out just fine. First of all, he went with two other college roommates, and one of them made the arrangements with a reputable travel agent from his hometown who was very familiar with the Cancun area. They travelled on a non-stop USA 3000 flight and were booked into a hotel that was an all-inclusive and was in the main tourist area. They were only there for 5 days, and my S said that it was enough time to get an overview. They did get to see some of the ruins and visit a coral reef, along with checking out the nightlife and shopping area. My S realized upon his return that Cancun was really not a destination that he would readily travel to again - there are other, more interesting places that he would like to visit, so it’s not on his top priority list, but since he had heard so much about it (mostly what he’d seen on MTV), that he was curious to try it, but he wasn’t really into the whole constant all you can eat meals and all-night long nightlife/partying scene. As a result of his report, his sibling doesn’t have any interest in visiting. I think my S saw it almost as a college rite of passage - this is one of the hotspots that the students like to visit during Spring break, so he just wanted to check it out for himself.</p>
<p>Don’t Forget that as of JAN 7, 2007, NEW HOMELAND SECURITY REGULATIONS REQUIRE US CITIZENS TO SHOW A US PASSPORT TO REENTER THE USA FROM MEXICO OR CANADA.</p>
<p>I think I may have taken part in the previous thread. Maybe not. I may have been one to say “She’ll be on Beale Street alone in 3 months …”) D and a friend wanted to spend their money on a beach trip for graduation. Both good kids. Both scholarship winners (both deserving of a break and some trust). They involved me in the search (imagine that). I came to the conclusion that the only thing I would approve was a stand alone resort far south of Cancun, further south than Playa del Carmen. A short distance north of Tulum. There were several resorts that fit the bill. They selected Gran Bahia Principe Complex (Tulum, Akumal, Coba) All-inclusive and a Funjet Tour. It was hitchless. And they got an upgrade package with some perks! (My sis and bro in law stay at the resort “next door” every year.)</p>
<p>3 large hotels stuck together. Great beach. Great snorkeling. Activities galore. Nice reservation only (but still free) gourmet (LOL) restaurants. All inclusive. I was in e-mail contact with the manager prior to booking and throughout the process. Tripadvisor com was invaluable. (I posted on their forums. Half the world thought I was nuts or worse :eek: for considering such a trip for two 18 year old girls. Well, they are pretty special kids. I can’t remember my screenname on their forum. Maybe “idiotDad.” Maybe “grosslynegligentDad”. ;)) Cingular phones worked perfectly. (I think we made sure they were the right “bands” at our local Cingular store and added Mexico for less than $10 for the month.) </p>
<p>I bought personal warning devices that you yanked and a earpiercing shriek at air raid volume wouldn’t stop until you got the pin back in. Established protocols. Buddy system. If you set your drink down you get another. Insisted that all tours be through the hotel. They did not go to “Cancun” or even “Playa”. (Numerous other things.)</p>
<p>They went to Xel-ha lagoon and had an all-day blast. Amazing. They went parasailing. The dressed up fancy and took salsa lessons and then danced at the disco. They dressed for dinner. (I think they thought they were in a Bond movie.)</p>
<p>Great photos. Safe trip. </p>
<p>Cancun for an 18 YO? Hell, no. 
For a twenty? gee. I’d sure try to talk them in to Playa or Tulum or even Cozumel.</p>
<p>p.s. Both sets of parents feel that this little trip helped with the transition to college (although that was not a purpose going in) . We could be just fooling ourselves. I do want to add that free alchohol was diligently offered to them at every turn. Again, keep your kid’s personality in mind when making these decisions. For some kids this is probably not a good idea. Like handing them a loaded gun. Of course, I’ve done that , too. ;)</p>
<p>My son is way too poor to take such a trip. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>cur- I agree. The all-inclusive resorts way south are SO much nicer anyway. We went with my sister’s family to Copacabana resort- north of Tulum but quite a bit south of Playa. We loved it. To me the key was having a long stretch of beach. Some of the inclusive resorts have small beaches because they are sort of in coves. I like the beach walking/running thing.</p>
<p>My d. is currently doing Athens and Crete “on the cheap”. I can’t imagine either of my kids ever thinking this would be fun thing to do for spring break, so I don’t know how I’d “feel” about it, but I would probably take the excellent advice that has been offered thus far. And then, bless them! They are growing up.</p>
<p>mini, my D is sold on a study abroad that will take her to Greece as a junior. Well it will take her to Europe, but she’s most excited at the Greece part. (And there is time for independent travel.) Just have to find away to work out the schedule. Pre-meds have trouble as there are no science courses in this joint Sewanee/Rhodes fall semester program. It is covered by her scholarship (except airfare) !! Too cool.</p>
<p>Weenie…my kids are also too poor for a spring break trip this year. DS (a senior) went to Montreal when he was a soph, and to Killington when he was a junior…both trips for three days. This year, thankfully, he will be on a trip with his advisor and others in his major (to McLean VA). DD has no money. She’ll take a $100 round trip shuttle to her cousins.</p>
<p>For spring break this year my kid will going to visit her best friend in be-yoo-ti-ful Oklahoma or coming back home to see her dear old dad. She is smooth out of cash. And she leaves for Spain and language immersion right after spring semester is over and unfortunately she has not yet won a scholarshp for that.;)</p>
<p>thumper: I like the $100 trip. 
My dad takes my son on an awesome fishing trip every summer. For the time being, that is his “vacation.” Not a bad deal, huh? (But very few scantily clad females I suspect. Ha ha.)</p>
<p>We went to Cancun in Oct. for a business trip. I enjoyed our stay there overall, though we just were mainly at our hotel due to the business meetings. Some tips:
–take lots of $1 bills for tips.
–the arrival at the airport is HORRID. As you exit your flight and enter the airport, dozens of men in uniforms rush at you in a horrifying way, trying to take your bags and get you to their taxi company or something. They look official because of their uniforms but they aren’t. A man literally grabbed our suitcase from my 6-foot husband and took off with it! We had to run after him to get it back. Be prepared with travel plan to the hotel. We had a car picking us up but it isn’t very clear where to find your waiting car. It’s after the onrushing men in uniforms.
–take anti-itch cream for insect bites. I got sand flea bites from walking on the sand and the cream really helped.</p>
<p>weenie and thumper, my S does not have the money either. He did figure out that he could have a few kids stay with us, and visit NYC, and then he could stay in Virginia Beach with their families. I don’t know whether he will follow though on those plans. I also let him know that these plans would be far from free, so I guess he will need think about the costs.</p>
<p>“mini, my D is sold on a study abroad that will take her to Greece as a junior. Well it will take her to Europe, but she’s most excited at the Greece part.”</p>
<p>D. reports it is indeed beautiful in winter. She found a great “student and travelers hostel” in the Plaka, where she is sharing a room with a Spanish student and a Korean student who is studying Italian in Milan. The only problem she has run into is that everything assumes she is Greek, which I find hilarious - when I traveled when I was 22, I was assumed to be, respectively, Italian, Greek, Turkish, Armenian, Iranian, Afghani, and Kashmiri. She heads off on a boat to Crete New Year’s Eve.</p>
<p>My wife and I went to Cancun on business during spring break a few years ago. I’m no prude when it comes to college drinking and bad behavior (having done a bit myself years ago) but I was astounded by the level of drunkenness, passing out, loud behavior, etc. And that was jsut in the airport lounge ! A few kids were denied boarding the flights home becaue they were borderline incoherent. I was pretty disgusted.</p>
<p>Of course, none of that will be YOUR kids, but trust me, Cancun is no easygoing spring retreat. It’s a playground for dubious behavior. If you trust your kid, it’s prbably OK. If your kid has a history of lack of self-control, it’s a risk in my view.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Cancun took a major hit from a hurricane last year. Lots of damage still remains. Have them check on area and hotel before they decide for sure.</p>
<p>One thing I remember, the building codes have no height restrictions on balcony railing. These are low and very easy to tumble off of if you lean back against it. Warn your son.</p>
<p>My son won’t be going anywhere but to work… He needs the money.
His group of friends already have plans to go to Cancun.<br>
Wow, I hope they all return unscathed!!</p>